The systems cost several million dollars but will allow the operators to avoid buying new low-sulfur fuel that oil traders say will be some 30% more expensive than conventional bunker fuel. That will give ships with scrubbers a big cost savings that companies expect to use to get an edge in competition for international cargoes. “There is a significant premium for scrubber-fitted vessels next year,” said George Lazaridis, head of research at Athens, Greece-based Allied Shipbroking Inc. “Those who put money into them made a big bet and now it’s payback time.” Ship Exhausts Scrubbers that hold back sulfur fumes are fitted across all ocean carriers. How the scrubber works 1. Exhaust from the engine travels into a scrubber. 3 Exhaust 2. Seawater or water with alkalinity-boosting chemicals is pumped into a scrubber. The water dissolves the sulfur oxides and removes other harmful emissions. 1 2 4 3. The […]