Primer on Bunker Fuel and Scrubbers
Seattle wants a common sense, greener alternative to the planned cruise ship terminal. We need enforceable policies that encourage business development alongside historical preservation and environmental protection.
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Primer on Bunker Fuel and Scrubbers

29 Oct Primer on Bunker Fuel and Scrubbers

Posted at 23:26h in air pollution, illegal dumping, water pollution by
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It’s critical to understand what “bunker fuel” and “scrubbers” are.

This blog post describes what bunker fuel is, and why it’s the prevalent fuel used by cruise ships.

Cruise ship industry cheat the internationally agreed upon emission standards by using “scrubber” technology. Scrubber technology essentially takes the toxic discharge that would otherwise be spewed into the air and flushes it into the ocean instead. Read this excellent Miami Herald investigative piece on scrubbers and why cruise companies favor them.

Even when scrubbers are installed, they don’t always work:

“…An audit of the Carnival fleet from 2017-18 that turned up 30 examples of scrubbers that either weren’t turned on or had unexpectedly shut down.” (Source)

At best, with the use of bunker fuel and scrubbers, humans who live near cruise ship terminals are at risk of developing cancer or lung-related diseases. Marine ecosystems have a worse fate.

The UN and environmental groups call for ports to ban the use of scrubbers, which would then force the cruise ship companies to use cleaner fuel in order to comply by international laws. Cruise ship companies have been very resistant because cleaner fuel is more expensive. By extension, ports and port cities stand to benefit economically by building cruise ship terminals, and many are allowing cruise ship companies to cheat environmental laws by allowing scrubbers. Many more have opened the door to scrubber use, and now find it is hard to take the option away.

Seattle, this is our time to make a stand: protest the use of scrubbers and insist that cruise ship companies comply by international environmental standards. Petition the Port of Seattle to ban the use of scrubbers.