Bad news, good news: Scrubber pollution is a problem — it doesn’t have to be

Written by Aaron Brakel

July 17, 2024

It’s time to call for an end to cruise ship scrubber pollution in Alaska waters

Do you want the good news or the bad news first? 

The bad news is large cruise ships visiting Alaska are discharging millions of gallons of pollution into Alaska waters daily. Most large cruise ships making port here are equipped with exhaust gas scrubbers, a technology that allows them to burn cheaper, high sulfur, heavy fuel oil while still complying with international regulations meant to address air pollution. But scrubber use has created a serious water pollution problem that needs to be addressed.

Whether it’s a way of life or a livelihood, we rely on clean water here in Southeast Alaska. Right now, we have this newer source of pollution and we’re allowing it to be dumped in massive volumes without a real understanding of the consequences. 

Worldwide, more than 50 countries, regions and ports have enacted bans and restrictions; we want to see Alaska and the US take action too.

It’s time to call for an end to scrubber pollution in Alaska waters.

Here’s that good news I promised: there’s actually a straightforward solution to this pollution problem — cruise ships don’t need scrubbers to operate. They can run on readily available cleaner burning fuel, which would limit both air and water pollution, as well as avoid the high risks and impacts of heavy oil spills. 

Of course straightforward doesn’t mean easy. Cleaner burning fuel is more expensive and avoiding those higher costs is how we ended up with scrubbers and scrubber pollution to begin with. 

What’s a scrubber, anyway?

Scrubbers are installed in the exhaust stack of these ships and clean seawater is pumped in to ‘scrub’ the exhaust. The resulting wastewater contains sulfuric acid and a host of other contaminants, and it’s discharged back into the ocean at high volumes, estimated to range from 6.3-8.7 million gallons per day — for a medium ship. 

What’s the impact?

There’s a major lack of research on the impacts of scrubber wastewater in Alaska but, internationally, scientists are voicing concern. One study conducted in Europe found negative impacts on sea urchin larvae at concentrations as low as 0.0001%. We can’t really say right now how this pollution is impacting our waters, marine life, fisheries or humans — but we don’t really want to wait around to find out when the damage is already taking place. 

That’s why we’re calling for an end to scrubber pollution now.

How did we end up in this mess?

The International Maritime Organization introduced fuel sulfur limits to address air pollution concerns but there was major industry pushback over the higher costs of lower sulfur fuel. In response to that pushback, the IMO added a loophole allowing the use of scrubbers as an alternative way to comply. Since the higher standards kicked in in 2015, the number of scrubbers has grown significantly and almost all large cruise ships visiting Alaska use them. 

What can we do about it?

I’ve been working for several months now to better understand this issue and figure out how we can end scrubber pollution in Alaska. It’s a complicated area of overlapping law and policy and it’s difficult to get a bead on the exact policy solution.

Right now, we’re publicly calling for an end to scrubber pollution. If you sign our petition, you’re joining that call and strengthening our voice. 

The petition is just one tool and we anticipate we’ll have to use many tools and explore different approaches to see meaningful, long-term change. The hardest work is just starting. 

Want to do more than sign a petition? We need help spreading the word about scrubber pollution, so forward this email, repost on social media, talk to your friends and neighbors, and consider bringing the issue to your local or Tribal government. Make sure you’re signed up for email updates to get action alerts. You can also help further this work by making a donation to SEACC today, supporting the countless hours we pour into research, outreach and advocacy to protect our home. 

Thank you for taking this time to learn about scrubber pollution. Please take an extra moment to sign the petition as well. Maybe at some point I’ll get to write to you with only good news.

You May Also Like…