Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research Department has commissioned or gathered on the effect of open loop scrubbers on sediment quality in UK waters; and if he will make a statement.

The Department has not commissioned any research since the original development of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Guidelines for Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS).

The UK permits the use of EGCS which meet international standards to comply with the sulphur limits. The Department and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency continue to play an active role in the development of these Guidelines and are aware of the growing interest in the potential cumulative environmental impact of discharges from these systems. In response to this, the UK in conjunction with other European States, has submitted a paper to the IMO’s Marine Environmental Protection Committee, to establish a new output to further evaluate and harmonise the rules and guidance associated with EGCS at an international level.