| | As one of the leads for OSPAR’s work on scrubber discharges, I’m proud to share with you OSPAR’s Decision 2025/01 on the management of discharge water from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (scrubbers).
Although scrubbers help reduce sulphur in air emissions from shipping—a critical step to improve air quality—they also generate discharges laden with pollutants: heavy metals, persistent organic compounds, PAHs, among others. Even in small concentrations, this discharge has been shown to severely damage marine life, thus impacting food webs and harming economic activities such as fisheries and aquaculture.
Our new collective measure brings harmonised regulations for discharge water in internal waters and port areas, along with recommendations for territorial seas. By aligning national regulations, we aim to reduce the environmental impacts on our vulnerable coasts, while ensuring that shipping and ports operate on a level and predictable playing field.
Looking ahead, there is still work to be done: extending the geographic scope, refining monitoring, and ensuring compliance. But this marks a turning point in management of the environmental impacts of shipping for OSPAR and other regional seas conventions. It underscores OSPAR’s commitment to applying the polluter‑pays principle, the precautionary principle, and protecting our shared marine heritage.
Thank you for your interest and support. Together, we have a real opportunity to reduce pollution from shipping in a meaningful, measurable way—for the health of our seas and all who depend on them.
Jonas Pålsson
Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management
Image: Copyright of Shutterstock |  | | OSPAR Decision 2025/01 on management of discharge water from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems on board ships in internal waters and port areas | | 
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| |  | | OSPAR Recommendation 2025/01 on management of discharge water from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems on board ships in territorial seas | | |
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|  | | Roadmap for the consideration of an extension of the scope of OSPAR Decision 2025/01 on management of discharge water from Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems on board ships in territorial seas | | |
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