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Shipboard compliance with EU refrigerant rules stand to increase costs 5-10pc

OWNERS of EU-flagged vessels need to ensure that their shipboard refrigeration units - including aircon - are leak-tight, warned Wilhelmsen Ship Services (WSS).

WSS' technical refrigerants manager Svenn Jacobson said that compliance with with the fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-Gas) regulation will likely increase costs five to 10 times current levels.

"At the moment, testing for gas leaks is purely a maintenance issue, but the impact of leaks from land-based and ship sources has grabbed the attention of regulators," said Mr Jacobson.

"In short, owners need to start paying attention because the future costs of compliance will far outstrip what owners are paying for these gases today," he told London's Tanker Operator.

Refrigeration gas is a commodity similar to motor fuel but is not a consumable and therefore should not need replacing. Mr Jacobson said that owners who are paying to recharge gas systems should recognise they have a fault and take action.

"Owners need to be asking, are my new ships going to be delivered with gases that are compliant over their trading life and how can we remain compliant on existing tonnage once the regulations come into force?"

Adopted by the European Union Council earlier this year, the regulations are specifically designed to reduce the use of F-gases, also known as fluorinated refrigerants, or HFCs, within the EU, by introducing a quota system, limiting the amount of high global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants available on the market.

Mr Jacobsen said the brunt of the F-gas regulation will be felt between 2018 and 2020. All vessels today have some requirement for on board refrigeration, or climate control and the regulations are weighted against high-GWP refrigerants, with R-404A among the hardest hit. There as been no standard measurable global warming for 20 years.