Only about 2,500 vessels will be fitted with scrubbers by 1 January, compared to initial estimates of 4,000 by the IMO.
This is the view of analyst Refinitiv, which said that part of the reason for the slower uptake was the reluctance of owners to commit tankers to drydock as rates boomed due to US sanctions against two Cosco companies for alleged Iranian trading, and other geopolitical factors.
