The pressures on owners and operators in the maritime industry are great, and in recent years they have increased because of the need to protect the environment. Ocean-going vessels in all regions around the world are subject to a number of strict regulations, all of which need to be understood and, of course, adhered to.

One of the more pressing issues is the effect of sulphur emissions on the quality of seawater. These emissions are extremely harmful, because they add to the acid levels in the oceans, and in the more extreme cases the harm that results can even be irreversible.

Ensure compliance with a wet scrubber caustic test kit

There are very strict guidelines in place which cover this area, and both the International Maritime Organisation and the European Union support policies which urge vessels to reduce their sulphur emissions. Thankfully, a wet scrubber caustic test kit can help owners to be sure that their process is removing pollutants.

A number of sea areas around the world have been identified as being at high risk from sulphur emissions, and these Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) are now governed by stricter regulations. They are constantly monitored by the authorities and vessels operating here can expect stricter operations.

The current list of designated SECAs includes:

• The Baltic Sea
• The North Sea
• The English Channel
• The coastlines of the USA and Canada

It’s hoped that stricter controls will lead to a noticeable reduction in the damage cause by such emissions.

How sulphur emissions cause damage to the world’s oceans

If effective use of a wet scrubber caustic test kit is in existence, there will be far less damage to the environment, but the issues caused by sulphur emissions are already a major cause for concern. The problem occurs when sulphur oxide in the exhaust gas of a vessel is transformed into sulphuric acid droplets in the air.

These droplets then fall into the oceans and mix with the sea water. In some parts of the world, shallow and deep waters mix well, and the damage is then kept to a minimum. At certain times of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, however, there is very little mixing and this leads to major problems.

One of the inevitable outcomes of this process is the difficulty faced by living organisms in building strong skeletons and shells. And of course when this happens they become weaker and more susceptible to predators. While this affects a number of creatures, coral has been highlighted as one of the species that is most at risk.

Owners and operators need to do all they can to ensure safer emissions both now and into the future. The scrubber caustic test kit from Eazychem is one of many effective tools in the quest to remain both environmentally aware and legally compliant.