It was estimated that in 2020, around 10 gigatonnes of scrubber washwater was discharged by ships worldwide. Some 80 percent of this washwater was discharged within 200 nautical miles of shore. Only about 20 percent of dishwater was emitted on the high seas.
Scrubber washwater is a byproduct of vessel scrubbers. These are employed to remove nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and other air pollutants from exhaust gases generated by engines, usually by spraying sea water over exhaust gases. This mixture of seawater and pollutants removed from exhaust gases - called scrubber washwater - is then discharged overboard. Scrubber washwater can seriously harm marine organism.
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Distribution of scrubber washwater discharged by ships worldwide in 2020, by maritime zone
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Statista. (October 1, 2021). Distribution of scrubber washwater discharged by ships worldwide in 2020, by maritime zone [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved June 26, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267368/distribution-of-discharged-scrubber-washwater-by-maritime-zone/
Statista. "Distribution of scrubber washwater discharged by ships worldwide in 2020, by maritime zone." Chart. October 1, 2021. Statista. Accessed June 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267368/distribution-of-discharged-scrubber-washwater-by-maritime-zone/
Statista. (2021). Distribution of scrubber washwater discharged by ships worldwide in 2020, by maritime zone. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: June 26, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267368/distribution-of-discharged-scrubber-washwater-by-maritime-zone/
Statista. "Distribution of Scrubber Washwater Discharged by Ships Worldwide in 2020, by Maritime Zone." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Oct 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267368/distribution-of-discharged-scrubber-washwater-by-maritime-zone/
Statista, Distribution of scrubber washwater discharged by ships worldwide in 2020, by maritime zone Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267368/distribution-of-discharged-scrubber-washwater-by-maritime-zone/ (last visited June 26, 2025)
Distribution of scrubber washwater discharged by ships worldwide in 2020, by maritime zone [Graph], Statista, October 1, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1267368/distribution-of-discharged-scrubber-washwater-by-maritime-zone/
