The discharge from exhaust gas scrubbers actually has a lower concentration of sulphur in it than a well-known Italian sparkling water, according to Star Bulk Carriers president Hamish Norton.

He made the assessment of scrubber effluent when addressing widely held concerns of its impact on the marine environment on Thursday at TradeWinds’ Green Seas Forum in New York.

“The sulphur we add is less concentrated than the sulphur in San Pellegrino water, by a fair amount actually,” he said during an interview with TradeWinds financial correspondent Joe Brady.