Total scrubber investments will reach $16bn by 2025 as shipowners can still profit from installing the exhaust gas cleaning technology on large-sized newbuilding vessels, according to a bunker consultant.

In a web forum held by Platts on Tuesday, Marine & Energy Consulting managing director Robin Meech conceded scrubber economics had weakened this year with a narrow discount of high-sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) to very low sulphur fuel oil.