Cruise giants sail into a SULPHUROUS storm: In an echo of dieselgate

Billions are being poured into fitting ships with controversial 'scrubbers'

Shipping firms are preparing to invest billions of pounds into controversial machines that critics say will pump our oceans with polluted water.

US investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates that up to 5,000 vessels will be fitted with so-called scrubbers in the coming years, at a cost of up to $10 million (£7.6 million) per ship.

Scrubbers stop sulphur emissions from being pumped into the air through exhaust pipes – but the vast majority of the devices then divert the waste into the sea.

One shipping industry boss last night compared the use of scrubbers with the Volkswagen ‘Dieselgate’ scandal, where the German carmaker was found to have misled regulators and customers by hiding nitrogen oxide emissions during vehicle tests. read more »