The Greenland Parliament (Inatsisartut) unanimously passed a ban on the discharge of waste from ship exhaust gas treatment systems into the waters of the country on November 4, 2023. This action was taken to impose stricter environmental regulations on ships in polar waters and will impact cruise operators that use these systems to comply with international pollution standards.
Details of the New Ban
According to the approved proposal, the discharge of waste from open-loop exhaust gas treatment systems will be banned from July 1, 2027, in Greenland's ports, internal waters, and territorial seas. From July 1, 2029, this ban will extend to all exhaust gas treatment systems, including closed-loop systems. This decision follows a proposal by parliamentary representative, Jesper Hansen, from the Democrats (Demokraatit) party.
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Responses and Consequences
This action was welcomed by the Clean Arctic Alliance. The alliance's senior advisor, Sian Prior, stated that treatment systems are merely a deceptive solution to continue using the most polluting fuels, while cleaner fuels like marine gas oil (MGO) are readily available. The alliance argues that treatment systems transfer pollution from the atmosphere to the ocean, allowing ships to use residual fuels that produce higher levels of particulate matter and black carbon.
This decision comes at a time when maritime restrictions across the Arctic are increasingly tightening, although each of these measures addresses specific pollution issues. With 94,000 cruise passengers expected to visit Greenland's waters in 2025, the impact of this ban on the region's cruise industry is still unclear.
In comparison, global fleet data obtained from S&P Global identified 338 passenger and cruise ships equipped with treatment systems in 2025. Ships affected by the new restrictions do not need to leave Greenland's routes or remove their equipment, but can switch to using lower-sulfur fuels instead.
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