Athens-based shipping firm Star Bulk Carriers unveiled its intentions to equip its entire fleet with exhaust gas cleaning systems before the January 1, 2020 implementation date of the new IMO sulfur emission cap regulation.
Star Bulk expects average cost, including installation, to be below USD 2 million per vessel. The company has secured debt financing with an average margin of below 3.0% to cover up to around 70% of such cost and expects the remaining amount to be covered from operating cash flow and cash on hand, without raising equity for this purpose.
Additionally, the company has secured contracts with undisclosed shipyards for the installation of such systems, while in approximately 35% of the installations, riding teams are being deployed to carry out the retrofitting works onboard the vessels while at sea, reducing off hire time, as a result of those installations, by 50% to 60%.
A month ago, Star Bulk successfully completed the first scrubber installation at sea.