Alarm bells raised in wake of R-22 refrigerant phase-out

Wilhelmsen Ships Service
has warned of price, supply
and safety risks in the runup
to the global ban on R-22
(chlorodifluoromethane
or HCFC) refrigerant. The
colourless gas, which has high
ozone depletion and global
warming potential, is still said
to be in use on 6 000-8 000
vessels worldwide.
R-22 was outlawed
throughout the EU in a
process that ran from 2010 to
1 January 2015. It is currently
being phased out in the US,
where no new or imported
R-22 will be permitted from 1
January 2020. As part of the
Montreal Protocol (MP), a UN
agreement to protect the ozone
layer, HCFC use will be phased
out in member countries by
2030.
“R-22 is a versatile and
effective refrigerant gas
that has served the shipping
industry well, but it is fast
approaching the end of
the line,” comments Svenn
Jacobsen, technical product
manager refrigeration at
Wilhelmsen Ships Service.
“The compliance deadlines
are approaching and this
has, quite rightly, impacted
tremendously on global
production. As availability goes
down price and supply risks go
up, and this is potentially bad
news for the owners of those
remaining vessels that still use
R-22.”
Industry figures indicate
that legal global R-22
production this year will
be only 10% of the volume
produced in 1990. This weak
supply and relatively strong
demand will exert upward
pressure on prices. Jacobsen
believes that if ships are slow
to switch to ozone-friendly
refrigerant alternatives, costs
“could easily double over the
course of the next year.” This
creates a new problem.
“When prices increase
and/or availability shrinks,
alternative and illegally
produced products suddenly
start appearing on the market,”
he states. “This is happening
already, and will only increase
with demand."