Tools · Bunkers
Scrubber payback calculator
A scrubber lets a ship keep burning cheap high-sulphur fuel (HSFO) instead of compliant VLSFO. Whether it pays back turns on the HSFO–VLSFO price spread, how much the ship burns, and how many days it trades. This sizes the payback for your assumptions.
Payback
3.6years
Annual HSFO burn6,300 t
Gross fuel saving / yr$756,000
Net of 8% scrubber opex$695,520
Payback vs the spread
| $60/t spread | 7.2 yr |
| $100/t spread | 4.3 yr |
| $140/t spread | 3.1 yr |
| $180/t spread | 2.4 yr |
| $220/t spread | 2.0 yr |
Payback = CAPEX ÷ (annual HSFO burn × spread, net of the scrubber’s own power/reagent opex). A first-order screen — it ignores HSFO availability, the open- vs closed-loop discharge-zone restrictions, financing, resale/residual value, and the tightening sulphur-cap / carbon-pricing backdrop that erodes the HSFO advantage over a scrubber’s life. Track the live spread on bunker prices.