Wärtsilä scrubbers first to be certified to combat marine sulphur oxide emissions
Lehtikuva / Matti Björkman In the Baltic Sea area the regulations governing sulphuric oxide emissions are very stringent.Prior to the successful Wärtsilä tests, the use of scrubbers as an efficient and cost-effective alternative to the use of low sulphur fuel for reducing SOx emissions from ships, had been questioned.
- This certification demonstrates very clearly that the Wärtsilä scrubbing technology works well and is an efficient solution in marine applications. We constantly seek, support and combine technologies that offer our customers similar environmental and economic benefits, comments Arnauld Filancia, Director of Marketing at Services, Wärtsilä Corporation.
The full-size SOx scrubber test plant was installed on board the 'MS Suula', and was used to clean the exhaust gases from the ship's 4-cylinder in-line Wärtsilä 20 auxiliary diesel engine. This Neste Oil owned, Finnish registered product tanker operates mainly in the SECA Baltic Sea area, where regulations governing sulphuric oxide emissions are very stringent.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) as well as other regulating bodies will gradually limit the sulphur content in marine fuels. The most common fuels used in marine diesel engines are heavy fuel oils with sulphur contents typically of 1.5 to 3.5 per cent. Such engines can readily burn low-sulphur fuel oils as well, though the associated problems are known and suitable operating guidance is available. Scrubbing exhaust gases is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative for reducing sulphur oxide emissions down to 0.1 per cent.
Wärtsilä offers a wide range of solutions for emissions reduction, and the company aims to be a significant supplier of exhaust gas cleaning technology, fulfilling the requirements being set by increasingly stringent environmental legislation.
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