As the shipping industry continues its push to reduce emissions to air, classification society DNV GL has announced a new class notation for exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS).
The new notation, Emission Reduction (ER), will cover scrubbers for removing SOx and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems for removing NOx. The new notation will be published in July 2018.
Confidence to Invest in Scrubbers
'As the 2020 IMO sulphur cap on fuel draws closer, we have been hearing more and more from ship owners and operators who are looking for guidance on the installation and approval of systems which reduce emissions to air,' says Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime. The new notation is to 'enhance the transparency of the installation and approval process for owners, the yards, and class, and give owners the confidence to invest in these systems.'
Demand for Scrubbers on the Rise
The interest in installing emission reductions systems, especially scrubbers, has risen dramatically in recent months. In May 2018, the total number of vessels that have either ordered or installed scrubbers stood at 817, a jump of nearly 300 vessels in a space of only a few months.
'This increase is due to several factors, but the trend is clear,' says Stine Mundal, Head of Section for Environmental Certification at DNV GL – Maritime. 'At the same time, we are seeing that bulk and container vessels are the segments with the most installations, overtaking cruise vessels, which had been the early adopters. This indicates that owners are making their solution decisions now and many are choosing scrubbers to comply with emissions restrictions.'
Requirements for Scrubber Design and Arrangement
The class notation sets out requirements for the design and arrangement of EGCS, SCR and EGR systems, including the piping systems conveying wash water and/or treatment fluids, the exhaust arrangements and components, control, monitoring and safety systems as well as manufacture, workmanship and testing. The ER class notation is a natural complement to DNV GL’s Scrubber ready notation, released in 2016.
Picture: Scrubbers ready for installation onboard Norwegian Escape at Meyer Werft (photo courtesy of Yara Marine Technologies AS/Meyer Werft).
