Positioned to assist marine sector meet new global sulphur cap

The IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) has agreed to implement the global cap on the sulphur content of marine fuels effective from January 2020. Wärtsilä's proactive development of exhaust gas cleaning (EGC) systems, together with its broad offering in gas and dual-fuel engine technologies, means that the company is well positioned to assist fleet owners around the world to implement plans for compliance.

Wärtsilä has unrivalled experience in EGC systems for marine applications, and was the first manufacturer to have been awarded the International Maritime Organisation's certificate for exhaust gas cleaning systems by the classification societies Det Norske Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, and Bureau Veritas. Subsequently, the company has actively developed the technology, the capacity, and the network to overcome the challenges faced by owners and operators in meeting the global sulphur cap regulations.

Recently, the Singapore flag state authorities approved Wärtsilä's EGC systems, making it the first EGC to be approved by an Asian flag authority. This approval by Singapore makes it applicable to all Asian flag states.

Wärtsilä was also the first company to introduce dual-fuel engines to the shipping sector, allowing the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. Since LNG contains no sulphur, there is an increasing trend towards the use of LNG fuel as a viable means of complying with the sulphur cap requirements.

"In addition to its well-known offering in dual-fuel engines and LNG handling systems, Wärtsilä also has a portfolio of the most flexible EGC systems. Our open-loop water cleaning system is the most environmentally sound solution on the market. We can customise and optimise our systems to meet specific customer requirements, while offering support during each phase of the project from feasibility studies to commissioning, and then on to lifecycle service support," says Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

The global cap will limit the sulphur content of marine fuels to 0.5%, meaning that the world's shipping fleets will need to either change to a cleaner fuel such as LNG, or install abatement systems. Wärtsilä's EGC systems already have in excess of 200,000 running hours of operation, making Wärtsilä by far the most experienced provider of such systems for marine use.