Wärtsilä to provide vessels with carbon capture scrubber technology

Wärtsilä has announced it will deliver carbon capture storage (CCS)-Ready scrubbers for three cargo ships operated by German operator Leonhardt & Blumberg.

A CCS-Ready solution ensures Leonhardt & Blumberg’s continuous regulatory compliance for Sulfur-oxides (SOx) emissions and paves the way for a seamless CCS system implementation in the future.

Following many newbuild orders for CCS-Ready scrubbers, this will be one of the first CCS retrofit projects in the maritime sector. Wärtsilä secured the order in Q3 2024.

The Wärtsilä technology greatly decreases a vessel’s running costs by allowing it to run on less expensive, more easily accessible fuel (HFO).

At the same time, it greatly decreases the ship’s carbon footprint, aligning with the industry’s decarbonisation goals.

Tim Goettsche, Fleetmanager, Leonhardt & Blumberg, said: “We are working hard to operate our fleet in the most sustainable way possible. This retrofit project with Wärtsilä’s advanced exhaust treatment system represents an exciting step forward in reducing GHG emissions with CCS technology. It will give our ships a head-start in being compliant with future regulatory requirements.”

The scrubbers are referred to as CCS-Ready because, as part of their installation, Wärtsilä will do further design and engineering work to guarantee that future retrofits for a full CCS system on the vessels are planned for.

An integrated CCS system, which works in tandem with a scrubber system, is based on the premise of eliminating as many major pollutants from exhaust as feasible while addressing each pollutant in a modular manner.

After the other gasses have been removed, the leftover exhaust may be cleansed for carbon, which can be securely kept onboard and disposed of upon arrival at port.

Sigurd Jenssen, Director, Exhaust Treatment, Wärtsilä Marine, stated: “This project highlights and strengthens Wärtsilä’s commitment to deliver sustainable solutions for our customers. Our CCS-Ready scrubber technology has been proven in extensive testing over the past two and a half years.

“It is based on our deep experience and in-house know-how and will deliver a significant contribution to the industry’s efforts to reduce shipping’s environmental impact.”

The three 3,600 TEU containerships will be outfitted with a CCS-ready, Vessel General Permit (VGP)-compliant 27.5 MW Wärtsilä scrubber system.

Wärtsilä reported that regardless of where they sail, the customisable solution will assure regulatory compliance.

The systems are being provided on a fast track basis, commencing this month.

Recently, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) awarded the prototype tender for the Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System (NGVTMS) project to Wärtsilä.