Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association News

To curb global marine and air pollution, stricter limits on the sulphur dioxide content of marine exhaust gases stipulated by the EU and IMO (International Maritime Organization of the UN) will apply from 2020. From an engineering point of view, this can be achieved by using natural gas or fuels with a low sulphur content, and by cleaning the exhaust gases with a scrubber.For on-board exhaust gas cleaning systems KSB ITUR Spain S.A., a KSB Group company of located in Zarautz,…

Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association (EGCSA) has attacked Singapore's restrictions on open-loop versions of the systems as "disappointing" and "politically motivated."The scrubber manufacturing industry body said in a press release: "The recent announcement by the outgoing CEO of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) banning the discharge of process water from open loop scrubbers for vessels visiting Singapore came without prior notice or discussion with the IMO despite the fact that the Singapore MPA is a signatory to MARPOL Annex VI."The MPA provided neither scientific evidence for its decision nor was the industry invited to consultationit said.

The Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association and its members are preparing to meet higher demand for gas scrubbing systems to bring SOx emissions in line with the targets set by the IMO’s 2020 fuel sulfur content proposals. As previously reported by this correspondent in Maritime Reporter and Engineering News (December 2016 issue, page 24; January 2017 issue, page 28), the IMO has come in for some severe criticism over its proposals to introduce a global marine fuels sulfur content cap of 0.5 percent (mass/mass) by the year 2020.

The Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association (EGCSA) has raised concerns regarding the possible delay to the adoption of a global limit on fuel oil sulphur emissions, which is to be considered by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in October 2016. The international association, which represents more than 25 member companies dedicated to reducing sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate emissions from marine exhaust gas, says there is a need for action to prevent SOx emissions from continuing to cause health problems and damage to the environment, and stress that the technology to achieve SOx emissions equal to or even below the regulation limits is already proven, cost effective, and widely available.

On January 1, 2015, the IMO Annex VI, ECA zone requirements came into effect. Ship owners and operators are now faced with having to decide between switching to a lower sulfur fuel or embracing alternate solutions such as exhaust gas cleaning systems (Scrubbers) and LNG. Worldwide, about 300 scrubbing systems have already been sold to date for marine applications. Many of these have been sold for vessels operating in the North European ECA and many for the global cruise/ferry industry (both in the US and Europe). The U.S.

The Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association (EGCSA) was launched March 30 to provide a sustainable operating environment within the marine industry for exhaust gas cleaning system technologies. The EGCSA has been formed from companies and organizational divisions that manufacture exhaust gas cleaning systems for the marine sector. The founder companies of the association are Aalborg Industries, Clean Marine, Krystallon, Marine Exhaust Solutions, and Wartsila. The EGCSA will also include membership from companies in associated sectors that support technology solutions to reduce exhaust gas air pollution from ships. The association recognizes…