STAX Engineering wins five-year tanker emissions capture contract

STAX is already servicing containerships and car carriers. Now tanker vessels will join that list. [Photo: STAX Engineering]

From January 2025, California Air Resources Board (CARB) at-berth emissions regulations will apply to tankers calling at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. That has brought Long Beach, Calif.-headquartered maritime emissions capture specialist STAX Engineering a contract that will see it capturing emissions from tankers calling at Shell’s Mormon Island Terminal in the Port of Los Angeles.

Under a five-year agreement with Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US (Shell) STAX will begin implementing its emissions capture services at Mormon Island to coincide with the new CARB requirement.The agreement makes STAX the first and, thus far only, emissions control provider to service tanker vessels in California.

It is already the first and only provider servicing container vessels and auto carriers in California, Growing rapidly since its launch in first quarter 2024, the company has secured exclusive service agreements at major California ports, including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hueneme, Benicia, Richmond, and Oakland, partnering with top international operatp like NYK Line and Hyundai Glovis,

STAX’s emission capture and control solution offers an alternative to shore power for vessel in-port emissions reduction.

“Our continued growth and industry-leading ability to service tankers reflect the strong demand from our partners to reduce emissions efficiently and underscore our position as far and away front runners in the space,” says STAX Engineering CEO Mike Walker. “We are proud to extend our cutting-edge emissions capture and control services to the Mormon Island Terminal. This agreement is a significant milestone in our mission to provide affordable and accessible solutions to port communities, helping them achieve their environmental goals without disrupting operations. As we expand our presence in California, we look forward to bringing our technology to ports across North America and beyond.”

STAX offers land- and barge-based, mobile emissions capture and control technology to shipping terminal and fleet operators without requiring vessel retrofits. STAX’s patented, flexible exhaust capture system is designed to fit all ships without modification, even in congested ports.

STAX removes 99% of particulate matter (PM) and 95% of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from all exhaust funneled into its system before the exhaust is released as purified gas. To date, STAX has treated at-berth vessels for a cumulative of 4,800 hours and 37 tons of pollutants controlled.