Norwegian Cruise Line opts for GTM scrubbers

JULY 19, 2013 — The two new Breakaway Plus class ships on order at Meyer Werft for Norwegian Cruise Line (see earlier story) will be the first newbuilds in the cruise industry to feature innovative scrubber technology developed by Green Tech Marine (GTM).

Green Tech Marine will supply five exhaust scrubbers for each of the two new ships, whose engines range from 14.4 to 16.8 megawatts. It says that this installation will be the largest scrubber plant in the world with a total engine power of 76.8 megawatts.

“Norwegian Cruise Line has a history of innovation along with a commitment to utilizing green technology whenever possible,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “Installing scrubbers from Green Tech Marine on our new Breakaway Plus vessels is a smart decision and one that will ensure these ships are as eco-friendly as possible.”

The GTM scrubbers are compact, making it possible to avoid the loss of cabin space or other service areas. GTM uses one smaller scrubber for each engine instead of a large multi inlet scrubber serving several engines, and the scrubber also replaces the silencer.

The GTM scrubbers hold all necessary certificates to ensure these vessels are compliant with the 0.1 percent sulfur limit that will apply in Emission Control Areas (ECA) beginning in 2015.

GTM has previously delivered scrubbers to Norwegian’s Pride of America which sails year-round in Hawaii. The scrubbers were installed during the ship’s dry dock refurbishment in March and are scheduled to be fully operational later this year.

“We are thrilled to see a large shipowner such as Norwegian Cruise Line and a respected shipbuilder like Meyer Werft being early adapters of green technology,” said President and CEO of GTM Peter Strandberg.