SCR retrofit enables Ambassador Cruise Line to enter Fjord market

Written by Nick Blenkey
SCR retrofit enables Ambience to offer Norwegian Heritage Fjordcruises

SCR retrofit enables Ambassador Cruise Lines' Ambience to offer Norwegian Heritage Fjordcruises

U.K. based Ambassador Cruise Line, whose vessels are managed by Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services, has retrofitted its 1,400 passenger Ambience with a selective catalytic reduction system to enable it to offer its guests “no-fly” cruises from the U.K. Norwegian Heritage Fjord market with its exacting Tier III emission standards.

The Ambience was delivered to Princess Cruises in 1991 by the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy as Regal Princess, sailing on North American routes. After a career that included operating in the Australian market as Pacific Dawn and a COVID-thwarted plan to convert her to a residence ship, she entered service with Ambassador in 2022 under her present name.

The SCR retrofit was carried out by MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, MAN PrimeServ. The scope of the project covered the installation of SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems, while two of the ship’s four MAN 8L58/64 engines replaced their NA57/T turbochargers with modern MAN TCA 66 units.

“This retrofit really establishes Ambassador’s green credentials within the cruise segment and the SCR solution is performing well with a NOx removal rate of 93%,” said Olaf Gunia, head of PrimeServ Hamburg. “Increasingly, we are receiving similar requests from cruise and ferry operations that wish to become sustainable without the need for mandated industry legislation.”

“This entire project proved challenging owing to – among other factors – the long cold lay-up of the ship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tight timeframe for completion,” said Bernd Siebert, head of retrofits & upgrades, MAN PrimeServ. “Happily, our work on the Ambience has optimized the interaction between the newly installed SCR system, turbochargers and engines and the vessel is now Tier III-compatible and fit for service in one of the globe’s most pristine, natural environments.”

MAN says its SCR system is the greenest solution available on the market with the highest operational readiness and safety. The SCR will be available from just 15% engine load, enabling clean operation, during slow-sailing in the fjords as well as close to port and populated areas.

The fully modular cruise ship SCR retrofit solution has been fully integrated into the Ambience’s engine-control set-up. With its closed-loop system and a weather station that uses environmental data, the NOx-reduction rate is maximized and ammonia-slip minimized to just 10 ppm, comparable to that of a car. As well as protecting the environment, low ammonia slip reduces urea consumption enabling the urea-tank size to be minimized.

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