exhaust gas scrubber

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Algoma adds more Equinox newbuilds to order book

Today, Algoma said that contracts for two ships had been made effective with the delivery of refund guarantees by the shipyard, China’s Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.

“Our search for a shipyard in China to replace the now-bankrupt Nantong Mingde Heavy Industries (“Mingde”) led us to Yangzijiang,” said Ken Bloch Soerensen, President and CEO of Algoma. “We have been pleased with the professionalism and enthusiasm the yard has shown for our project and the quality that they have shown on work done for other shipowners.”

The announcement of the two ship order at Yangzijiang follows a November 25 announcement that contracts for three Equinox newbuilds with Uljanik d.d. of Croatia had become effective with delivery by the yard of security for the contractually required construction installments.

Algoma now has five Equinox Class ships under construction at the Uljanik Group’s 3Maj shipyard in Rijeka.All the vessels will have an overall length of 225.55 metres (740 feet) and a beam of 23.77 metres (78 feet), qualifying as Seaway Max size ships. The vessels will carry 29,300 tonnes at maximum Seaway draft.

The two most recently ordered at Uljanik will feature a boom-forward configuration designed to provide greater flexibility in certain delivery situations. The others will feature a standard rear boom.

The new Equinox vessels will have all of the features of the existing Equinox design, including the exhaust gas scrubber technology pioneered by Algoma on the Great Lakes in its first Equinox Class gearless bulk carriers.

With seven ships now under construction, Algoma expects to invest approximately $450 million in this phase of its fleet renewal program. It is also reviewing its fleet plan and considering the retirement of certain older vessels.

Alfa Laval adds inline PureSOx exhaust gas scrubber

Alfa Laval PureSOx has more reference installations than any other single SOx scrubber technology, and is already a leading choice for SOx compliance in Emission Control Areas (ECAs).

“Through open-loop, closed-loop and hybrid arrangements, PureSOx can be suited to any vessel’s sailing profile,” says René Diks, Manager Marketing & Sales, Exhaust Gas Cleaning at Alfa Laval. “By adding an inline scrubber design to the already flexible PureSOx platform, we’ve made PureSOx even easier to adapt to individual vessel constructions.”

The inline scrubber design, or I-design, builds directly on the proven PureSOx technology. It provides an additional alternative for vessels with more complex structural needs, such as certain cruise ships and RoPax vessels.

“While inline configurations should not be seen as a default,” says Mr. Diks, “they can make it easier to accommodate the specific challenges of certain vessels.” 

An important consideration in creating an inline PureSOx scrubber was the water trap, which is not formed naturally as it is in the existing U-design.

“Because the absorber section is located atop the jet section in the I-design, no water trap is created between the two,” says Mr. Diks. “A key focus was eliminating the potential for water backflow, which is done by means of an internal water trap combined with overboard arrangements.” As with the U-design PureSOx scrubber, the I-design scrubber can be configured with multiple inlets. This reduces space needs and installation costs by allowing one scrubber to handle exhaust gas from multiple sources, including boilers as well as the main and auxiliary engines.

A further alternative for inline PureSOx configurations is reflux. This option is especially attractive for cruise ships, RoPax vessels and other vessels that carry passengers, as it reduces the risk of dirty water droplets discoloring the ship’s deck. 

Reflux involves the creation of two separate loops: one for the jet and a second for the absorber. In the jet loop, clean water is evaporated by means of the waste heat in the exhaust gas. The vapor is then recondensed as clean water in the absorber loop. As a result, the water in the absorber stage is significantly cleaner and the risk of deck discoloration is greatly reduced. Since the soot is concentrated in the initial jet stage, the water cleaning unit has a lighter burden as well.

The water cleaning unit is a vital component of any closed-loop or hybrid PureSOx system. When the scrubber is in closed-loop mode, the unit removes soot from the circulation water, thus protecting the scrubber and enabling compliant discharge of bleed-off. 

The PureSOx water cleaning unit uses centrifugal separation, an Alfa Laval core technology, that is completely unaffected by pitch and roll. This sets it apart from other cleaning systems on the market. Like the reflux principle, it is a patented solution unique to Alfa Laval. 

“The water cleaning unit is one of many aspects that make PureSOx such a reliable choice for SOx compliance,” says Mr. Diks. “The PureSOx platform is built on a solid foundation of Alfa Laval core technology and scrubber experience, and the new possibility of inline configurations will give even more shipowners reason to choose it.”

Gibdock wins series order for scrubber retrofits

It covers five vessels operated by ship management major Norbulk Shipping and owned by Netherlands headquartered shipping group Vroon.

The contract gives the shipyard a sizable debut in specialized EGS work. With all five ships also undergoing special survey drydocking, the job is the Gibraltar yard’s largest single assignment in 2015. It is the first series retrofit EGS win for any Southern European yard.

“We are the first shipyard in the region to win a major exhaust scrubber project,” said Gibdock Managing Director Richard Beards. “Our ideal location means that we are always attractive for owners considering this area. Gibdock’s competitiveness, high quality workmanship and on-schedule redelivery has led to this breakthrough deal, which opens a new chapter in the industry’s EGS installation work options.”

Gibdock’s workload included the 37,500 dwt product tanker Great Eastern, the third of the five Norbulk vessels being fitted with PureSOx main engine, auxiliary engine and boiler EGS units from Alfa Laval. The hybrid PureSOx system removes over 98% of SOx emissions from exhaust gases and up to 80% of particulates.

EGS installation work onboard Great Eastern included 90 tonnes of newly fabricated steel, the laying of 12,386 m of electrical cabling and 1,134 m of GRE pipes involving 800 flanges and elbows.

Special survey work included a hull washing, spot grit-blasting and coating job, overhauling of sea valves, propeller withdrawal, bonding of stern seals, rudder clearances, bow thruster overhauling, windlass winch bearing renewal, overhauling of boiler safety valves,pipeworks, insulation works and various other routine dry-dock works. These tasks took place at the same time as the EGS installation, with the ship redelivered on schedule and on budget in 20 days.

Mr. Beards said the time taken for redelivery to Norbulk of subsequent ships has been shortened as projects have progressed.

To optimize EGS retrofit processes, Gibdock undertakes prefabrication for smaller blocks in its workshops, with transfer to the yard’s Pad 1 area, completed in 2014, allowing further structural and assembly work to be completed alongside Drydock 1 in a timely fashion for drydocking.

“Pad 1 was pivotal in optimising workflow,” said John Taylor, Gibdock Operations Director. “No other regional yard has a comparable purpose-built zone for EGS foundation and structural work before vessels arrive.

“This has been an intense collaboration, involving different Gibdock departments, naval architects, the Norbulk project team, Alfa Laval, and our electrical and piping systems subcontractors. Optimised planning, materials purchasing, equipment deployment and job sequencing for EGS work are now part of Gibdock’s competitive advantage.”

ABS offers guide for “SOx Scrubber Ready” ships

 

Instead, when ordering a newbuilding they may prefer to order a ship that is “SOx scrubber ready.”

Classification society ABS says that, Iin order to facilitate future modifications, ship buyers and shipbuilders must make a significant effort to figure out what features should be incorporated on a vessel and incorporate these in the shipbuilding contract.

To support shipowners taking this path, ABS has published the ABS Guide for SOx Scrubber Ready Vessels to support members and clients in preparing newbuilds for future outfitting with a SOx exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS).

The guide supports the ABS classification notation for SOx Scrubber Ready Vessels by formalizing the process for clients who wish to plan for retrofit of a SOx scrubber at a future date by providing a detailed review and approval and an associated notation.

The SOx Scrubber Ready notation is in addition to ABS EGCS notations that may be assigned for vessels fitted with an exhaust emission abatement system, including SOx scrubbers, selective catalytic reduction systems and exhaust gas recirculation arrangements for NOx emission control, in accordance with the ABS Guide for Exhaust Emission Abatement.

More HERE and HERE

 

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Interlake to fit two more bulkers with Dupont scrubbers

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