Danish Partners Test Emissions Monitoring Solution

Danish shipping company Nordic Tankers has joined forces with compatriots Dania Ship Management and Danfoss IXA in testing emissions monitoring technology.

The parties, which have been cooperating on testing new technology for monitoring emissions on an ongoing basis since 2015, have developed a front runner solution to ensure global enforcement of the IMO’s requirements for sulphur emissions before any legislation is pushed through.

“The sensor equipment from Danfoss IXA is an innovative piece of technology that enables ship owners to continuously prove compliance with the IMO’s requirements for sulphur emissions,” Per Sylvester Jensen, CEO, Nordic Tankers, said.

The sensor technology was installed on the chemical tanker Nordic Mari, owned by Nordic Tankers and managed by Dania Ship Management, in 2015. In the beginning of the test period, the durability of the sensor was challenged by the very toxic and harsh environment in which it was placed, but these problems have been solved by Danfoss IXA, the parties explained.

“The technology makes it possible to document how much your ships are emitting worldwide, and the data is sent directly to you ashore. This means we can prove compliance at any time,” Carsten Brix Ostenfeldt, CEO, Dania Ship Management, said.

“Our next target is to compare the readings onboard Nordic Mari with other external readings, for example the sensor fitted on the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark.”

Besides monitoring emissions on an ongoing basis and proving compliance, the sensor technology also enabled Dania Ship Management to track how the engines were performing by reading out the data from the vessel.

“As a general rule, change in the shipping industry is driven by legislation. But if the sensor technology is following the development of electronically controlled engines, you will be able to continuously optimize combustion and cut fuel costs. This could be a future incentive for change as well,” Brix Ostenfeldt concluded.