WATCH: Eastern Pacific Shipping fits Value Maritime’s CSS system on a managed tanker

Singapore-based ship management company Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has completed the installation of Value Maritime’s (VM) Filtree system onboard its managed vessel M/T Pacific Cobalt in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 

The Filtree system, which filters sulphur and 99% of particulate matter, includes VM’s Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) module that can capture up to 40% of CO₂ emissions from the vessel’s main and auxiliary engines.

The CO₂ is captured in a special chemical that is stored in an onboard tank that during the retrofit has been recoated and converted for this purpose. The tank now provides sufficient storage space to capture more than 200 tonnes of CO₂ in a single voyage, EPS said.

Once the tank is full, the chemical will be pumped out in port and delivered to end users, such as greenhouses or synthetic fuel producers, who will be able to release the CO₂ on demand. The CO₂ can also be placed into carbon sequestration networks. The chemical will then be returned to the vessel for reuse and to capture more CO₂.

“2023 marks a critical year for the shipping industry. For us to hit IMO 2050 and net zero targets, we need to start moving the needle significantly now. To ensure that we are able to make a significant difference, we have been developing a portfolio of solutions across various vessel types,” EPS CEO Cyril Ducau said.

“Advanced decarbonisation technology, like the CCS system from Value Maritime, offers a concrete solution that can be implemented on existing vessels. The result is an immediate carbon emission reduction while removing the need to wait for the development and rationalisation of alternative green fuel infrastructure.”

“Indeed, 2023 is the year of change for sustainable shipping. EPS is leading the charge of shipping companies that have already started the transition to a greener fleet,” Value Maritime Co-Founder & Director Maarten Lodewijk says.

“Thanks to them, we have now succeeded in bringing our filtering and carbon capture technology to the tanker market. A special thanks should go to the installation team who completed this project within a narrow window and with the utmost professionalism.”

The installation of the prefabricated gas filtering system commenced in mid-January 2023 in Rotterdam. It took 17 days to complete and was managed jointly by EPS’s and VM’s sea and shore staff.

Dutch maritime technology company Value Maritime has also completed the installation of its Filtree system on board JR Shipping’s container feeder vessel MV Energizer.

JR Shipping’s 750 TEU container feeders MV Endeavor and MV Energy have already been equipped with Value Maritime’s filter and carbon capture system. Building on the success of those installations, the company committed to additional retrofits back in June 2022, bringing the total to ten ships.

The company has also secured orders from UK shipping company Purus Marine and German firm Nordic Hamburg for four Filtree Systems to be installed on newly built containerships.

The systems include Clean Loop System and 30% carbon capture which will be installed on four container vessels that will be operated by BG Freight Line.