Wärtsilä receives 1st order for CCS-ready scrubber systems

Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has received its first order for carbon capture and storage (CCS)-ready scrubber systems.

As disclosed, four 8,200 TEU container vessels being built at undisclosed Asian yard will be fitted with Wärtsilä’s CCS-Ready 35MW scrubber in an open loop configuration.

The scrubbers are termed CCS-Ready because, as part of their installation, Wärtsilä will perform additional design and engineering work to ensure that future retrofits for a full CCS system on the vessels have already been accounted for during the newbuilding construction stage.

The firm will take measures to ensure adequate space for the future installation of CCS system, incorporate considerations for minimising idle load and optimising utilities, and prepare the control and automation system accordingly.

CCS-Ready scrubbers will also be designed for integration with a particulate matter filter.

“We are very excited to announce this world-first order for our CCS-Ready scrubber solution. By investing in a CCS-Ready scrubber, ship owners will futureproof their assets and enable a smooth transition to CCS adoption once the technology is mature in the very near future. CCS is one of the key solutions to enable maritime decarbonisation in a short timeframe, and we look forward to progressing our technology further,” Scott Oh, Director at Wärtsilä’s Exhaust Treatment Asia, said.

Wärtsilä is currently testing its CCS system at a 70 per cent capture rate and a pilot installation will take place within the next twelve months.

“Having a CCS-Ready solution assures that the undisclosed ship owner has continued regulatory compliance for SO_x emissions today and opens the door to smooth CCS system adoption in the future. By installing scrubbers that have been designed with the space and capabilities to have a CCS unit added, Wärtsilä is enabling ship owners to futureproof their existing assets, while remaining competitive and compliant,” the company highlighted.

A year ago, Wärtsilä launched new IQ Series exhaust gas treatment system, designed by its Exhaust Treatment business unit in Moss, Norway.

The IQ Series scrubber uses a new design that allows the same exhaust gas cleaning results to be achieved within a smaller footprint. The scrubber takes up 25% less space, is 30% lighter, and has 35% less volume, which minimizes the impact on a vessel’s cargo-carrying capacity, according to the tech firm.