Stena Bulk orders Bluesoul scrubbers

The ship owner will equip 15 vessels with scrubbers (with an additional 6 options) to be installed before 2020. The agreement builds on over a year’s cooperation with Bluesoul, which is the first Chinese enterprise to be awarded Lloyd’s Register Exhaust Gas Cleaning System Machinery General Design Appraisal as well as approvals in principle from DNV GL and ABS.

“By installing scrubbers, we will be well equipped to meet the 2020 regulation and are protected from price volatility as well as fuel shortage,” said Erik Hånell, president and CEO, Stena Bulk. “In relation to market developments, today’s market predictions are attractive in theory and currently seems to be so in practice too, despite there being a couple of parameters that remain uncertain. However, there are opportunities already available today to lock in some of the uncertainty, which might be appealing when looking for a more secure investment.”

The open-loop systems will be installed ‘hybrid-ready’, enabling Stena to upgrade them to hybrid or closed-loop scrubbers later if required – for example if ports restrict open-loop operation as some predict. The scrubbers feature water cleaning and remove particulate matter as well as sulphur from the exhaust.