Maersk trials US scrubber technology

The system will be installed for trials on one of the auxiliary engines aboard the container ship Maersk Taurus, and, subject to trial results, the system will remain on board as a commercial installation. The 2008-built 8,100TEU container vessel is the third in a series of T-type ships delivered to A.P. Moller Singapore. The vessel is fitted with a Doosan Sulzer 12RT-Flex96C main engine delivering 68,640KW.

Belco says that its exhaust gas cleaning system can be used to reduce SO₂ from ship engines and boilers as an economic alternative to using more expensive low sulphur content fuel when operating in ECAs, allowing ships to meet the IMO and EU port 0.1% sulphur emission limits even when using a lower cost fuel with sulphur content of 3.5% or more. The Belco system can be installed on new ships and as a retrofit to existing ships.

“We have been investigating SOx scrubber technologies for several years to find appropriate technology for installation on our ships. We are pleased with our partnership with Belco and trust it will bring us one step further in understanding our possibilities to improve environmental performance in a cost-effective manner,” said Bo Cerup-Simonsen, head of Maersk Maritime Technology.

Belco claims extensive experience in the marketing, manufacture and erection of flue-gas cleaning equipment using proprietary technologies. “This demonstration will allow us to fine-tune our design for on-board installations. It opens up new possibilities for Belco and will allow A.P. Moller-Maersk to have an option that will provide long-term fuel cost savings. We are proud to have A.P. Moller-Maersk as one of our initial customers for our marine scrubbing design,” said Nick Confuorto, vice president of licensing, sales and marketing, Belco Technologies Corporation.