Wärtsilä launches VOC handling solution

VOCs are the compounds given off by oil cargoes when they are loaded, unloaded or during transit. Wärtsilä estimates that an oil tanker will emit 0.085% of its cargo as VOC each week – amounting to 270 tonnes of lost cargo a week for a 320,000dwt VLCC.

The Voyage Emissions Reduction (VER) system enables owners to either reabsorb the VOC into their cargo – using a simple recirculation method – or to use it as fuel for the vessel under a patent-pending process. Both versions are claimed to reduce VOC emissions by up to 75%.

The VER system will be deployed on four shuttle tankers under construction for Teekay Offshore at Samsung Heavy Industries. As reported, the new vessels will deploy several innovative power and propulsion technologies.

Timo Koponen, vice president, flow and gas solutions, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, said: “Wärtsilä is dedicated to developing innovative solutions that reduce operating costs for owners, while at the same time contributing to a cleaner environment. The VER system follows this philosophy by eliminating cargo waste and optimally lowering tanker fuel costs, thus enabling a payback time that can be less than one year.”

The VER system meets all the requirements of the MARPOL Annex VI, regulation 15 and fulfills port specific requirements for terminals with regards to VOC emission reductions.