10 years of Alfa Laval PureSOx scrubbers
(Posted on 31/01/19)
The arrival of 2019 leaves just one year until the global sulphur cap becomes reality. But as the marine industry scrambles to ready itself, an important milestone has already been reached. The new year marks a decade since the first vessel set sail with an Alfa Laval PureSOx scrubber on board.
In 2009, the RoRo vessel DFDS Ficaria Seaways entered dry dock for an expansion of its cargo space. While the vessel was being rebuilt, a hybrid PureSOx system – able to perform closed-loop as well as open-loop scrubbing – was retrofitted to clean the exhaust gas from its 21 MW main engine. At the time of the pilot installation, the prospects for SOx scrubbers were anything but certain.
“Ten years ago, there were many who didn’t think SOx scrubbers were feasible,” says Erik Haveman, Sales Director, Exhaust Gas Cleaning at Alfa Laval. “People simply weren’t convinced that a scrubber could meet ECA limits while operating in a marine environment, and the doubts about closed-loop scrubbing were even greater. Alfa Laval had sold scrubbers as part of inert gas systems for many years, and we had the water cleaning expertise needed for closed-loop operation. But the system and the challenges here were on a completely new scale.”
A decade later, the merits of both the scrubber and the centrifugal water cleaning unit are undeniable. The PureSOx system on Ficaria Seaways has spent thousands of hours in compliant operation – and is still going strong. In fact, so is every other PureSOx system ever installed. This flawless track record is unmatched by any other supplier to the industry, and it is underpinned by Alfa Laval’s 100 years of marine experience as a whole.
“The ten-year mark is an important milestone for Alfa Laval, but it also holds weight for customers facing the global sulphur cap,” Haveman says. “It means that our claims about PureSOx are not theoretical, but have been proven at sea, time and time again.”
During the course of the past ten years, PureSOx has been installed on vessels of nearly every type. This experience is valuable in the current wave of retrofits, where limited space demands practical answers. Alfa Laval has found solutions not only to vessel complexity, but also for the complex process of working with shipyards, engineering companies and the other partners involved.
Alfa Laval also has a head start in production capability, even if the global sulphur cap has led to a spike in demand. Having developed a well-functioning production apparatus in the early years of the scrubber market, the company has since been focused on scaling up with retained quality. The vital processes and routines are already in place, along with the physical capacity to machine the large metal components.
Perhaps more important, however, is the head start Alfa Laval has in scrubber services and optimization. Having followed dozens of PureSOx installations, on widely differing vessels and in widely varied conditions, the company has amassed a significant body of working knowledge. That knowledge has been packaged into a well-defined PureSOx service offering and is now being applied in new ways – such as helping customers optimize their systems through scrubber connectivity.
“With our PureSOx Connect offering, we’re entering the next phase even as other suppliers are just entering the market,” says Haveman. “A decade ago, our pilot PureSOx installation was the cutting edge. Today, we’re pushing the boundaries for exhaust gas cleaning on a fleet scale.”
Latest News
80 years of innovation and growth celebrated at Martin Engineering
(Posted on 01/10/24)A world leader in bulk handling solutions, Martin Engineering, is marking 80 years of product innovation... Read more
OTG unlocks data insights with the launch of new dashboards
(Posted on 01/10/24)Ocean Technologies Group (OTG), the global leader in maritime human capital management solutions and... Read more
DNV approval for Hanwha Ocean's rotor sail technology
(Posted on 25/09/24)DNV has awarded Hanwha Ocean Type Approval Design Certification (TADC) for its innovative rotor sail... Read more
Alfa Laval secures major order for BWMS replacements
(Posted on 19/09/24)Alfa Laval has received an order to replace 18 ballast water treatment systems (BWMS) onboard vessels... Read more
Maritime industry faces growing pressure for data transparency
(Posted on 19/09/24)Charterers and insurers are demanding more transparency in vessel operations, yet many maritime companies... Read more
OLG announces partnership with maritime superapp platform FrontM
(Posted on 19/09/24)Digital training specialists OneLearn Global (OLG) has announced a new partnership with FrontM in a... Read more
New Fuel Insights platform reduces bunker quality risk
(Posted on 12/09/24)NorthStandard has launched ‘Fuel Insights’ - an exclusive real-time marine fuel intelligence... Read more
Kaiko Systems unveils KAI, a comprehensive maritime AI agent
(Posted on 12/09/24)Kaiko Systems is set to revolutionise vessel health management and operations with the launch of KAI... Read more
SMT selected to consult and advise on ammonia awareness training
(Posted on 12/09/24)Ammonia is fast becoming a potential alternative fuel for the future of green shipping but new fuels... Read more
T-BOSS shaft solution for sterntubeless ship unveiled
(Posted on 08/09/24)Representing a breakthrough in the evolution of a ship’s propeller shaft line, Canada’s... Read more
