CSA 2020 offer insight

(Posted on 20/12/19)

Members of the Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) 2020 are advising those shipowners looking to install marine exhaust gas cleaning systems as way of meeting global sulphur cap requirements to ensure that manufacturers, shipyards and installers are using quality, high-end materials.

Based on the collective experience gained from more than 1500 EGCS installations, CSA 2020 members found the quality of materials and coatings used is the most important factor in optimising EGCS safety and averting any corrosion problems during operation.

“There are always some challenges involved when specifying ships’ machinery systems and scrubbers are no different,” said Arne Hubregtse, Executive Board Member, Spliethoff. “Risks can be mitigated, however, by investing in quality materials, established suppliers and experienced installers, and by optimising machinery space layouts.

“We have installations onboard about 50 vessels in the Spliethoff fleet and to date we have not experienced any corrosion or other significant issues through operating these systems. In addition to the specification of quality materials we recommend experienced installers with good supervision during the installation process.”

Echoing Spliethoff’s experience is Wallenius Wilhelmsen, a shipowner operating a fleet of more than 130 deep sea ro-ro vessels. Roger Strevens, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, said: “While EGCS failure is not impossible, just as it is with any machinery, we believe we have minimised the risk – particularly of early-onset severe failure – by being very judicious in how we specify the systems and through being particular in who we are getting them from. If you buy cheap, you’ll pay twice!”

Wallenius Wilhelmsen installed its first EGCS in 2014 knowing that, like any first-of-type-installation, there would be the inevitable teething troubles. “We learned a lot from that first installation. The experience proved invaluable to subsequent installations,” added Strevens.