Expert Articles

Are you MARPOL ready?

Written by Henrik Trolle | Jul 31, 2017 10:00:00 PM

    

NOx reduction

On January 1, 2016, a new era for the marine NOx emission reduction industry began. As the first in the world, the US coast became an IMO Tier III NOx Emission Control Area (NECA).

NECAs will expand around the world in the near future, raising the bar for shipping companies as more than 50% of all new ocean-going vessels will be required to have NOx reduction equipment to be compliant.

The challenge of compliance, solved
Despite the challenging outlook for the shipping industry as a whole, there are actions companies can take to protect their position.

One is the adoption of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), a technology proven to effectively reduce NOx from marine vessels. Yet only on a few thousand marine engines are equipped with SCR today. That may be set to change, as MARPOL makes it more relevant than ever.


Helping leading companies stay ahead

Topsoe introduced the first Tier III compliant SCRs in 1988. Since then, we have further refined the technology to optimize integration with marine boilers and scrubbers.

This has enabled problem-free SCR operation, even on heavy fuel oil (HFO) and with SCR positioned before or after the turbo charger.

Create the future
We expect that several types of fuel will be used many years ahead, and that the industry will adopt even greater integration of SCR technologies with engines, boilers and scrubbers.

Towards this end, we are actively involved in a concerted effort to combine engines and SCR with particle reduction technologies into compact solutions that will have a significant impact on air quality on sea and in coastal areas. That being said, we recognize that the integration of such different processes will require close collaboration between multidisciplinary teams.

Our R&D teams are already innovating around the clock in partnership with a diversity of engineering disciplines and external partners.

Our ambition is to begin similar studies with interested clients. To learn more, why not contact us today?

 Watch a Haldor Topsoe Talk on Marpol to know more: