First order for Wärtsilä carbon capture-ready scrubbers

The order covers Wärtsilä’s CCS-Ready 35MW open-loop scrubbers for four 8,200 teu container vessels under construction in Asia.

Extra design and engineering work will be carried out around the scrubbers to enable the future retrofit of a full CCS system, leaving adequate space for the CCS system, optimising utilities and preparing the control system for the addition of CCS.

Wärtsilä said it is currently testing its CCS system at a 70% capture rate and that it plans for a pilot installation to take place within the next year.

Scott Oh, Director at Wärtsilä’s Exhaust Treatment Asia, said: “By investing in a CCS-Ready scrubber, ship owners will futureproof their assets and enable a smooth transition to CCS adoption once the technology is mature in the very near future. CCS is one of the key solutions to enable maritime decarbonisation in a short timeframe, and we look forward to progressing our technology further.”

The shipowner behind the order was undisclosed. Wärtsilä said the systems ordered will allow the owner to comply with current SOx regulations and enable smooth CCS system adoption in the future.

CCS systems recover CO2 from an engine’s exhaust, preventing the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. Captured CO2 is stored with a view to being offloaded at port for use in industries that require CO2 as an input, for example green fuel production.

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