Innovative exhaust gas cleaning solutions

Clean design

WÄRTSILÄ DESIGNS NEW CRUISE VESSELS WITH INNOVATIVE EXHAUST GAS CLEANING SOLUTIONS

WÄRTSILÄ’S IN-HOUSE SHIP DESIGN CAPABILITIES ARE BEING USED TO DEVELOP A CUSTOMISED DESIGN FOR NEW LUXURY EXPEDITION CRUISE VESSELS, WHICH WILL INCLUDE INNOVATIVE EXHAUST GAS CLEANING SOLUTIONS.

Technology group Wärtsilä is co-operating with Amundsen Expeditions to develop a customised design for up to six new luxury expedition cruise vessels. The vessels will be capable of carrying 200 passengers and are targeted primarily at the growing Chinese market. “The ships are designed to operate efficiently in both tropical and polar waters. Because of the harsh environment and often remote location of the cruise destinations, special attention has been given to ensuring the ships’ operational reliability,” reveals Markku Miinala, General Manager, Ship Design Sales at Wärtsilä Marine. The Wärtsilä team has worked in close cooperation with Amundsen Expeditions to develop a concept that meets the owner’s precise specifications and requirements. The vessels are designed to be fitted with a complete package of Wärtsilä solutions, including Wärtsilä 32 engines, electric propulsion, the Wärtsilä Nacos Platinum

Photo courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line.

bridge system for navigation and communication, as well as Wärtsilä automation solutions. “We have great respect for Wärtsilä’s experience and broad portfolio of high quality solutions. This is important to us as these cruise ships are highly complex and require advanced design expertise”, states Captain Rajko Zupan of Amundsen Expeditions, who has been actively involved in the ship’s design since the inception of the project. “The cruise ships will feature all outside guest cabins, presidential suites, winter gardens and the latest environmental equipment. We appreciate Wärtsilä’s ongoing support in this project.”

NOx Reducer Also on board will be Wärtsilä’s selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for the abatement of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. It is one of the few technologies capable of reducing Nitrogen Oxides down

to the levels required by today’s most stringent regulations. The Wärtsilä NOx Reducer (NOR) has been developed to enable vessels to comply with the IMO’s Tier III emission levels, while still maintaining a compact design optimised for marine applications. The NOR is available for both newbuild and retrofits and is compatible for operation on both distillate and heavy fuel oils. Furthermore, with the Wärtsilä NOx Reducer, the overall performance of the engine and exhaust gas cleaning system is optimised in terms of emissions reduction, noise abatement and engine efficiency. The NOR is compatible with the entire portfolio of Wärtsilä 4-stroke engines. The technology has been developed and tested with Wärtsilä engines to ensure safe and flexible operation, and features an integrated communication system. The product also works very well in combination with the Wärtsilä compact silencer and any of Wärtsilä’s scrubbing systems. Together, this forms a complete package comprising efficient energy production, silencing, and a full emissions reduction system.

Hybrid scrubber systems Earlier this year, Wärtsilä announced it was supplying Hybrid Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) packages, or scrubbers, to two cruise vessels owned and operated by Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). The 325m long Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway will be fitted with Wärtsilä EGCS, ensuring the vessels’ compliance with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) sulphur restriction legislation while continuing to operate on heavy fuel oil (HFO). The legislation became effective in January 2020. The Wärtsilä hybrid solution allows for maximum flexibility of the EGC system, whilst scrubbing the sulphur from the exhaust gases. This hybrid system can be operated in either open- or closed-loop settings; and while operating in closed-loop mode, there is no overboard discharge as the wash water circulates from the scrubber unit to a process tank with seawater being used as make-up replenishment water as needed. “We previously worked with Wärtsilä and are familiar with the quality and reliability of the group’s solutions”, comments Giovanni Canu, Vice-President Special Projects and Operational Support at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

Image courtesy of Wärtsilä. “We were confident, therefore, that the team there could design and engineer a sulphur emissions abatement system that could be successfully integrated into our two vessels. The VSOx scrubbers are the right choice for this project, being both efficient and the right technical solution. They will allow us to serve our customers, the environment, and society in general by meeting and exceeding the strict regulatory and environmental targets.” Delivery of the equipment is scheduled for the first half of 2020. For the past seven years, Wärtsilä has had an engine maintenance agreement with NCL, and four new NCL cruise ships, currently under construction, will be fitted with Wärtsilä engines and scrubber systems.

i. wartsila.com

The main component of the NOR installation is the Reactor with a soot blowing unit and the catalyst elements, which are validated with Wärtsilä engines and with different fuel oil qualities.

The new luxury expedition cruise vessels designed by Wärtsilä and Amundsen Expeditions will have a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system for the abatement of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.