Innovative Scrubber System for Canada Steamship Lines Bulker

CSL’s Spruceglen arriving at Beauharnois QC. on a sunny spring morning. (Credit: J. McRae) via CSL

Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) has confirmed it has installed and integrated Ecospec’s novel CSNOx system onboard one of its Great Lake carriers.

Ecospec’s novel CSNOx system, an emissions abatement system, can remove NOx, SOx and CO2 in one process operating in both closed loop and freshwater conditions.

The first application of the system, first reported in the November 2012 edition of Shipping World & Shipbuilder, was installed onboard CSL’s 22,000 DWT self-unloading bulk carrier Spruceglen. A series of ship trials have been carried out to verify the system. These tests were aimed primarily at optimising the efficiency of the sulphur oxide (SOx) reductions.

Phase I tests were aimed primarily at optimising the SOx reduction efficiency, and since then the system has been running in a so-called ‘economy’ mode with confirmed reductions of SOx. Phase II tests will be carried out once the SOx removal process has been completely optimised; in these tests the system will be set up to reduce NOx and CO2 emissions concurrently. Formal performance measurements of these two gases will be carried out during 2013.

The system has now been running for hundreds of operating hours in an economy mode with confirmed reductions of SOx.

The system is also capable of reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) concurrently. Formal performance measurements of these two gases will be carried out during phase II tests to be done later this year, once the SOx removal process has been optimized.

It is expected that the operating SOx only mode will cater in a cost efficient manner to the current market conditions and surpass the present International Maritime Organisation (IMO) emission requirements. The CSNOx system in freshwater closed loop solves the logistics problems associated with chemical handling.

According to Ecospec, operating the system in SOx-only mode will provide a cost-effective means of complying with IMO emission limits with regard to current market conditions. When operating in freshwater closed loop mode, the Ecospec system requires no chemicals and will surpass current IMO requirements.

Ecospec says that it has developed several versions of CSNOx to suit different shipowner requirements. In addition to the three-gas CSNOx, cSOx is a system which primarily addresses SOx emissions while cNOx, takes care of NOx emission, all at a carbon neutral position, and without causing secondary pollution.

CSL has always supported research and promoted the development and application of green technologies. In the course of doing so, it has deployed a large amount of resources. During the traditional winter lay-up, further system advancement and optimisation will be carried out.

Singapore-based Ecoepec, in which Sembawang Shipyard has a 20% stake, has now developed different versions of the technology: cSOx for CO2 and SOx reduction, and cNOx for CO2 and NOx removal.

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