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Scrubbers planned for six more Norwegian ships

Norwegian Cruise Line sought to restate its commitment to environmental protection this month with the announcement that it will be bringing scrubbers to six more of its ships.

The cruise line’s newest ships, Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway, have already been fitted with innovative environmental systems, including ballast water treatment and waste fuel oil recycling.

However, it has also committed to bringing green technologies to the rest of its fleet, in order to meet the demanding emissions targets that are coming into effect for the North American cruise industry in the near future.

To this end, it will fit 28 scrubbers, which help to remove sulfur from the ship’s emissions, on the Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Gem, Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Sun.

In addition to these efforts, Norwegian Cruise Line is also looking at ways to improve the protection of the ocean through more sustainable environmental practices as part of its Eco-Smart Cruising programme.

This extends to rubbish and waste recycling, and any other way that can be identified to minimise the operational impact of its ships on the environment. Last year, the programme reached the following recycling milestones:
– 1,245 tons of cardboard, saving 23,500 trees and enough for 292 million newspapers
– 2,517 tons of scrap metal
– 2,988 tons of glass
– 669 tons of glass

Six Norwegian Cruise Line ships to get exhaust scrubbers

By Jerry Limone

Norwegian Cruise Line has contracted with Green Tech Marine to install scrubbers on six ships.

The scrubbers enable ship operators to reduce sulfur emissions while continuing to use heavy fuel oil for power. Scrubbers are a less expensive option than switching to low-sulfur diesel fuel.

Norway-based Green Tech Marine will install the scrubbers on the Breakaway, Dawn, Jewel, Gem, Pearl and Sun, starting this spring and continuing through 2016. The scrubbers will replace the ships’ exhaust silencers.

Green Tech Marine installed scrubbers on the Hawaii-based Pride of America last year and will supply them for Norwegian’s Breakaway Plus ships, the Escape and the Bliss, due to enter service in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

GTM R15

By using GTM scrubbers, shipowners can continue to operate on heavy fuel oil instead of more costly marine gas oil while staying below the strict IMO requirements regarding sulphur emissions. Fuel prices of marine gas oil are expected to rise even higher in 2015 when the 0,1% sulphur limit enters into force. The GTM scrubbers make it simple to meet new environmental regulations by replacing your ship’s exhaust silencer – no structural modifications required. You also benefit from:

  • Proven reduction of SOx and PM, compliant with MARPOL Annex VI –MEPC 58 and 59
  • Hybrid scrubber – both open and closed loop operation
  • An extremely small footprint
  • Low weight resulting in minimal change to stability conditions
  • Energy-efficient

 

Carnival preparing Seattle ships for new emission limits

Carnival preparing Seattle ships for new emission limits

Carnival Cruises is pumping a significant sum of money into equipping five of its ships based in North America with new environmental technology.

With strict new rules coming into effect over cruise ship emissions in the region, the company will reportedly spend $10 million (£6.3 million) fitting exhaust scrubbers on its Seattle-based fleet, Bizjournals reports.

The green technology works by cleaning ship emissions and should ensure that the vessels in question comply with the new air quality standards.

As well as fitting its own Seattle-based ships with the exhaust scrubbers, Carnival will also implement the technology on ships operated out of the Port of Seattle by its subsidiaries Holland-America Line and Princess Cruises.

Seattle, along with Alaska, is one of the main cruise ports expected to be negatively affected by the new rules, with ships concentrating on these areas likely to remain in the North American Emission Control Area for the majority of their cruising.

In the long-term, Carnival has suggested that the exhaust tech will be fitted to all 32 of the ships it has servicing North America.

Previously, it warned that the new environmental rules could negatively impact on the number of cruises offered in the region, particularly those focusing on the Canadian Atlantic.