Damen Green Solutions and Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) are going to cooperate, in order to offer ship owners a smoother transition towards compliance with new environmental regulations and cleaner sailing.
The synergy aims to provide operators benefits of proven project management skills, reduced downtime and informed product selection, in the areas of Ballast Water Management, exhaust after treatment systems, LNG conversions and also other, more traditional, methods of cleaner shipping.
The company explained that the Damen Green Solutions aim to help ship owners make the right decision on Ballast Water Treatment Systems, as, with 70 different manufacturers, selecting the best option for a vessel can be a difficult task.
Marcel Karsijns, Managing Director of Damen Green Solutions, said: “This includes the technology, the energy consumption, the physical footprint of the system and the after sales service. With this information, we have made sales agreements with the best Ballast Water Treatment Systems producers.”
The company also informed that an entire Ballast Water Treatment System retrofit can be handled in one contract.
Also included into the concept of green solutions are exhaust after treatment systems; known as scrubbers. DSC has developed a modular approach to scrubber installation, where some components are installed in the funnel and others on the deck, to reduce the amount of work in the engine room. Damen cooperated with VDL group manufacturer, which has an IMO-certified cost effective scrubber system.
In addition, subject in the sustainability conversation concerns Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). This is often described as the ‘transition’ fuel towards cleaner shipping because, even though LNG emissions still contain significant levels of CO2, they are much cleaner in terms of NOx, SOx and Particulate Materials.
“The LNG industry is taking its first steps. Even though it is still at a small scale, we are seeing more and more enquiries,” says Mr Groen. “With engine conversion contracts, we have all the procedures in place to complete the project on time and on budget. This includes all the engineering and installation work while integrating the specifications with contractors and suppliers.”
Mr Groen also pointed out that certain ‘green solutions’ do not necessarily have to involve extensive engineering and preparatory work:
“A ship owner can utilise low-tech solutions too,” he says. “For example, getting a vessel into drydock to clean the propeller, and then clean and repaint the hull with antifouling can yield instant results in terms of fuel consumption. What’s more, we offer this type of service based on a fixed number of days and a fixed price” he explained.
