Honolulu-based ocean transportation company Matson, Inc. announced it has begun the installation of scrubbers on six vessels deployed in its Hawaii and China-Long Beach Express services, as part of its strategy to reduce fleet emissions in line with the IMO’s 2020 sulphur cap.
Three of the vessels will receive the new equipment in 2019 and the remaining three in 2020.
Referring to the great dilemma facing shipowners on scrubbers or complaint fuels, the company said there is still uncertainty about the fuels’ costs and availability.
LNG is an alternative, but the infrastructure for production and distribution remains insufficient to support Matson’s operations in the Pacific,
…Matson said.
However the organization’s compliance strategy remains flexible to implement the most economical solution as conditions evolve, noted John Lauer, senior vice president and chief commercial officer.
As such, the company embarked on a fleet renewal program, replacing older vessels with four new ships that are equipped with dual-fuel engines designed to run on new low-sulfur fuels or LNG.
The other main component of Matson’s strategy involves expanded use of scrubbers, as it successfully installed scrubber systems on three vessels in its Alaska fleet in 2015 and 2016.
