Norwegian Cruise Line announced the successful completion of the retrofitting of a new Exhaust Gas Cleaning system on two of its ships, ‘Norwegian Sun’ and ‘Norwegian Jade’, to reduce the ships’ emissions and environmental footprint.
In conjunction with the line’s Sail & Sustain environmental program, five scrubbers were installed in each ship, one per engine, covering the whole propulsion system. Collectively, they are capable of reducing the emission of sulfur to air up to 99% and also reduce 85% particulate emission to the air. Namely, new technology on the two ships is expected to reduce the equivalent of approximately 3,000 tons of Sulfur Oxide, SOx, gas in the years to come, NCL claimed.
The ships’ new lightweight in-line scrubbers are a hybrid technology developed by Yara Marine Technologies that are able to operate in open loop, closed loop and closed loop with bleed off mode.
As explained, the new system works by “scrubbing away” the sulfur oxide and particulate matter before the emissions leave the stack to decrease the amount that is released into the air, resulting in a clean white plume of steam.
Early in 2014, the company was the first cruise line to commit to retrofitting six vessels and has exceeded that commitment with now eight total ships.
As part of Sail & Sustain, Norwegian’s Safety and Environmental Protection Policy establishes several objectives relating to the environment, which include reducing the impact of its operations on the environment, disposing garbage and waste materials in accordance with national and international rules and regulations, recycling and re-using materials and establishing specific objectives and targets for continual improvement of environmental management programs.
More than greenwashing, NCL should commit to use the scrubber all-the-time (not only in SECAS) and only in close loop (so that no transfer of pollution from air to sea).
Otherwise it is shameful greenwashing.. and even polluting.
1/ The scrubber removes sulphur only when switched on. Does NCL commit to use it all the time or only in SECA zones ? In SECA zones, it is mandatory to use MGO, and scrubber are allowed as an exception.
2/ Even MGO (or HFO+scrubber) still contains 100 more sulfur than automotive fuel.
3/ a scrubber in open-loop puts the pollution from air to sea. Very harmful to waters. Will NCL commit to use only the close-loop mode ?
4/ reduction of 85% of PM is in mass or in number ? The most harmful particulate matter are the lightest and smallest ones (<1 µm in diameter) . So, a reduction in 85% in mass does not mean that these small particles are drastically reduced.