Carbon capture tech could cut carbon emissions by up to 70%
According to Wärtsilä the solution is likely to reduce carbon emissions by more than two thirds and it sees carbon capture as a "game changer" for shipping.
Wärtsilä’s carbon capture solution (CCS) has been tested at full scale on board the 21,000 cu metre ethylene carrier, Clipper Eris, owned by Solvang ASA, since February. The successful results have prompted the company to declare that the technology is now commercially available for installation on newbuilding and retrofits across a range of sizes, with reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of up to 70%. The systems are likely to come with a price tag ranging between $54 and $76 per tonne of captured carbon dioxide, the company said.
A reduction of this magnitude would enable existing ships to comply with the recently negotiated numbers proposed but not yet adopted at the IMO’s recent MEPC 83 meeting in London well into the 2040s. The ‘mid-term measures’ are expected to be adopted formally at a specially convened meeting of the MEPC later this year and are expected to enter force in March 2027.
The CCS solution from Wärtsilä joins others in the market such as Value Maritime and Zhejiang Energy Marine Environmental Technology. The Clipper Eris retrofit was carried out Seatrium in Singapore, and was one of two such retrofits the yard group clinched last year.
In a statement, Wärtsilä said that the Clipper Eris was already equipped with a range of its products, including scrubbers, making it an ideal candidate for the project. Meanwhile, Solvang has worked closely with the Helsinki-headquartered company to ensure that ships it currently has on order will be ‘CCS-ready’. This includes CCS-ready scrubber systems because Solvang proposes to continue using heavy fuel oil in its ships’ engines for the time being.
The CCS technology has been under development at a facility in Moss, Norway, where a test plant has been capturing ten tonnes of carbon dioxide a day from a Wärtsilä engine. The CCS, which can be used with any carbon fuel including heavy fuel oil, biofuel, methanol, LNG and marine gasoil, is also designed to work with other emission reduction technologies including SOx scrubbers, NOx reduction systems, and particulate matter filters.
Commenting on the development, Wärtsilä’s President and CEO, described CCS as ‘a game-changer for the maritime industry. “We are already seeing huge interest in the market for this solution,” he said. Ahead of shipping’s net-zero targets, this new technology complements the industry’s ongoing efforts to dramatically reduce emissions from vessels and prevent stranded assets.”
Edvin Endresen, CEO of Solvang, said: “While the shipping sector continues to explore options for lessening its environmental impact, CCS provides a significant shortcut for achieving meaningful sustainability. Solvang has been at the forefront of advocating for, and adapting to, new technologies such as CCS for our deep-sea fleet. As one of the more promising solutions for marine decarbonisation, it was important for us to team up with an experienced and trusted partner such as Wärtsilä and we are excited at the potential its CCS offering will bring to our business.”
