6 Finnlines Vessels to get Wärtsilä Scrubbers for ECA Compliance

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday May 16, 2014

Finnlines Plc. (Finnlines) will use Wärtsilä Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems on six vessels operating in the Baltic and North Sea, Wärtsilä Corp. (Wärtsilä) announced.

The order brings Wärtsilä to 100 scrubber units either installed or on order for 51 vessels.

The scrubbers will allow the Finnlines vessels to comply with the stricter new sulfur dioxide (SOx) emission rules that go into place in European Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) next year while still operating on heavy fuel oil (HFO).

Finnlines will have one Wärtsilä scrubber system installed for each vessel, with both main engines on each ship attached to a single cleaning system.

Wärtsilä will deliver the equipment in November and December of this year and support Finnlines with technical advice during installation.

"Environmental compliance and cost efficient operations are key factors in the success of Finnlines," said Finnlines President and CEO Emanuele Grimaldi.

"The installation of Wärtsilä scrubber systems on our recent series of six modern Ro-Ro vessels is a major step in the implementation of our strategy"

The scrubbers are open loop systems that use seawater to remove SOX from the exhaust, using the alkalinity of seawater to neutralise acid rather than adding other chemicals.

Finnlines, which joins DFDS as one of the few ship operators using scrubbers rather than switching fuels to comply with the ECA regulations, has said the systems will cost effectively reduce SOx as well as particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution.