Cruise Ships Get Laser Emissions Monitoring System

The AIDAvita, part of the existing fleet of cruise ships.

Norfolk, Virginia based WR Systems, Ltd (WRSystems) said in a press release today that two new-build cruise ships being constructed by Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) for Carnival Cruise Line's AIDA Cruise brand are to be fitted with its Emsys continuous emissions monitoring system.

WRSystems said in standard configuration its laser-based emissions sensor allows high accuracy measurement of up to 10 exhaust stacks for NOx, SOx, and CO2, and can be configured to measure smoke (Opacity), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and methane (CH4).

While carbon monoxide and methane is not currently covered under IMO Regulations, WRSystems said they were "critical" going forwards as "the upward trend for using LNG as a marine fuel may bring further challenges regarding air pollution."

The two 125,000-tonne passenger vessels were said to be the largest ever constructed for AIDA Cruises.

"These vessels will be constructed to the highest environmental standards and feature many new technologies to reduce emissions and improve efficiency," said MHI's International Maritime Business Director Simon Brown.

"The implementation of Emsys will provide real-world verification of the vessels' emissions footprint and allow optimisation of operating performance through continuous emissions monitoring," he added.

"These vessels will be the most environmentally advanced cruise ships ever constructed, therefore choosing the correct suppliers is critically important," commented Irene Wong, Purchasing Coordinator, MHI.

WRSystems said it developed the Emsys system to help the maritime industry comply with MARPOL Annex VI Maritime Emissions Regulations, and an interface for data from a Global Positioning System (GPS) and electronic charting can aid in voyage compliance management within Emission Control Area (ECA) zones.