Wärtsilä: Scrubber Retrofits Possible for All Ship Types

Wärtsilä says it can find scrubber solutions for all types of ships

Retrofitting ships with scrubbers to comply with environmental regulations is almost always feasible but presents challenges for owners, Wärtsilä has said in an information article.

The power solutions company says it is the only player that can provide both scrubber and ballast water systems - both of which will be in demand as new regulations go into effect - with turnkey retrofit services.

"Retrofitting exhaust gas or ballast water cleaning systems is feasible for all ship types – but how it is done can vary depending on the ship type," said Leonardo Sonzio, director for retrofit at Wärtsilä Environmental Solutions.

"Finding space for the system is the most common challenge.

"When it comes to scrubber installations, we, for example, sometimes need to make changes in the funnel shape or rethink the use of spaces in the vessel to create more room for cleaning systems."

Sonzio said the company has not seen any cases in which retrofitting was impossible, but it has had to work with ship owners to determine the best solutions for various ships.

Sonzio said equipment and installation typically each represent forty percent of the cost of a retrofit solution, while the other 20 percent goes to engineering, project management, site management, logistics, and class approval.

He said the company has received orders for dozens of newbuild and retrofit scrubber projects for vessels of all kinds.

"More and more inquiries are coming in from ship owners" he said.

Norwegian cruise and ferry operator Color Line has ordered several Wärtsilä open-loop scrubber systems this year.