CSA 2020 Shipowners Offer Insight On EGCS Installations As IMO 2020 Looms
The Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) 2020 are suggesting the shipowners who want to install marine exhaust gas cleaning systems in order to meet the requirements related to the global sulphur cap, to make sure that good quality and high end materials are being used by manufacturers, shipyards and installers.
Through the expertise that the members of CSA 2020 have gained after the installment of over 1500 EGCS, they have discovered that the quality of the material and coatings used is the key factor for the optimisation of EGCS safety and for the aversion of any corrosion related problem that occurs during operation.
“There are always some challenges involved when specifying ships’ machinery systems and scrubbers are no different,” said Arne Hubregtse, Executive Board Member, Spliethoff. “Risks can be mitigated, however, by investing in quality materials, established suppliers and experienced installers, and by optimising machinery space layouts.
“We have installations onboard about 50 vessels in the Spliethoff fleet and to date we have not experienced any corrosion or other significant issues through operating these systems. In addition to the specification of quality materials we recommend experienced installers with good supervision during the installation process.”
Roger Strevens, Vice President, Global Sustainability, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, said: “While EGCS failure is not impossible, just as it is with any machinery, we believe we have minimised the risk – particularly of early-onset severe failure – by being very judicious in how we specify the systems and through being particular in who we are getting them from. If you buy cheap, you’ll pay twice!”
Wallenius Wilhelmsen installed its first EGCS in 2014 knowing that, like any first-of-type-installation, there would be the inevitable teething troubles. “We learned a lot from that first installation. The experience proved invaluable to subsequent installations,” added Strevens.
More than 200 exhaust gas cleaning systems that are installed in 83 opearting vessels that come under the Carnival Corporation umbrella have also been greatly reliable. Mike Kaczmarek, Sr. Vice-President Marine Technology, Carnival Corp said that more than 90% of the present system is available.
Kaczmarek, CSA 2020’s Chairman, said: “We have found EGCS systems are designed for world-wide operations and normally meet or exceed the specification. However, there are a few things to be aware of and, for example, we do recommend that the upper bellows (expansion joints) above the EGCS tower are replaced with a design using upgraded alloys during the installation process. This can help prevent any subsequent corrosion. Selection of quality materials is important.”
Grimaldi Group that is responsible for operating four different EGCS in more than 50 vessels. It reported over 90% reliability.
Dario Bocchetti, Head of the Grimaldi Group Corporate Energy Saving & Innovation, said: “The expansion bellows after the scrubber and the exhaust gas line can create problems. It is important to use high quality steel or alloys and make sure anti-corrosion coatings have been properly applied to the discharge outlet. Good specification and subcontractor selection can prevent problems later.”
“By confirming the operational performance of our members’ EGCS installations, we hope to allay any concerns relating to system failure or corrosion,” said CSA 2020 Executive Director Ian Adams. “The technology, the materials used, and the experienced gained from those first installations means that any corrosion issues can now be readily resolved.”
Reference: CSA
