By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Corporation & plc is to invest US$400 million to install its pioneering exhaust gas cleaning technology on more than 70 of its vessels, which amounts to around 70% of its ten-brand fleet.
In September 2013, Carnival Corporation revealed it was trialling an advanced exhaust gas cleaning system on 32 ships following approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Coast Guard and Transport Canada.
In addition to fitting the scrubbers on 22 Carnival Cruise Lines vessels, nine Holland America Line ships, seven Princess Cruises vessels and three Cunard ships, the company will also install the systems on ten AIDA Cruises ships and six Costa Cruises vessels. The installations will take place over the next three years.
On 5 May, AIDA Cruises’ AIDAluna emerged from a nine-day drydock in Germany after the first stage of the comprehensive system was installed. In addition, Carnival UK brand P&O Cruises is assessing how the systems can be most effective on its vessels under European Union environmental law.
“This is a key step forward for Carnival Corporation and its ten brands, and most importantly for the environment,” said Arnold Donald, Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald. “We believe Carnival Corporation’s investment in this industry-leading technology will set a new course in environmental protection and cleaner air for years to come. Increasing environmental sustainability is one of our most important corporate goals and having the new systems on our ships will be another effective way for us to meet that objective.”
While the ECO Exhaust Gas Cleaning (ECO-EGC) solution has been successfully installed in power plants, factories and vehicles, this is the first time it has been developed for restricted spaces on marine vessels.
Combining advanced scrubber technology and diesel particulate filters, the two-pronged ECO-EGC system ‘scrubs’ exhaust gases with seawater to remove sulphur compounds and substantially reduces black carbon and other particulates from the engine. The system can be used throughout operation, including while the ship is at sea, during manoeuvring operations and when berthed in port.
By installing ECO-EGC onboard its ships, Carnival Corporation can meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) MARPOL Annex VI regulation, which introduced a 1.0% sulphur limit in North American emission control areas (ECAs) in 2012. The scrubbers have already enabled Carnival Cruise Line to homeport ships in Baltimore and Norfolk, US, next year, when sulphur emissions will be restricted to 0.1%.
Carnival Corporation’s scrubbers will also enable its fleet to meet the IMO’s global sulphur limits for waters outside of ECAs, which are currently set at 3.5% and are expected to drop to 0.5% by 2020.
Helping Carnival Corporation to mitigate escalating fuel costs, the systems will also enable it to meet its environmental sustainability goals. In April, Carnival Corporation revealed it was on track to reduce its rate of greenhouse gas emissions from shipboard operations by 20% by 2015. The company has already reduced its emissions by more than 19% since 2005.