Damen Opts for AEC Maritime Scrubbers

Damen Dutch shipbuilder Damen has inked a Sales Agreement with compatriot scrubber producer AEC Maritime, which will enable the two companies to provide a turnkey solution covering all aspects of gas scrubber retrofitting process. The shipbuilder said that, with the inclusion of scrubber technologies to its existing business of Ballast Water Treatment Systems (BWTS), it can now provide ship owners with a total solution regarding the latest IMO requirements. According to Damen, AEC Maritime scrubber systems remove more than 98 percent of sulfur from exhaust gases, thus exceeding IMO requirements. The AECs scrubbers allow vessels to run on traditional Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) instead of Marine Gas Oil (MGO). Talking about the advantages of the agreement to shipowners, Marcel Karsijns, Damen Director Green Solutions, said: “This will allow all activities – on board visits, 3D-scanning, Engineering, Piping, Project Management and Installation – to be executed under one roof. The agreement also includes AECs involvement in after sales service and maintenance contracts. Under a revised international treaty, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Treaty Annex VI, vessels are required to use bunker fuel with a sulfur content of 0.1 percent or less in emission control areas (ECAs). The scrubbers eliminate sulfur dioxide (SOx) from the exhaust gas, allowing ships to meet international treaty standards for SOx emissions without using low-sulfur level.