The 100th U-design Alfa Laval PureSOx scrubber will go to the Grimaldi Group

The Grimaldi Group has placed orders for seven hybrid Alfa Laval PureSOx systems with U-design scrubbers. The orders are an important milestone, as the second of these systems is also the 100th U-design scrubber to be sold by Alfa Laval.

The Grimaldi Group, which is the parent company of Atlantic Container Line, Finnlines and others, is a multinational logistics group based on maritime transport. Specialized in the operation of RoRo vessels, car carriers and ferries, the group has been using Alfa Laval PureSOx systems to meet SOx emission limits since 2014.

With new PureSOx orders booked in October, comprising seven car carriers to be built at China’s Yangfan Shipyard, the Grimaldi Group will bring its total number of PureSOx systems to 19. The second system ordered is also the 100^th PureSOx system to be sold with a U-design scrubber.

“Alfa Laval offers both the U-design and an inline I-design, but the U-design remains the ‘classic’ version of PureSOx that is still the best choice for the majority of vessels,” says René Diks, Manager Marketing & Sales, Exhaust Gas Cleaning at Alfa Laval. “The fact that Alfa Laval has sold over 100 U-design scrubbers since launching five years ago shows the strength of the design and of PureSOx as a whole.”

Compliance and savings with hybrid systems

Each of the PureSOx systems on the Grimaldi Group vessels will be connected to a MAN two-stroke engine. Because the vessels will sail between Italy and the United States, where Vessel General Permit (VGP) legislation applies, they will be equipped with hybrid systems that offer both open-loop and closed-loop modes.

Closed-loop scrubbing is necessary in order to meet the very strict VGP wash water discharge requirements. PureSOx offers well-proven water cleaning technology based on centrifugal separation, which will be used when the vessels are sailing in closed-loop mode. The choice of hybrid systems, however, will give the Grimaldi Group vessels full operational flexibility, allowing them to sail in open-loop mode whenever allowed.

“Our experience with Alfa Laval PureSOx on Grimaldi Group vessels has been overwhelmingly positive,” says Dario Bocchetti, Corporate Energy Saving Manager of the Grimaldi Group. “We know that these new vessels will meet SOx emission and discharge limits, and the use of hybrid systems will allow them to do it in the most cost-effective manner possible.”

Cooperating to meet a tight schedule

The delivery of the first PureSOx system ordered is planned for the end of Q1 2017, with installation to follow in Q2. The last of the seven PureSOx systems will be delivered in Q1 2018. This creates a tight schedule, especially for the first shipset.

To ensure on-time delivery, successful installation and a smooth commissioning phase, there will be intensive cooperation between Alfa Laval, the Grimaldi Group and Yangfan Shipyard. “There will be regular project meetings on site, and we will have an Alfa Laval Site Support Engineer at the shipyard throughout the installation,” says Alfa Laval Project Manager Mark Aarbodem. “Clear communication between all parties involved is a must, and the Alfa Laval project team will support the shipyard from the design phase all the way to commissioning.”

To learn more about Alfa Laval PureSOx and Alfa Laval’s approach to exhaust gas cleaning, visit www.alfalaval.com/puresox

You can also stay up-to-date with marine industry news at Alfa Laval by visiting the Marine Division’s LinkedIn page.

 

About Alfa Laval

Alfa Laval is a leading global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling.

The company’s equipment, systems and services are dedicated to assisting customers in optimizing the performance of their processes. The solutions help them to heat, cool, separate and transport products in industries that produce food and beverages, chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, starch, sugar and ethanol.

Alfa Laval’s products are also used in power plants, aboard ships, oil and gas exploration, in the mechanical engineering industry, in the mining industry and for wastewater treatment, as well as for comfort climate and refrigeration applications.

Alfa Laval’s worldwide organization works closely with customers in nearly 100 countries to help them stay ahead in the global arena. Alfa Laval is listed on Nasdaq OMX, and, in 2015, posted annual sales of about SEK 39.7 billion (approx. 4.25 billion Euros). The company has about 17 500 employees.