Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has agreed a contract to provide the funds for California-based Clean Air Engineering Maritime (CAEM), a ship-auxiliary generator exhaust treatment company, to develop a new-generation Marine Exhaust Treatment System for use on MOL-operated car carriers from 2025 to cut air pollution in California.
The US California Air Resources Board (CARB) is taking advanced measures to prevent air pollution. In particular, according to CARB At-Berth Regulations, which regulate the emission of exhaust from diesel auxiliary engines on certain classes of ships arriving in Californian ports, regulated ships calling in that state are required to reduce the amount of air pollutants including NOx and particulates emitted during mooring at ports. Regulations began for container ships in 2007, and car carriers are scheduled to be included in the regulations in 2025.
In June 2015, CAEM became the first company to receive CARB approval for its barge-based Marine Exhaust Treatment System (METS-1) which captures air pollutants exhausted from the ship’s stack and treats the exhaust removing all of the required pollutants pursuant to CARB standards. CAEM has been providing services at the Port of Los Angeles, California, since then, and CAEM is currently the only company providing vessel exhaust capture and treatment services in compliance with the CARB At-Beth Regulation and has successfully serviced approximately 400 vessels with 23,000 service hours, mainly for container ships. In cooperation with CAEM, MOL will join the development of a new system for car carriers, Marine Exhaust Treatment System, METS-3, and will work to prevent air pollution in the area, in which MOL vessels calls more than 70 times annually.
CAEM President Nick Tonsich said: “CAEM is honoured to partner with MOL on the latest design and production of our marine exhaust treatment system, the METS-3, which will meet the challenges of capturing and treating exhaust from car carriers. MOL is again at the forefront of developing and implementing environmental technologies which eliminate impacts from operations.”
