Marine environmental compliance
Environmental regulations protect our marine ecosystems, but they also affect marine businesses. While it’s necessary to comply, it’s equally important to minimize the onboard impact of the solutions. Alfa Laval is committed to keeping you compliant while safeguarding your business interests. Our compliance solutions combine peace of mind with the flexibility and economy so vital to your operations.
Leading in compliance
Alfa Laval has long been at the forefront of marine environmental compliance, pursuing answers since well before today’s regulations were reality. Today we have not only the proven compliance technologies, but also the knowledge, experience and resources to implement them in an optimal way – and support them throughout your vessel’s lifetime.
- Leading technologies with IMO and U.S. Coast Guard type approvals
- Scale and production capacity to handle today’s high retrofit demands
- Knowledge, experience and skilled project management for successful installations
- Regulatory insight covering the legislation and its enforcement
- Global presence and comprehensive service offerings
Ballast water treatment
Ballast water treatment prevents the transport of potentially invasive species in the ballast tanks of ships. Not only do invasive species threaten marine ecosystems, they can also devastate local economies and pose serious risks to human health. IMO and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) each have their own strict ballast water regulations.
Alfa Laval PureBallast 3
PureBallast 3 is the third generation of the leading ballast water treatment technology – and the first solution to be revised G8 ready. Type approved by both IMO and the U.S. Coast Guard, it uses an enhanced form of UV treatment to provide unmatched performance in the most challenging waters. This includes low-clarity waters with UV transmittance as low as 42%.
Our PureBallast 3 offering comprises total solutions in ballast water treatment, beginning with initial selection and planning and extending throughout the vessel lifetime. Having worked with ballast water treatment for well over a decade, Alfa Laval has the resources, knowledge, network and experience to ensure successful installation and lasting peace of mind.
Exhaust gas cleaning (SOx)
Cleaning exhaust gas with SOx scrubbers is a strategy for meeting fuel sulphur limits without resorting to low-sulphur fuels. A strict fuel sulphur limit of 0.1% already exists for those sailing in SOx Emission Control Areas (ECAs), but as of 2020 all vessels will need to comply with a 0.5% global fuel sulphur cap.
Alfa Laval PureSOx
PureSOx is the SOx scrubber system at the forefront. At sea since 2009, it has the record others aspire to, with every scrubber ever sold in operation and in compliance. The long PureSOx reference list includes a broad range of vessel types and many returning customers, convinced by smooth installations, proven results and first-rate global service.
PureSOx builds on over 50 years of work with marine scrubbers, as well as Alfa Laval core technologies like centrifugal separation, which is used for reliable water cleaning in closed-loop mode. Our experienced project management and global resources ensure smooth scrubber installation projects, while connectivity with PureSOx Connect simplifies your compliance reporting and ongoing optimization.
Oily water treatment
Water collected in a vessel’s bilge water tanks must be cleaned before it can be sent overboard. Its oil content must be reduced to just 15 ppm – or even less in some parts of the world. This can be difficult on today’s vessels, where detergents and other chemicals on board often lead to stable oil emulsions.
Alfa Laval PureBilge
PureBilge is an efficient oily water treatment system, built for continuous use in real life conditions. By means of high-speed centrifugal separation, it can reduce oil-in-water content to less than 5 ppm – even on rough seas or in the presence of difficult emulsions. This makes it more effective and cost-efficient than static coalescers, which rely on consumable filters that quickly generate waste and cost.
Since it requires no large holding tanks, PureBilge saves a great deal of space on board. In addition, it eliminates the risk of non-compliant discharge with its tamper-proof BlueBox oil content monitor. This feature is also available in a stand-alone version, BlueBox SA, for upgrading an existing oily water treatment setup.
EGR water treatment (NOx)
Within NOx Emission Control Areas (ECAs), newly built vessels are subject to stricter Tier III NOx emission limits. One of the key technologies for reducing NOx is Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR), which directs exhaust gas back into the engine. The process inhibits NOx formation by lowering the combustion temperature, but it requires effective water cleaning technology.
Alfa Laval PureNOx
Based on centrifugal separation, Alfa Laval PureNOx has long been the choice for EGR water treatment. Today it’s available in an even more streamlined solution – PureNOx LS (Low Sulphur) – that enables more cost-efficient EGR. PureNOx LS, which has a 50% smaller separator module, cleans the EGR bleed-off water before overboard discharge. With its unique ability to treat water continuously, it is the only solution on the market to support Eco EGR, a fuel-saving engine mode in which EGR is used for Tier II as well as Tier III compliance.
PureNOx LS is optimized for EGR engines that operate on low-sulphur fuel. Upon request, solutions for use with high-sulphur fuel can also be tailored using PureNOx technology.
Crankcase gas cleaning
Gas vented from the engine crankcase contains oil droplets and particles that pose health and environmental hazards, especially when in port. Cleaning the gas is not yet required at sea, but it is legislated in some land-based applications – and it offers an opportunity to further reduce vessel emissions.
Alfa Laval PureVent
PureVent is a centrifugal oil mist separator for cleaning oil, soot and unburned fuel from crankcase gas. It removes up to 99.9% of the oil content, which cannot be matched by traditional cyclones, air traps or filters. To further reduce environmental impact, the collected oil can be recirculated through the separator and used again in the engine lubrication system.
PureVent is available with an open design, which releases oil-free crankcase gas directly into the atmosphere. But it can also be supplied with a closed design, where the gas is recirculated to the turbocharger. The latter completely eliminates crankcase emissions, as well as the risk of turbocharger fouling.