Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) has signed an agreement with ECOSPEC Marine Technology to develop and install a system to reduce the CO2, SO2 and NOX emissions from its ocean trading vessels on the Great Lakes, according to a company press release. The companies plan to install the first ‘CSNOx’ system on a CSL Great Lakes vessel later this year in order to validate and obtain certification of performance and efficiency of the system in a fresh water environment.
According to the press release, the system removes all three gasses through a single process. According to the Montreal Gazette, CSNOx technology within the CSL fleet, CSNOx is the only marine exhaust gas abatement process in the world that is capable of offsetting and net reduction in CO2 emission trails.
According to Carbon Positive, an independent verification of ECOSPEC’s claims is currently being conducted by the American Bureau of Shipping, with early results confirming a 75 per cent of CO2 emissions and a 98 per cent reduction in SO2 emissions. Testing is scheduled to be completed by the end of July, with certification coming within two months.
Last year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered draft rules for new engine and fuel standards for the largest ocean-bound ships to the White House for review, while a consortium of shipping industry entities is pursuing an end-goal of reducing operational fuel consumption by 15-25 percent. An Iranian tanker company is also making concrete promises to reduce its own emissions and fuel use, while all ships entering U.S. waters will soon need to comply with new regulations by the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization.
