Algoma Central Corp., one of the largest owners and operators of Great Lakes vessels, is installing fresh water, exhaust gas scrubbers on six new vessels.  These scrubbers will remove 97% of the vessels’ sulfur oxides emissions. The scrubber systems are a new technology from Wärtsilä Ship Power using fresh water recirculating in a closed-loop system.

Captured contaminants can be isolated and held for disposal at facilities in port, enabling zero-discharge operation when underway. Algoma is including the exhaust scrubbing system on all 6 of the new, more efficient vessels it is building for its Great Lakes fleet.  Wärtsilä claims that the new vessels “will set new standards for environmentally sustainable shipping on the Great Lakes.”  The scrubber systems enable ships to use lower cost, heavy fuel oils and still comply with new sulfur limits established by the International Maritime Organization and adopted by Canada and the U.S. Without such scrubbers, ships would have to burn more expensive diesel oil.