Damen Shipyards has achieved official EU Stage V certification for its in-house-developed emissions reduction system (ERS). With many vessels operating in harbors and waterways close to or within urban areas, Damen’s teams opted to develop an emission-reduction system to address health issues related to the particulate matter emitted by diesel engines, as well as the environmental impacts resulting from excess nitrogen oxides.
Damen’s emission reduction system (ERS) combines soot filters with a selective catalytic reduction system to remove particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx) as they leave the engine and before they enter the atmosphere, and also delivers noise reduction of an average of 45dB(A). This means Damen can offer clients a proven emission reduction system that meets the requirements of the IMO Tier III, ULEV and EU stage V regulations.
The ERS is designed for primary and auxiliary engines generating between 300kW and 700kW of output. Sea-going vessels equipped with the system are eligible for the Ultra Low Emission Vessel classification notation. The development of the EU Stage V system began in 2017, following Damen achieving certification for its NOx-reduction system to comply with IMO Tier III emissions regulations.
“It has taken six years to reach this point, but our ERS goes beyond the parameters set by the regulators to ensure that they are robust and flexible,” said Raymond Watson, technology specialist, aftertreatment systems, Damen. “For example, they are designed to work with all standard fuels to ensure worldwide operability, and their modular design means that they can be installed on all types of vessel, matched to the specific operating profile of each.”
To achieve certification, Damen partnered with Bureau Veritas. “We were very pleased to be working with Damen on this challenging project,” said Rik de Petter, marine and offshore chief executive, Belgium and Luxembourg, at Bureau Veritas. “We went through a challenging learning curve – and the result is a milestone in certification as there are very few certified Stage V compliant systems at present. It places both organizations at the forefront of maritime emissions reduction.”
Damen is currently working on the certification of the ERS for multiple propulsion trains with outputs up to and beyond 4,000kW, and all will be available soon as IMO Tier III-, ULEV- and EU Stage V-certified systems for both new-build and retrofit vessels.
