Supporting the Shipping Industry’s Decarbonisation Ambitions

The maritime industry’s increasing emphasis on efficiency and sustainability has paved the way for the development and implementation of innovative maritime solutions. Recognising the urgent need to support the decarbonisation of shipping, ERMA FIRST has diversified its product portfolio by developing technologically advanced solutions that support sustainable shipping practices.

ERMA FIRST CCS System

By harnessing the ability to capture CO2 from exhaust gases, ship owners and operators will be able to make significant strides towards the IMO’s recently strengthened targets for ship emissions, whilst also increasing their vessels’ lifecycle.

ERMA FIRST has prioritised a major R&D project related to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and has made strong progress in developing a next generation post combustion CCS system.

In recognition of the project’s significant technical achievement, Lloyd’s Register (LR) recently awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) to ERMA FIRST for its amine absorption-based CCS system.

ERMA FIRST’s CCS system uses absorption technology to mix CO2 flue gases with a proprietary amine solvent, which is then heated to produce a chemical reaction which reverses the absorption and separates the CO2 from the solvent. The CO2 from this process is then liquified and stored under cryogenic conditions onboard with the solvent ready to use in the same process again, creating a regenerative loop for CCS.

The ERMA FIRST CCS system will be among the first to market and is the smallest system available. Furthermore, occupying only 10% of the space required by competing systems, the solution is suitable for a wide variety of vessel types. The absorption technology used within the system also delivers a significantly higher amines regeneration rate, thereby reducing OPEX.

LR’s AiP, as part of the Risk-Based Certification process, has enabled the technology to achieve this important milestone and allows ERMA FIRST to now proceed with onboard pilot testing of the application.

In addition to the CCS system, ERMA FIRST has further extended its product portfolio with two new products that have also been designed to support the decarbonisation of shipping:

ERMA FIRST BLUE CONNECT

BLUE CONNECT is an Alternative Maritime Power (AMP) solution that facilitates a safe, efficient and reliable shore power connection, whilst completely eliminating emissions at berth.

BLUE CONNECT allows vessels to safely shut down diesel-fuelled auxiliary engines at berth. This in turn reduces noise and vibrations, but importantly, eliminates emissions such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, carbon oxides and volatile organic compounds.

BLUE CONNECT has also been officially categorised as an ESD by DNV, with the classification society confirming the positive impact the system can have on CII ratings.

ERMA FIRST FLEXCAP

FLEXCAP is the first in a series of ESDs from ERMA FIRST. FLEXCAP builds on the proven capabilities of propeller cap fins to optimise maritime efficiency and sustainability. The resultant increase in propulsive efficiency can yield fuel savings of up to 4%, reducing OPEX and delivering a relatively quick ROI. Crucially, FLEXCAP also reduces ship emissions and improves CII and EEXI performance.

For more information of ERMA FIRST’s range of sustainable maritime solutions, visit: https://www.ermafirst.com/