SEPTEMBER 4, 2013 – M/V Balder, a Torvald Klaveness handymax bulker, is the first ship to operate  in the U.S. Emission Control Area (ECA) with an exhaust gas scrubber, according to Norway's Clean Marine.

On arrival in Baltimore last week, the vessel's Master sought approval from the U.S. Coast Guard to enter and exit the ECA using High Sulfur Fuel Oil and the Clean Marine Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS), rather than burning the more expensive Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (1% sulfur content).

Balder scrubber was installed by Croatian ahipyard

Clean Marine, the manufacturer of the Balder's ECGS, invited the Coast Guard and EPA to observe the EGCS in operation for compliance with the ECA.  

Coast Guard officials led by Lieutenant Commander Edgardo Cruz (Chief Inspection Division, Sector Baltimore), conducted a Port State Control inspection of the vessel in Baltimore August 29 and confirmed that the Clean Marine EGCS installed onboard was operating satisfactory and found to be in full compliance with MARPOL Annex VI as an equivalency to utilizing low sulfur fuel oil as per the IAPP Certificate.

Clean Marine CEO, Nils Høy-Petersen stated:

"Meeting the U.S. Coast Guard's stringent requirements proves that our unique and competitive multi-stream EGCS solution is a sound technology that enables vessels of all types to transit through a U.S. ECA."

The Clean Marine EGCS onboard the handymax bulk carrier bulk carrier is an integrated, multi-stream system that cleans the exhaust from one main engine, three auxiliary engines and one boiler. The system is also a hybrid type which can operate in both open and closed loop.

The EGCS is fully certified by DNV and has been proven to reduce sulfur content to below 0.1%. This means that Balder already complies with the strict  2015 emission regulation when operating  in Europe and North America.

Clean Marine says it is the first company to approach the USCG and the United States Environmental Protection Agency for inspection and approval.