Finnish technology group Wärtsilä is introducing its Voyage Emissions Reduction (VER) system as a means for increasing oil tanker revenues, while also significantly aiding the environment through reduced emissions.
The system effectively eliminates the problem of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from tankers during laden voyages, according to the company.
VOC’s are organic chemicals having a high vapour pressure resulting from their low boiling point, which leads to extensive evaporation. On average, an oil tanker will emit 0.085 percent of its contained cargo per each week. For a 320,000 dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC), this amounts to 270 tons of lost cargo per week.
The Wärtsilä VER system is being made available in two versions, the ‘reabsorption’ and the ‘fuel’ version. The first one represents a technology for eliminating cargo losses, which operates automatically and without manual intervention, while the fuel version utilises the VOC as fuel for the vessel with fuel cost saving advantages. Both versions promote environmental sustainability by reducing VOC emissions by up to 75 percent.
Wärtsilä informed that its system meets all the regulation 15 requirements of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) MARPOL Annex VI protocol. It also fulfils port specific requirements for terminals with regards to VOC emission reductions.