California’s Port of Hueneme has welcomed its second emissions capture and control barge developed by compatriot maritime emissions capture and control company STAX Engineering.
Revealed on July 16, the vessel—christened STAX 6—is said to represent an ‘important’ part of the Port of Hueneme’s endeavor to maintain environmentally friendly operations.
More specifically, the partnership with STAX Engineering and investing in this type of technology are described as two steps within the port’s ZE2030 roadmap, which is envisaged to keep Hueneme on the path to becoming “the nation’s first zero-emissions port by the end of the decade.”
As disclosed, the Port of Hueneme now owns two of these barges, out of a total of eight that operate in the entire Golden State.
Mike Walker , CEO of STAX Engineering, highlighted that with the arrival of STAX 6, every commercial terminal at the port is now being served by the company’s technology. Walker added that he believed this was a “major step” in the adoption of solutions of this kind.
As informed, STAX Engineering’s mobile emissions capture technology connects directly to a ship’s exhaust outlet without the need for retrofitting. The exhaust is routed to a barge-mounted purification unit, where harmful pollutants are extracted—removing approximately 99% of particulate matter (PM) and 95% of nitrogen oxides (NOx) —before the purified gas is released into the atmosphere.
This is especially important for operating ports like Hueneme, which borders several residential communities.
“We have always been a community-serving port. The port that farmers built. We take that responsibility very seriously,” Jess Ramirez , President, Oxnard Harbor District Board of Commissioners, remarked. “That’s why we continue to lead with innovation as we invest in solutions like these that bring real and tangible benefits.”
To remind, the Port of Hueneme and STAX Engineering revealed they would work together on a maritime emissions capture and control project back in August 2024.
At the time, it was disclosed that the port would deploy the mobile floating barges, powered by renewable diesel , as a direct response to mitigate the impacts due to the damage incurred to the port’s shoreside power system in December of the previous year, as well as to boost its efforts centered on ensuring eco-friendly operations.
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