Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has ordered more scrubbers for its fleet as its retrofit programme continues.
The US operator has picked Finnish technology group Wartsila to install hybrid systems on the 146,000-gt Norwegian Breakaway (built 2013) and Norwegian Getaway (built 2014).
Customisation of the system was required to meet the ships’ limited space.
"Obviously not all installations are the same and there is no single system that fits all applications. Having the flexibility to adjust the design to meet the customer’s specific needs is an important value-adding feature of our offering,” Sigurd Jenssen, director of exhaust gas cleaning at Wartsila, said.
NCL has previously said 65% of its 49 ships would been fitted with scrubbers by 2020, with more being added over time.
All future newbuildings will have them and 70% of 26 ships using high-sulphur fuel oil will burn marine gasoil by 2020.
Frank Del Rio-led NCL spent $66m on scrubbers from 2014 to 2016.
When operating in closed-loop mode, the wash water circulates from the hybrid scrubber to a process tank, with seawater being used as replenishment water as needed.
The systems will be delivered in the first half of this year.
For the past seven years, Wartsila has had an engine maintenance agreement with NCL, and four NCL cruiseships under construction will be fitted with its engines and scrubber systems.
