Wärtsilä, a Finnish company focusing on technology for the marine and energy industries, has recently introduced its Carbon Capture Solution (CCS) system for decarbonizing maritime shipping, indicating a potential to slash cargo ship CO2 emissions by up to 70%.
As the maritime shipping industry is responsible for transporting approximately 90% of global trade, it becomes a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
Recognizing this impact, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has a target for net-zero emissions by 2050 through charging potential fines of up to US$380 per tonne of unsanctioned carbon emission after this deadline. In addition to long-term solutions like alternative fuels, implementing effective emission reduction technologies is also becoming crucial.
Developed in 2019, Wärtsilä’s CCS system is to gather CO2 from the exhausts of cargo ships burning various fuels, offering a pathway to achieve the goal.
The technology itself isn’t new; it is based on principles well-established in the gas, oil, and chemical industries. Wärtsilä’s innovation lies in its modular design, scalability, and adaptability that not only can be fitted into new ships and retrofitted into existing ones, but also easily modified to suit ships that already have exhaust scrubbing systems.
The CCS essentially involves a five-stage process.
First, the exhaust gas from the ship’s engines is cleaned to remove particulate matter like soot and pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur oxides. After cleaning and cooling, the cleaned exhaust enters an absorption chamber.
Here, a liquid amine solvent absorbs the CO2. The exact composition of this solvent remains unrevealed, but it is likely a variation of commonly used amines such as monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), or piperazine-based blends.
Once the absorption process is completed, the CO2-rich solvent is transferred to a stripping chamber where it is heated to release the CO2 as a gas. This CO2 gas is then compressed, dried, and cooled until it liquefies, facilitating efficient storage.
Finally, the liquefied CO2 is stored in onboard tanks for offloading at designated ports.
The technology was installed on the Solvang ASA ethylene carrier, the Clipper Eris, which has been undergoing testing since February 2025. During these trials, the CCS system successfully processed 50 tonnes of CO2 per day from the ship’s engines, even when burning heavy fuel oil, a fuel known for its higher emissions.
Article & image source by Wärtsilä
