NYK concluded an agreement with STAX Engineering, a U.S. maritime emissions capture and control company, to use its emissions capture and control technology to recover exhaust gases from ships. NYK will use this technology to recover exhaust emissions at berth from NYK-operated car carriers calling at ports in the U.S. state of California starting in January 2025. This initiative is in response to the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) expanded exhaust emission regulations for vessels calling at ports in the state.
Emissions capture and control technology uses steel pipes and hoses to connect a barge, a small flat-bottomed ship, or a land-based exhaust-gas treatment system to a vessel’s funnel, allowing exhaust gases to be captured without venting into the air. This technology makes capturing and controlling exhaust gases possible without installing additional equipment on the vessel. NYK plans to use this technology to provide exhaust-gas capture services for NYK-operated car carriers at major ports throughout California. The total amount of potential payment between NYK and STAX is US$16 million.
CARB established emission regulations for oceangoing vessels in 2007. In 2014, CARB mandated that oceangoing container ships, passenger ships, and other vessels calling at California ports reduce their emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), reactive gases (ROG), carbon dioxide, particulate matter (PM), and diesel particulate matter (DPM) while at berth. CARB plans to add car carriers and tankers to this regulation in 2025, making it an urgent issue to be addressed.
Exhaust gas recovery using emissions capture and control technology. Photo credit: NYK
Top photo credit: iStock/ whyframestudio
