Gibraltar-based shipyard Gibdock secured a contract for exhaust gas scrubber (EGS) refurbishment of five vessels operated by Norbulk Shipping, owned by shipping group Vroon. Using EGS, shipowners can continue operating on heavy fuel oil instead of more expensive marine gas oil to meet IMO rules on SOx emissions that came into force in sulphur emission control areas (ECAs) at the beginning of 2015.

“We are the first yard in the region to win a major exhaust scrubber project,” said Richard Beards, Gibdock managing director.

Gibdock’s workload included the 37,500dwt product tanker Great Eastern, the third of the five Norbulk vessels being fitted with Alfa Laval’s PureSOx main engine, auxiliary engine and boiler EGS units. The hybrid PureSOx system is said to remove over 98% of SOx emissions from exhaust gases and up to 80% of particulates.

EGS installation work onboard Great Eastern included 90t of newly fabricated steel, the laying of 12,386m of electrical cabling and 1,134m of GRE pipes involving 800v flanges and elbows.

At the same time as the installation, special survey work was carried out. This required a hull washing, spot grit-blasting and coating job, overhauling of sea valves, propeller withdrawal, bonding of stern seals, rudder clearances, bow thruster overhauling, windlass winch bearing renewal, overhauling of boiler safety valves, pipeworks, insulation works and various other routine dry-dock works.

The ship re-delivered on schedule and on budget in 20 days.