EGCS (Exhaust gas cleaning system)

The IMO MARPOL regulations limit the sulphur content in fuel oil. This means ships must use fuel oil which is inherently low enough in sulphur, or install an appropriate exhaust "alternative” method, in order to meet IMO requirements.

Ships limit the air pollutants by installing exhaust gas cleaning systems, also known as “scrubbers”. This is accepted by flag States as an alternative means to meet the sulphur limit requirement. These scrubbers are designed to remove sulphur oxides from the ship’s engine and boiler exhaust gases. A ship fitted with a scrubber can use heavy fuel oil, since the sulphur oxides emissions will be reduced to a level equivalent to the required fuel oil sulphur limit. Ferscom will provide the engineering services to installing the EGCS.

 The BWM Convention - D-2 standard

The D-2 standard specifies that ships can only discharge ballast water that meets the following criteria:

1. less than 10 viable organisms per cubic meter which are greater than or equal to 50 micrometers in minimum dimension;
2. less than 10 viable organisms per milliliter which are between 10 micrometers and 50 micrometers in minimum dimension;
3. less than 1 colony-forming unit (cfu) per 100 milliliters of Toxicogenic Vibrio cholerae;
4. less than 250 cfu per 100 milliliters of Escherichia coli; and
5. less than 100 cfu per 100 milliliters of Intestinal Enterococci.