UEC, a joint venture between Jaccar Holdings and Hartmann Group for the commercial management of ethane carriers, will be the operator of five VLECs to be built for ship owner JHW Engineering & Contracting. These newbuilds will employ EGR as the means of reducing NOx emissions. For water treatment in the EGR circuit, engine provider MAN Diesel & Turbo has chosen PureNOx Prime, a cutting-edge development of Alfa Laval PureNOx technology.

“Receiving this breakthrough order so soon after the introduction of Alfa Laval PureNOx Prime confirms that we’ve succeeded in our goals,” says Kristina Effler, Alfa Laval Global Business Manager, Water Treatment Exhaust Gas Emissions. “PureNOx Prime retains the proven PureNOx performance, but its smaller footprint, leaner design and lower investment cost are all adapted to market demands. Clearly, the market is responding.”

An integral part of the EGR engine

The five VLECs will be built in China by Dalian Shipyard. Like all ships built as of January 2016, they will be required to meet stringent Tier III NOx limits when operating in the Emission Control Area (ECA) off the North American coast.

Each vessel will be served by a PureNOx Prime 100 system, which is the smallest of the three PureNOx Prime capacities and comprises one centrifugal separator. PureNOx Prime will be integrated into the vessels’ EGR engines, which will be manufactured for MAN Diesel & Turbo by Hyundai Heavy Industries Engine & Machinery Division (HHI-EMD).