On 26 June Spliethoff’s mv Floragracht left the BLRT shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania, where she was outfitted with an exhaust gas cleaning system (scrubber). In the coming period thirty more vessels of Dutch ship owner Spliethoff Group will follow. By building in scrubbers throughout its fleet, Spliethoff Group shows its commitment to cleaner shipping and prepares for the global 0.5% sulphur cap which comes into force in 2020.

Spliethoff Group prepares for 2020 sulphur cap
Caption: General cargo ship Floragracht - Image courtesy of Marcel Coster

Mv Floragracht is already the 24th Spliethoff Group-owned vessel outfitted with a scrubber and over the years the company has therefore acquired significant experience with this technology.

In 2012, Spliethoff Group subsidiary Transfennica started by outfitting their six Con-Ro vessels with scrubbers. In 2014 – 2015 Spliethoff’s fourteen S-type vessels followed and at the same time sister-company Wijnne Barends fitted scrubbers in three of their C-type vessels. In the coming period scrubbers will be installed on thirty more vessels of Spliethoff, BigLift Shipping and Sevenstar Yacht Transport.

“Thanks to scrubbers and with the support of our customers, Spliethoff Group will lower the impact of shipping on the environment and at the same time cope in a cost-efficient way with the cost increase caused by the stricter sulphur regulations”, says Arne Hubregtse, technical director of Spliethoff Group. “As a member of the Trident Alliance, we hope authorities will show the same commitment by enforcing the sulphur rules.”

Source: Spliethoff