Scrubbers ready for installation on-board Norwegian Escape at Meyer Werft. Credit: Yara Marine Technologies AS / Meyer Werft.

DNV GL has released a class notation for exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) in order to help the shipping industry to reduce its emission.

The new emission-reduction (ER) notation will include the scrubbers used for removing sulphur oxides (SOx), as well as some catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems for eliminating NOx.

Scheduled to be published next month, ER establishes requirements for the design and arrangement of EGCS, SCR and EGR systems.

Examples of some of the systems covered by the notation are the piping systems conveying wash water and/or treatment fluids, the exhaust arrangements and components, control, monitoring and safety systems.

ER will complement DNV GL’s scrubber-ready notation, released in 2016, which allowed shipowners to prepare their newbuildings for the installation of a scrubber.

“This notation will enhance the transparency of the installation and approval process for owners, the yards, and class, and give owners the confidence to invest in these systems.”

DNV GL Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen said: “As the 2020 IMO sulphur cap on fuel draws closer, we have been hearing more and more from ship owners and operators who are looking for guidance on the installation and approval of systems, which reduce emissions to air.

“We are very pleased to be able to offer the emission-reduction notation to our customers.

“This notation will enhance the transparency of the installation and approval process for owners, the yards, and class, and give owners the confidence to invest in these systems.”

According to DNV GL, the demand for the systems, especially scrubbers, has increased significantly in recent months.

Last month, the total number of vessels that had either ordered or installed scrubbers was 817, an increase of around 300 vessels over a span of only a few months.