In 2013, we announced our plans to install Advanced Air Quality Systems – known in the marine industry as exhaust gas cleaning systems or “scrubbers” – on ships across our global fleet. These systems remove sulfur compounds and particulate matter from the engine exhaust at any operating state of our ships – at sea, during maneuvering and in port.
Through extensive independent testing, our Advanced Air Quality Systems have proven capable of outperforming low-sulfur fuel alternatives such as marine gasoil (MGO) in terms of cleaner air emissions without impact to the ocean environment. Ships using Advanced Air Quality Systems to “scrub” heavy fuel oil (HFO) typically have lower levels of sulfur oxides (SO2), ultrafine particulates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Air and water test results consistently show that ships operating with Advanced Air Quality Systems can meet and even outperform the industry benchmarks established by organizations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), European Union and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Further, Carnival Corporation and DNV-GL – a leading classification society and recognized advisor for the maritime industry – have partnered to gather (Carnival Corporation) and analyze (DNVGL) over 280 wash-water samples from over 50 ships equipped with Advanced Air Quality Systems to evaluate the seawater quality against major national and international water quality standards. The results from this study can be found here.
