Connect with us

Business

Pacific Green Technologies: Scrubber order book continues growth

Gas scrubber demand is still strong for those companies with huge production capacity, says scrubber firm.
Admin

Published

7 years ago

on

5d4afef65d2df 1565196022

Scrubber technology firm Pacific Green Technologies (PGT) on Monday (5 August) published an article ‘Gas Scrubber Demand Is Still Strong For Those Companies With Huge Production Capacity’:

Business and leadership consultants have become fond of declaring that we live in VUCA times: volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.

To those in the maritime industry, this is pointing out the obvious.

The last couple of years have been some of the most challenging in the shipping sector’s history. The realisation that the IMO’s new sulphur fuel cap would go ahead as planned on 1 January 2020 unleashed a torrent of competing market forces.

Stakeholders throughout the industry have been in a constant state of reactivity, unsure of what the next week would hold.

Volatile. Uncertain. Complex. Ambiguous.

The market for marine scrubbers has been a study in disruption.

These are the qualities of disruption. In situations like this, it is only the tough, resilient and resourceful that survive.

And, it turns out, those with major production capacity.

The market for marine scrubbers has been a study in disruption. Five years ago, it barely existed. Around this time last year, just over 500 scrubbers had been installed or ordered.

Latest estimates now put that figure at 2,947. This number was expected to grow to close to 4,000 by the end of 2020.

The growth in demand has been phenomenal, far exceeding expectations. But now, sentiment seems to be shifting again.

Recent news from Wärtsilä, Alfa Laval and Yara Marine – three companies who last year were estimated to manage 75% of the world’s scrubber market – suggests that scrubber demand may be declining.

Wärtsilä has lowered its marine demand outlook for the next 12 months due to a reduction in scrubber orders, which it attributes to uncertainty regarding fuel price developments. The company has also observed lower overall vessel contracting volumes.

Meanwhile, Alfa Laval has reported a drop in quarterly orders, falling short of predicted scrubber numbers. The firm cites shipowners’ indecision around low-sulphur fuels and ambiguity resulting from some ports banning scrubbers.

Finally, Yara Marine is up for sale, something which has been taken to suggest doubt in the strength of scrubber demand, despite the fact that Yara has been mulling the sale of its marine scrubbing business for some time.

The strategic value of Yara Marine’s sale hints that perhaps things are not on the decline that doomsayers say suggest.

This was acknowledged in October 2018, at a time that Yara Marine was looking to double its workforce to meet what it anticipated to be a doubling in demand. That does not sound like a company trying to cut its losses.

The strategic value of Yara Marine’s sale hints that perhaps things are not on the decline that doomsayers say suggest. The marine market has proved extremely sensitive over the last 18 months, with negative opinions taken up quickly and shared loudly.

But a trend in one corner of the market is not the whole truth. Pacific Green Technologies (PGT), for example, has seen its scrubber order book continue to grow unabated.

In the early part of July the company announced that Scorpio Bulkers Inc. had ordered a further 14 ENVI-Marine™ emission control systems for vessels it owns or manages in 2020, at a combined cost of USD$20.3m.

These scrubbers use PGT’s patented TurboHead™ technology and follow the 52 scrubbers ordered by Scorpio in late 2018.

Scorpio joins major clients like Landbridge Group and Ridgebury Holdings LLC in building out PGT’s increasingly healthy pipeline.

“We are one of the few marine scrubbing companies with the scale to fulfil major orders,” says Executive Director Scott Poulter.

“We now have an order book in excess of USD$200m and the technical know-how, the people and the facilities to manufacture our systems on a large scale,” added Poulter.

The large-scale capabilities Poulter refers to are by virtue of the joint venture PGT shares with PowerChina SPEM. PowerChina is one of the world’s largest engineering procurement construction companies with 2018 revenues of $59.93 billion.

A partnership of this kind, one that combines elite technical expertise with raw production capacity, offers shipowners opportunities that simply aren’t possible when working with smaller operators.

The survivors are those who are able to build and fit scrubbers at scale.

Any slowdown in worldwide scrubber demand is partly due to the perception that time has run out to install a scrubber before IMO 2020 takes effect in January.

Yet, this is also one of the reasons PGT’s orders have continued to grow. Through its unique association with PowerChina, Pacific Green Technologies can simply do things that other suppliers can’t.

Though the last 18 months have seen a surge in scrubber orders, they have also seen attrition on the supply side of the market. Small-scale providers who entered the field to capitalise on the glut in demand have been weeded out.

The survivors are those who are able to build and fit scrubbers at scale, offering shipowners the chance to gain maximum financial benefit from their investment.

And among those survivors, PGT continues to expand, positioning itself as a market leader with an experienced team that understands and anticipates client needs.

Photo credit: EGCSA
Published: 8 August, 2019
 

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Winding up

Singapore: High Court to hear Norvic Shipping Asia winding up application on 31 July

Application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to Government Gazette notice.
Admin

Published

6 hours ago

on

July 22, 2026

By

RESIZED singapore high court

An application for the winding up of Norvic Shipping Asia Pte Ltd was filed by Netherlands-registered Mur Shipping BV on 8 April, according to a Tuesday (21 July) notice on the Government Gazette.

It noted the winding up application is directed to be heard before the Judge sitting in the General Division of the High Court at 10am on 31 July.

Any creditor or contributory of the company desiring to support or oppose the making of an order on the winding up application may appear at the time of hearing by himself or his counsel for that purpose.

A copy of the winding up application will be furnished to any creditor or contributory of the company requiring the copy of the winding up application by the solicitors of the applicant’s, Oon & Bazul LLC, on payment of the regulated charge for the same.

The Applicant’s address is Hiridostraat 5, Gebouw Prismatrium, 1101CW Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The Applicant’s solicitors are Oon & Bazul LLC of 103 Penang Rd, #04-04/05/06 Singapore 238467. 

Queries on the winding up application may be directed to the following email addresses: [email protected] and [email protected].

 

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 22 July, 2026

Continue Reading

Methanol

World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to “Arctic Tern” via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel “M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan”.
Admin

Published

6 hours ago

on

July 22, 2026

By

World Fuel and partners complete first green methanol bunkering of car carrier in Shanghai

Marine fuel provider World Fuel on Tuesday (21 July) said it successfully completed the first green methanol bunkering of M/V Arctic Tern, with EUKOR Car Carriers and SIPG Energy at the Port of Shanghai. 

Arctic Tern is the first vessel in the new Shaper Class series of car carriers. 

The operation involved the delivery of approximately 2,800 MT of green methanol to Arctic Tern via a ship-to-ship transfer using SIPG Energy’s dedicated methanol bunkering vessel M/V Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, the largest vessel of its kind in operation. 

The bunkering operation was carried out at Haitong Terminal, Waigaoqiao Port Area, Shanghai Port, with cargo handling operations conducted simultaneously during bunkering.

This marks EUKOR Car Carriers’ first green methanol operation and the first time Arctic Tern has bunkered methanol since its delivery on 9 July. The operation marked the first bunkering at Shanghai Port of green methanol produced locally in Shanghai for an international PCTC operator. 

It also demonstrated the city’s integrated green methanol value chain, spanning local production, storage and bunkering, and established a replicable “Shanghai Model” for green methanol supply.

World Fuel arranged the supply and delivery of the fuel on behalf of EUKOR Car Carriers, working with SIPG Energy as the physical supplier at the Port of Shanghai.

The green methanol supplied was produced from municipal solid waste, ISCC-EU certified, and had a carbon intensity value below 25 gCO₂e/MJ.

Arctic Tern is the first of fourteen Shaper Class vessels ordered by Wallenius Wilhelmsen. With a capacity of 9,300 car equivalent units and methanol dual-fuel capability, the vessel will be operated by EUKOR Car Carriers, jointly owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Hyundai Motor Group. Following her first green methanol bunkering, Arctic Tern will continue her maiden voyage from Asia to Europe.

Xavier Leroi, COO Shipping Services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen and CEO of EUKOR Car Carriers, said: “Completing Arctic Tern’s first green methanol bunkering shortly after delivery is a significant milestone towards our decarbonisation ambition for both EUKOR Car Carriers and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. It demonstrates how investments in next-generation vessel technology and fuel flexibility are being translated into real-world operations. 

“This achievement reflects the strong collaboration between all parties involved. Together, we have shown how partnerships across the maritime value chain can help make lower-emission fuels available and operationally viable at scale.”

Mark Tamsitt, SVP Global Marine Sales at World Fuel, said, “The first bunkering event with a new fuel is a significant moment for any shipowner, and our role is to make it as seamless as possible. By connecting EUKOR Car Carriers with SIPG Energy’s proven green methanol capability at the Port of Shanghai, we were able to deliver on reliable supply, fuel quality, and safe processes. As more of our customers bring methanol dual-fuel tonnage into service, we are committed to being the partner that makes these kinds of operations routine.”

Mr. Zhang Da, General Manager of SIPG Energy, said, “Welcoming Arctic Tern to the Port of Shanghai for her first green methanol bunkering demonstrates the strength and maturity of our supply capability. Building on our well-established methanol ship-to-ship bunkering services for container vessels, we have already extended such services to pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs). This bunkering sets a new record for the largest single SIMOPs green methanol bunkering for PCTCs in China, marking another step in building Shanghai’s position as a global green energy hub for international shipping.”

This operation follows Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s announcement on 9 July that Arctic Tern would complete her first methanol bunkering shortly after delivery. The vessel entered service on routes between Asia and Europe immediately following handover from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing.

 

Photo credit: World Fuel
Published: 22 July, 2026

Continue Reading

Ammonia

HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

HPA says the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.
Admin

Published

6 hours ago

on

July 22, 2026

By

HPA and MB Energy develop safety concept for STS ammonia bunkering

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) and integrated energy company MB Energy on Tuesday (21 July) said they have completed a comprehensive risk analysis and developed a dedicated safety concept for ship-to-ship ammonia bunkering.

MB Energy said the analysis lays the groundwork for the safe introduction of ammonia as a future marine fuel.

“With our planned ammonia import terminal in Hamburg-Blumensand, MB Energy intends to provide the reliable land side supply infrastructure needed to support this transition across northern German ports,” it said in a social media post. 

Mabanaft Group was renamed to MB Energy last year and merged over 50 existing brands under one identity. 

Separately, HPA said the Port of Hamburg will become “bunker ready” for ammonia, laying the groundwork for safe and reliable ammonia bunkering in the future.

“The focus is in particular on container ships, cruise ships as well as RoRo and ConRo (Container/RoRo) ships,” it said. 

“We expect ammonia to establish itself as an alternative marine marine fuel in the coming years. With our preparatory work, we are already creating the conditions to welcome the first ammonia-powered ships in Hamburg and to bunker them safely.:

HPA added that the import terminal for ammonia planned by MB Energy from 2029 will make a decisive contribution to ensuring the reliable availability of ammonia as a bunker fuel in northern German ports in the long term. 

“The use of an ammonia bunker barge is considered a possible addition to the landside infrastructure to enable ship bunkering in the port and beyond in the future,” it said.

Related: Mabanaft Group renames as MB Energy, merging over 50 brands under one identity

 

Photo credit: Hamburg Port Authority
Published: 22 July, 2026

Continue Reading

Trending