LNG carrier “Maran Gas Chios” to test Daphne methane abatement system 

Swiss climate deep-tech company Daphne Technology SA on Tuesday (12 September) said its methane abatement technology will be retrofitted on a Maran Gas Maritime LNG carrier for a trial. 

Key players within the maritime industry, including Lloyd’s Register (LR) as the independent auditor, Maran Gas Maritime Inc. as the ship operator, Wärtsilä as the engine provider, Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (Shell) in the role of charterer of the vessel and project co-ordinator, and DNV providing the relevant class approvals for the retrofit, have embarked on the joint endeavour to reduce methane emissions.

Daphne Technology’s SlipPure solution, which was last year awarded approval in principle from LR and DNV, is an after-treatment system that reduces methane emissions of LNG-fuelled engines, so-called methane slip. Methane slip results in increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and ground-level ozone. 

Methane slip has been significantly reduced in modern engines thanks to continuous development of combustion technologies, but remains a challenge in LNG-powered vessels using older engine technologies. Daphne’s SlipPure™ technology allows for the further abatement of methane in exhaust gas to negligible1  levels and is complementary to Wärtsilä technologies and developments.

This trial, which will see Daphne Technology’s system retrofitted to one of the Wärtsilä 34DF auxiliary engines on board the LNG carrier Maran Gas Chios, will facilitate the technical assessment and system feasibility analysis on SlipPure™ technology, supporting maritime stakeholders involved in the gas sector to de-risk their assets. For the SlipPure  solution, HAZID and HAZOP workshops have been completed by LR as part of LR’s Risk-Based Certification process.

Daphne Technology’s PureMetrics  solution will also be installed onboard the Maran Gas Chios throughout the trial period, and LR will handle the dissemination of the data as an independent third-party verifier. PureMetrics is an advanced system that directly measures and reports real-time GHG emissions, eliminating the reliance on fuel consumption estimates and ensuring compliance with European Union Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (EU MRV) and International Maritime Organisation Data Collection System (IMO DCS ) regulations. PureMetrics was awarded approval in principle from LR in June 2023 at Nor-Shipping.

Photo credit: Daphne Technology
Published: 14 September, 2023