Safe Bulkers Lines Up More Scrubber Retrofits

In recent years, Greek shipowner Safe Bulkers has retrofitted Alfa Laval PureSOx exhaust gas cleaning systems on 20 of its bulk carriers. The company has just installed its 21st PureSOx scrubber, and four more retrofits are scheduled through the first half of 2023.

Safe Bulkers is expanding the retrofit program for exhaust gas cleaning within its fleet. Having now retrofitted an open-loop PureSOx system on the MV Pelopidas, the company will retrofit equivalent systems on four Capesize bulk carriers: MV Aghia Sofia, MV Lake Despina, MV Maria and MV Michalis H. Alfa Laval’s deliveries for the vessels, which are each roughly 180,000 DWT in capacity, will extend from November 2022 to April 2023.

“When we first made the choice to retrofit Alfa Laval PureSOx systems in 2018, we were convinced that it was a good investment,” said Dr. Loukas Barmparis, President of Safe Bulkers. “Today’s increased price difference between low-sulphur and high-sulphur fuel shows that we were correct. We are protecting our margins in a time of uncertainty while simultaneously protecting the environment. Through comprehensive sampling of effluent wash water from open-loop scrubber systems, independent laboratories using EPA or ISO methods have shown that there is little or no impact from the wash water concentrations.”

Safe Bulkers has an Alfa Laval Service Agreement in place for its PureSOx systems. Comprising spare parts packages, sensor exchanges, connectivity and more, the agreement will now be expanded to cover the additional vessels.