Scandlines Applies APATEQ's Innovative Scrub Water Treatment System

Scandlines uses a brand new scrub water treatment system, produced by the Luxembourgish clean-tech company APATEQ. The treatment system MarinePaq cleans scrub water from the ferry’s closed-loop exhaust gas cleaner (scrubber). It produces an effluent according to the most stringent environmental legislation and achieves substantial savings on operation costs and flexibility gains for the fleet.

Scandlines’ two recently launched ferries for the Rostock-Gedser route are driven by Scandlines’ hybrid propulsion system which combines traditional fuel with electric battery power. The hybrid propulsion system optimizes consumption by adjusting the engine output. Together with other optimization initiatives, the fuel consumption has been reduced to almost one-third per crossing per car compared to the former ferries operating the route.

The two new ferries have also both been fitted with an exhaust gas cleaner, a so-called closed-loop scrubber. In short, a mixture of water and sodium carbonate in powder form, which is pumped aboard the ferries, scrubs the exhaust gas. Contaminated water from the scrubber is channeled to an on board separator for purification. When the solution cannot absorb more waste products, the scrub water is pumped into the shore based scrub water treatment system MarinePaq from the Luxembourgish clean-tech company APATEQ.

The system has been installed in two containers stacked one on top of the other at the harbor in Gedser. In a five-step process, the scrub water treatment system cleans the scrub water so effectively, that the cleaned water can be discharged into the harbor according to the most stringent environmental legislation, being substantially beneficial for the environment.

By operating the MarinePaq on shore, Scandlines may save expensive water disposal costs for hauling the scrub water to the nearest industrial wastewater treatment facility. The shipping company is also not dependent on the availability of external water disposal providers, thereby saving time and gaining flexibility.

The onshore treatment of the MarinePaq also achieves a much higher quality of purification than any other existing scrub water treatment system, such as the ones offered for on board applications. Heavy metals, COD, nitrite, sulphites and nitrates are being reduced to much lower levels than any other solution currently implemented. As a result, Scandlines may count on an infrastructure that is capable of facing toughening and constantly evolving regulations.

Scandlines took over the facility 31 May 2017.