Newport Shipping Buys 100 Scrubbers from China

UK-based Newport Shipping Group has purchased 100 scrubbers with options for an additional 100 units from Chinese scrubber manufacturer Weihai Puyi Marine Environmental Technology Co (Puyier).

The bulk purchase of scrubbers, which aims to safeguard shipowners against any price hikes or production bottlenecks as demand increases, coincides with the signing of cooperation agreements with engineering services providers Harris-Pye and Goltens.

“Together with our existing global network of drydocks, we can now offer the marine industry its first-ever turnkey scrubber retrofit solution. Having secured an 8-month lead-time for scrubbers ordered by the end of October, we can guarantee shipowners that their retrofits will be completed well in advance of the 2020 Sulphur Cap implementation date,” Erol Sarikaya, Newport Shipping Chief Executive Officer, said.

Engineering will be facilitated by marine engineering companies Harris Pye and Goltens, which will provide 3D scanning and engineering services, including basic and detailed design, prefabrication and, where and when required, riding squads to facilitate partial or full in-service retrofits.

“The market is gathering pace as more and more shipowners opt for the scrubber solution as the way to comply with the global sulphur cap rule. With the agreement we have reached with Newport Shipping, shipowners benefit not only from our Green Technologies’ service offering, but drydock availability, a cost-effective means of financing their scrubber retrofits and a scrubber technology that is proven with more than 50 installations,” Goltens VP Sandeep Seth said.

“With the global emissions regulation due to enter into force in just over one year, shipowners and operators are realising that exhaust cleaning makes more commercial sense due to the clear payback. Harris-Pye further enhances Newport Shipping offerings by providing a significant scope of in-service work which reduces off-hire time at the shipyard for a more rapid retrofit re-delivery,” Harris-Pye COO, Chris David, said.

Newport currently has a pipeline of owners across all major vessel classes for projects totalling 87 of the 100 scrubbers purchased with binding LOIs and contracts.