ERMA FIRST onboard carbon capture system wins DNV AiP

Greece-based ballast water treatment company ERMA FIRST has received approval in principle (AiP) from Norwegian classification society DNV for its amine absorption-based onboard carbon capture (OCC) system.

DNV issued the AiP to ERMA FIRST following the successful completion of a technical review, risk assessment and review of the company’s feasibility study for OCC on RoRo vessels. In doing so, the class society confirms that the proposed design is approved for installation onboard seagoing vessels.

Specifically, ERMA FIRST CCS system uses amine absorption technology and a proprietary amine solvent to absorb CO2 from flue gases. When heated, the chemical reaction that occurs reverses the absorption and separates the CO2 from the solvent. The CO2 that is released is subsequently liquified and stored under cryogenic conditions onboard and the regenerated solvent can be re-used, creating a highly efficient regenerative OCC process.

“As the maritime industry explores a range of decarbonization technologies, DNV is committed to supporting innovation and ensuring this is done safely. OCC can be a major contributor to emissions reductions and our guidelines for OCC provide a framework for developing exciting new solutions like this. With our extensive portfolio of Advisory services we will continue to work closely with our customers in paving the way towards a more sustainable future in shipping,” Chara Georgopoulou, Head of R&D and Advisory Unit Greece & Onboard CCS Manager, DNV Maritime, said.

“We are absolutely delighted to have received an Approval in Principle from DNV for ERMA FIRST’s OCC system. OCC systems promise to provide shipowners and operators with the ability to significantly reduce the volume of CO2 emitted in exhaust fumes and offer a viable solution to achieving the IMO’s emissions reduction targets,” Konstantinos Stampedakis, Co-Founder & Managing Director, ERMA FIRST, commented.

“Our OCC system is set to be one of the first available to the market and this AiP represents a significant achievement for ERMA FIRST’s research and development team. We look forward to continuing to work with DNV as the project progresses and installing and operating a pilot system onboard a DNV-class vessel.”

In October 2023, ERMA FIRST also won AiP from the UK-based classification society Lloyd’s Register for its amine absorption-based carbon capture & storage system.