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Clean Marine reports that it has secured a multi-vessel exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS) contract from Inventor Chemical Tankers AS (ICT).

The agreement, which covers seven 19,900-deadweight-tonne (dwt) chemical tankers, also marks the launch of the firm's CleanSOx Compact Hybrid Allstream scrubber to the marketplace.

"Our latest product has been designed to ensure shipowners can achieve simple, cost- and space-efficient compliance with the IMO's SOx regulations, coming into force in 2020," remarked Clean Marine CEO Nils Hoy-Petersen.

"The new compact scrubber has all the advantages of our existing, patented EGCS technology, with added benefits for shipowners looking for ease of retrofitting, especially where space is at a premium."

According to Hoy-Petersen, the system's 'Allstream' capability allows it to treat exhaust from all sources on board vessels with no back pressure in the exhaust system, while its compact design is said to deliver "very significant size and weight advantages against market alternatives".

"What this means is minimal impact upon the vessel with maximum emission cleaning performance - exactly what the market is looking for," Clean Marine's CEO said.

ICT is teaming up with Clean Marine and technical manager Diamond Shipmanagement Pte Ltd to manage the installation and commissioning of the systems aboard the seven vessels. All the ships were ECO-designed and built by Japan's Fukuoka Shipyard between 2015 and 2017.

ICT Chief Operating Officer, Torfin Eide, said the decision to choose Clean Marine's 'compact' solution was driven by a number of factors. "Together with our technical management team, we compared performance, size, weight, price and operating costs of similar products developed by other companies before choosing Clean Marine," he explained.

"Considering parameters such as Allstream, size, weight, design, hybrid technology, and the total associated cost to have it installed and commissioned on-board, we believe we have found the optimal EGCS solution for our chemical tankers. Also, Clean Marine's compact size for this scrubber means that we can avoid a major retrofit - a significant contributing factor in our decision."

Eide added that ICT is committed to minimising its environmental footprint by utilising green technology. "Our investment in this project is a clear demonstration of our efforts to reduce emissions and achieve compliant sailing, well before the 2020 regulations come into force. Our goal is to deliver the best performance and value for all our stakeholders," he said.

Clean Marine offers a portfolio of EGCS solutions. The firm's Allstream technology designed to be used by a diverse range of vessel types, including tankers, dry bulk car carriers and containerships.