Amels claims to have become the first Dutch shipyard to successfully reach IMO Tier III compliance for NO_x reductions by developing a custom engineering solution for its 57.7m Amels 188 superyacht. Following main engine tests at the end of January after generator set testing in 2015, Amels can confirm it has met the standards set forth by IMO Tier III.

SuperyachtNews.com speaks with Hans Koning, design manager at Amels, about processes involved in achieving compliance.

“When we initially started the 188 design, Tier III compliance was not an issue yet and we were hoping the IMO would push the start date back to 2021,” starts Koning. As it transpired, the stay of execution was initiated, but only for new builds below 500gt. At 970gt the Amels 188 needed to comply.

Tier III engine test

“At the time the equipment on offer was so large that to install it was unfeasible and we would lose too much space on board,” he continues. “So we contacted and visited a number of suppliers and requested that they built us a custom solution that would fit our original blueprint and that combined the engine, a selective catalytic reduction system, silencer and soot filter.”

Creating a custom solution of this sort proved to be quite challenging for Amels and its suppliers, but once one supplier had agreed it was possible, the proposals began to come thick and fast. “Some of them were technically better, some of them were commercially better and some of them were from more reliable companies and during this whole process we were in discussion with Lloyd’s Register, with regards to how best to test the system because it was new to them too.”

Amels 188

Amels even set aside an additional 50 cubic metres of space in the aft portion of the 188 to account for the extra space needed for the NO_x reduction equipment. However, eventually a solution was created by MTU and Hug Engineering that didn’t require the additional space and this portion of the vessel was turned into a dive equipment storage area.

Amels has engineered a holistic solution and tested it under independent Lloyds Register class supervision at MTU Benelux, confirming that it has reduced NO_x emissions by around 80 per cent, and SuperyachtNews.com understands that Amels was also the first organisation to approach Lloyd’s Register for IMO Tier III certification.

Read more on the impact of IMO Tier III on the design of superyachts in the next issue of SuperyachtDesign, Issue 26.

Profile links

Amels B.V.

MTU

Hug Engineering AG

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