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Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has announced that it has completed the retrofitting of a new exhaust gas scrubber system on its vessel the Norwegian Jewel.

The new lightweight in-line scrubbers are a hybrid technology developed by Yara Marine Technologies that are able to operate in dry, open-loop and closed-loop mode. Five scrubbers were installed, one per engine, covering the whole propulsion system. They are collectively capable of reducing sulphur emissions by up to 99 percent and also reduce particulate emissions by 85 percent, NCL says.

A two-year project, Norwegian Jewel's retrofitting began in spring 2014 and required more than 100,000 man hours between numerous partner organizations to be completed.

NCL says it is the first cruise line to retrofit a vessel with an exhaust gas scrubber hybrid system while it is in service. It also claims to be the first cruise line to install scrubbers with a state-of-the-art water membrane filtration unit. This sophisticated water cleaning system uses Ultrafiltration technology to clean the recirculated water during the closed-loop operation down to clear water. The by-product is collected and removed in drums.

NCL currently has three ships outfitted with gas scrubber technology: the Norwegian Jewel, the Norwegian Escape and Pride of America.

The Norwegian Jewel's sister ships, the Norwegian Pearl and Norwegian Gem, are due to complete their scrubber commissioning "within the coming weeks", NCL says, with the Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Sun scheduled for retrofitting in the first and second quarter of 2017, respectively.

"Norwegian is firmly dedicated to upholding the highest standards of excellence in environmental protection practices, as well as leading the industry in seeking out technology that makes our ships not only an enjoyable vacation experience, but also ensures that we continuously protect the environment that our guests love to explore" said Robin Lindsay, Executive Vice President of Vessel Operations for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

NCL says it is on track to meet its MARPOL Annex VI compliance goal of reducing its global sulfphr cap from 3.5 percent to 0.5 percent by 2020.