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Wartsila says it has been contracted to supply exhaust cleaning technology for two new research vessels being built for China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA).

COMRA is dedicated to the research and development of international seabed resources and environment, overseen by the Chinese government's State Oceanic Administration. The ships are being built at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding and Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group yards.

The engine exhaust will be cleaned with a Wartsila NOx Reducer (NOR) in order to comply with the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) Tier III regulations relating to emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). They will be the first Chinese research vessels to operate NOR systems.

The NOR is an emission after-treatment system based on the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology for NOx reduction. It is available for both newbuilds and retrofits and is said to be compatible for operation on both distillate and heavy fuel oils.

The main component of the NOR installation is the reactor with a soot blowing unit and the catalyst elements. Other key parts of the NOR system are a urea pump unit, a urea dosing unit, a urea injection and mixing unit, an air unit and the control unit which controls the NOR operation by monitoring engine parameters.

"Our proven NOR system ensures Tier III compliance. We have a strong track record in providing reliable and efficient integrated solutions for research vessels, and all these factors were relevant to the award of this contract," said Peter Hansten, Area Sales Director, Marine Solutions, Wartsila Corporation.

Each COMRA vessel is to also be powered by two 4-cylinder Wartsila 20 engines and two Wartsila 26 engines, one with a 9-cylinder and one with an 8-cylinder configuration. They will also be fitted with Wartsila retractable thrusters.

When delivered, one of the vessels, the 98-metre-long Da Yang 2 Hao, will be used for scientific surveying, including deep sea extreme environment detection. The other vessel will be a 90-metre-long manned submersible support mother ship.

They are both scheduled for delivery in March 2019 and the Wartsila equipment is slated for delivery at the end of 2017.