When we think about protecting our oceans, our attention naturally goes to what we can see: floating waste, coral reefs, coastal erosion or marine biodiversity, etc. But some of the most important actions to protect ocean health happen far from the water’s surface, and often out of sight like for instance inside the ships’ engine rooms.
Maritime transport is the backbone of global trade. Every day, thousands of vessels move goods across oceans, supporting economies and societies worldwide. Yet shipping also has an environmental footprint. Emissions released from marine engines do not simply disappear into the air. Nitrogen oxides and other pollutants contribute to air and water pollution.
That growing awareness led to international regulations such as IMO Tier III, which set strict limits on nitrogen oxide emissions for ships operating in designated Emission Control Areas like the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. These regulations play an important role in protecting both coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Still, it is not only regulation that helps reduce emissions, it’s also about engineering.
Cleaning exhaust gases at the source
Reducing emissions from large marine engines is no small challenge. Ships operate under highly variable conditions, with changing loads, long operating hours, harsh environments and limited space. Traditional engine-internal measures are often not enough to meet the required emission limits. That is where stationary emission control catalysts come in.
Stationary catalytic systems are integrated into the exhaust lines of marine engines. Unlike the small catalytic converters used in cars, these systems are large, robust and designed for continuous operation at very high exhaust flows. Their role is simple in principle but complex in execution: to transform harmful exhaust gases into harmless substances before they enter the atmosphere.
One of the most important technologies used in this context is selective catalytic reduction, or SCR. In an SCR system, nitrogen oxides in the exhaust react with ammonia, generated from urea, over a catalyst surface. Through this process, nitrogen oxides are converted into nitrogen and water, two naturally occurring and harmless substances.
The challenge lies in making this reaction work reliably on a ship. Exhaust temperatures fluctuate, engine loads vary, and dosing ammonia precisely is critical. Too little and emissions are not sufficiently reduced. Too much and excess ammonia can slip through the system, creating new environmental and operational issues. This is where catalysis expertise becomes essential. At Umicore, stationary emission control catalysis has been an area of long-standing expertise. Drawing on deep knowledge of catalyst materials, reactor design and system integration, Umicore develops catalytic solutions that can withstand the demanding conditions of marine applications.
By reducing harmful emissions at the source, stationary catalytic systems help limit the deposition of pollutants into the marine environment and improve air quality in coastal regions. They enable shipping to meet increasingly strict environmental standards while continuing to fulfil its essential role in global logistics.
Rethinking ocean protection
World Ocean Day invites us to look at ocean protection broadly, not only through the lens of visible pollution, but also through the systems that underpin our global economy. Cleaner oceans are not achieved by one solution alone. They require regulation, innovation and technologies that translate ambition into practical results.
This World Ocean Day is an opportunity to recognize those behind-the-scenes solutions, and the people and expertise working to make marine transport cleaner, quieter and more compatible with the oceans it depends on.
