Cleaner seas tech for Falmouth yacht service
A Cornish repairer of super yachts has won the right to distribute a filter that removes harmful particles from marine diesel generator exhausts.
SeaClean is a system that was designed in Florida by inventor Richard Boggs and for the first time, the European rights have been solely awarded to Lizard Yacht Service.
Diesel generator exhaust is a real concern for superyacht owners, as Lizard Yacht Service Managing Director, Emlyn Jones, explains: “Luxury yacht owners want their vessels to be in pristine condition.”
But, the filter will also remove soot from the exhaust, so it does not surround the water through which the yacht is sailing.
Emlyn says: “The system captures up to 98% of the soot and other particulates in the exhaust flow that would otherwise be discharged into the atmosphere.
“This exhaust treatment system is a real game-changer. Major reductions in engine emissions as well as operating expense can be realized. SeaClean can help yacht owners reduce their carbon footprint and make their vessels more eco-friendly, as well as prolong the lifespan of the generator.”
According to a University of Portsmouth study led by Dr Gordon Watson last February, nearly every vessel is polluting the sea by releasing, including day-tripper yachts and commercial boats, by continually releasing substantial amounts of toxic metals into the ocean.
The researchers studied data from the 1980s on the amounts of toxic metals in sediments of the English Channel region from over 300 coastal and offshore sites. It found that between 2010-2013, there was a significant increase in toxic chemicals in the sea, directly from shipping activities.
Dr Watson said: “Toxic metals from shipping, which is critical to all these activities, is a hidden threat to healthy seas and nobody’s really talking about it.”
He called for boat owners to be educated on how to be more responsible sea-users and said there needs to be urgent legislation to ensure that shipping is front and centre of sustainable ocean policies.
