Hamworthy has opened its first office in Dover, housing Krystallon, a British company which Hamworthy acquired in October last year.
Ships are under increasing pressure to comply with new International Maritime Organization regulations on emissions and Krystallon pioneered gas scrubber development as a commercially viable alternative to other costly technologies. The renamed Hamworthy Krystallon will be part of the Inert Gas Systems division where Hamworthy has more than 40 years experience of sea water scrubbing, as well as extensive project management and manufacturing resources.
Hamworthy, which was founded in 1914, is now one of the most successful companies in the South of England, with its products and technologies used worldwide on vessels from ferries and cruise ships to oil and gas tankers. As well as organic growth, Hamworthy seeks to expand by acquiring strategically important technologies from all over the world, largely driven by tightening environmental legislation.
The acquisition of Krystallon has given Hamworthy the opportunity to expand in the South of England and to tap into the talent pool in Dover, given its rich and successful history in the marine industry. Sigurd Jenssen, who heads Hamworthy Krystallon, commented “The wealth of experience that we have found made Dover the natural choice when it came to establishing a new office. We were looking for an area with significant shipping infrastructure and experience.”
Dover is also the home of P&O Ferries ship Pride of Kent (shown in the image above) which was one of the first ships to successfully trial Hamworthy Krystallon’s innovative technology to reduce exhaust emissions. The “exhaust gas seawater scrubbers” significantly reduce the environmental impact of operating ships by removing significant amounts of sulphur and particulates, both major pollutants, contributing to acid rain and health problems. As well as the environmental benefits, forward-thinking ship operators such as P&O are also realising lower operating costs through access to less costly fuel. Hamworthy Krystallon’s systems have also been installed on the Holland American lines cruise ship Zaandam, and in land-based facilities in Greece and Japan. Recently the company was awarded its first commercial order, from Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in Korea, worth in excess of £5 million for its systems to be installed in four ships.
“As environmental regulations become stricter and companies are under pressure to take responsibility for their environmental impacts, Hamworthy is growing its business to provide and develop technologies to address the issues of process efficiency and environmental compliance,” said Mr Jenssen. “Hamworthy Krystallon has unique technology that we hope will help ship operators in Dover and elsewhere to reduce their environmental footprints.”
