STAX Engineering partners with AMPORTS to tackle maritime emissions

STAX Engineering, known for its expertise in marine emissions capture and control, has signed a major services agreement with AMPORTS, a major player in the North American automotive processing sector. This agreement marks the extension of STAX’s services to all car carriers docking at the Port of Benicia, the fourth agreement signed in just eight weeks.

Situated as a crucial gateway for ships from Asia, Europe and Mexico, as well as for exporting ships bound for Asia, the Port of Benicia plays a crucial role in trans-Pacific maritime trade. At the port, AMPORTS oversees the handling of approximately 260,000 imported vehicles per year, representing approximately 20% of cars arriving by sea.

“Tackling tailpipe emissions at berth provides an important opportunity for ship owners, operators and the wider Benicia port community to champion environmental management,” affirms Vee Kachroo, CEO of AMPORTS. “We are excited to unveil this partnership with STAX, which provides accessible, hassle-free emissions capture and monitoring services to enable all stakeholders to achieve their environmental goals.”

STAX, a recipient of California Air Resources Board (CARB) grants, is the only authorized provider catering to container ship and motor carriers in California. Servicing motor carriers began in early April 2024 and is available wherever STAX establishes its footprint. Notably, international shipping giant NYK Line recently announced its partnership with STAX to operate its car carrier vessels at the Port of Benicia and other ports in the state.

STAX is currently expanding its services to the ports of Benicia, Long Beach, Los Angeles and Oakland.

As an easily accessible and environmentally sustainable solution, STAX provides land and barge-based mobile emissions capture and control technology to marine terminal and fleet operators at a nominal hourly rate. STAX’s technology is designed to integrate seamlessly with all vessels, without adjustments, even in the most busy ports. Once captured, the exhaust is filtered within the STAX system, achieving an impressive 99% removal of particulate matter (PM) and a 95% reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) before being released as a purified gas. STAX has maintained 62 ships at their berth, sailing for a total of 3,200 hours and monitoring 23 tons of pollutants.

“Our rapid success underlines our partners’ recognition that STAX technology streamlines compliance maintenance and drives tangible improvements in local air quality,” states Mike Walker, General Manager of STAX. “Accessible and affordable emissions capture and control services offer transformative potential for every port and port community worldwide. While our immediate focus remains on California, we aim to expand our footprint in North America and beyond as quickly as possible.”