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1870-1909
German engineer Rudolf Diesel builds his first prototype for a compression ignition internal combustion engine. He continues developing the technology throughout the 1890s.
Image by Ullstein Bild
The world’s first two diesel-powered marine vessels, both designed for canal and river use, launch in the same year. They are the French barge Petite-Pierre and the Russian tanker Vandal.
1877
Gustaf de Laval starts work on the development of a centrifugal separator.
1883
Gustaf de Laval and his partner, Oscar Lamm, establish the company AB Separator. The De Laval Cream Separator Co. is formed in the U.S. which is the start of a continuously growing international establishment.
1910-1929
The sinking of the RMS Titanic in the North Atlantic leads to legislation standardizing protocol and equipment for marine telecommunications, and ultimately to the creation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.
German ocean liner SS Bremen and her sister ship SS Europa smash speed records thanks to advanced high-speed steam turbines and pioneering bulbous bow construction.
1917
Alfa Laval delivers an oil separator to the U.S. Navy, which uses it to break water emulsions in lube oil on vessels driven by steam turbines. This begins Alfa Laval’s partnership with the marine industry.
1919
Aalborg Shipyard in Denmark designs and produces their first boiler, a Scotch marine type.
1930-1949
The SS Normandie is launched in France with a novel hydrodynamic hull design that allows it to attain great speeds using far less power than other ocean liners. It is later equipped with an early form of radar technology.
Naval warfare during the Second World War leads to major technological innovations from both the Allied and Axis powers. These include advancements in sonar, the submarine snorkel, and welding in hull construction. Significantly, diesel engines increasingly become the standard for marine propulsion during the war.
Image by Coote, R G G (Lt)
1930
Alfa Laval launches the new modern separator series – 1500, 1700 and 1900 – developed specifically for the marine industry.
1950-1959
The first container ship, the Clifford J. Rodgers, enters operation. The SS Ideal X, developed by American entrepreneur Malcolm McLean, launches one year later and goes on to become the first container ship to achieve commercial success.
The first liquefied natural gas tanker, a converted cargo ship appropriately named Methane Pioneer, embarks on its maiden voyage from the Calcasieu River in Louisiana.
1951
Sales of Alfa Laval “self-cleaning” centrifugal separators and decanter centrifuges begin.
1952
The Alfa Laval P12 plate heat exchanger (PHE) is the first PHE sold to the marine industry. The PHE is installed on the “Markland,” a motor tanker built in Gothenburg, Sweden for a subsidiary of the Broström Group.
1954
The first freshwater generator, based on tube technology, is produced by Atlas for a Lauritzen vessel. An alternative solution with plate technology is developed by Nirex two years later. Alfa Laval will later acquire both technologies and unite them in today’s Alfa Laval AQUA solutions.
1960-1969
The advent of intercontinental jet travel results in the fatal decline of the ocean liner business, which in turn leads to the beginning of the modern cruise industry. Several major cruise lines are started during the decade, including Viking Line (1963), Princess Cruises (1965), Norwegian Cruise Line (1966) and Royal Caribbean (1968).
1960
Alfa Laval begins to move its production from Fleminggatan in central Stockholm to new facilities in Tumba, just outside Stockholm. Tumba continues to be Alfa Laval’s centre for separator research and development.
1966
Frank Mohn AS, which began operation as a Norwegian importer of maritime equipment in the 1930s, introduces the high-pressure, hydraulically driven marine pump.
1967
Smit Ovens, a company based in the Netherlands, delivers their first marine inert gas system, which is installed on the fishmeal vessel M/V Willem Barentsz. Smit goes on to become an industry leading brand for inert gas systems.
1970-1979
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is signed. It is the most significant international marine environmental convention to this point, and will later be modified in 1978.
Flags of the world
An OPEC oil embargo sparks a decade-long global energy crisis. The crisis is a partial factor in the advancement of supertankers, such as the Seawise Giant, that had weights exceeding 500,000 DWT.
1970
Alfa Laval affirms its commitment to marine markets with a sales company in Greece.
1973
Alfa Laval sets up a sales company in Singapore to better serve the marine business in this part of Asia.
1979
A new sales company in Korea broadens Alfa Laval’s Asian presence.
1980-1989
MARPOL Annex I, addressing pollution from oil and oily water, and Annex II, addressing pollution from noxious liquid substances, take effect.
The steamship era comes to an end when the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, the last transatlantic passenger steamship in service, is converted to diesel propulsion.
Marine pollution gains greater awareness after the Exxon Valdez tanker spills upwards of 900,000 barrels of oil off the coast of Alaska. The disaster leads to stricter regulation of oil tankers, which helped to standardize the double-hull design in tanker construction.
1980
Since 1980, Alfa Laval has trained many thousands of customers in Tumba and worldwide.
1983
Alfa Laval presents Alcap, a game-changing separator technology it has been developing since the 1970s. Alcap uses a water transducer in the oil outlet to automatically adjust the cleaning process, which allows low-quality oils to be separated with minimal losses.
1984
The Chinese market – where Alfa Laval products have been sold since the 1950s – gets its own dedicated sales company.
1988
Alfa Laval establishes a fully owned sales company in Japan, where its marine products have been sold since 1926. It inherits the marketing rights for marine equipment previously held by Nagase-Alfa, a 10-year-old joint venture between Alfa Laval AB and Nagase & Co.
1989
Alfa Laval acquires Moatti Filter, a leading supplier of filters for the lubricating oil used in crosshead and trunk piston engines.
1990-1999
MARPOL Annex III, addressing harmful substances carried by sea in packaged form, takes effect.
The Global Positioning System (GPS), in development since 1973, becomes fully operational.
1999
Alfa Laval launches the innovative Alfa Laval S separator for oil cleaning. The SU separator modules introduced with the series would later be further simplified as a part of the Alfa Laval S and P Flex concept.
2000-2009
MARPOL Annex IV, addressing sewage from ships, takes effect.
The IMO adopts the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships' Ballast Water and Sediments (BWM Convention). The Convention is a response to the growing ecological issue of invasive marine species transmitted in ballast water exchange. It requires ratification by 30 or more countries representing at least 35% of global shipping in order to take effect.
MARPOL Annex VI, addressing vessel air pollution, takes effect. Annex VI establishes Emission Control Areas (ECAs), where levels of sulphur oxide in ship exhaust are limited to 0.1%.
2002
Alfa Laval returns to the Stockholm Stock Exchange and acquires companies such as Toftejorg Group, the world’s leading supplier of advanced tank cleaning systems.
2004
Pure Thinking becomes the framework for Alfa Laval’s development of marine environmental solutions. Focused on practical, cost-effective compliance, it paves the way for Alfa Laval PureBilge, PureVent, PureBallast, PureDry, PureSOx and PureNOx.
2006
Alfa Laval PureBallast becomes the first commercially available ballast water treatment system.
2010-2019
Both the global shipping industry and international cruise business continue to grow. Shanghai, the world’s leading container port, sees traffic of over 35 million TEU, up from 31 million TEU in 2011. Meanwhile, almost 5 million passengers pass through the Port of Miami, the busiest for cruise ships.
TheDelegates to the 70th Session of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC70) agree to implement a 0.5% limit for marine sulphur oxide emissions worldwide. The new restriction is scheduled to take effect in 2020.
The IMO BWM convention is scheduled to take effect in September, exactly one year after Finland became the 52nd nation to ratify, bringing the combined tonnage of contracting States to the treaty to 35.1%.
2011
Alfa Laval acquires Aalborg Industries, a world leader in boiler systems, thermal fluid systems, waste heat recovery systems and inert gas systems. The acquisition strengthens Alfa Laval’s existing global position, adding a strong product offering focused on energy efficiency. Alfa Laval PureSOx is launched the same year.
2013
Alfa Laval expands its offering to the growing LNG market by acquiring the Gas Combustion Unit (GCU), which provides a reliable and safe way to handle excess boil-off gas on LNG carriers and other vessels using LNG as fuel.
2014
Alfa Laval acquires Norwegian company Frank Mohn, now known as Framo. As a leading manufacturer of submerged pumping systems, their unique technology strengthens Alfa Laval’s offering to the marine and offshore markets.
2014
The Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre, a ship simulation facility, is inaugurated in Aalborg, further extending Alfa Laval’s network of training sites. In 2017, a major expansion focusing on fuel challenges produces innovations faster than ever before.
2016
Alfa Laval PureBallast receives type approval from the U.S. Coast Guard. The approval means vessels with PureBallast can deballast in U.S. waters in addition to complying with IMO regulations.
2017
100 years after installing our first marine separator, Alfa Laval celebrates a century of service to the marine industry.
2019
Alfa Laval will celebrate 100 years since the delivery of the first Aalborg marine boiler.