SSAB, JTK Deliver World’s First Marine Silencer Using SSAB Zero Steel

SSAB and JTK Power have developed the marine industry’s first engine silencer manufactured from low-emission SSAB Zero™ steel, demonstrating a practical pathway to reduce embodied carbon in marine engine components without compromising technical performance.

The silencer is produced using approximately four tonnes of SSAB Zero™ steel, which is manufactured in an electric arc furnace from recycled steel and fossil-free electricity. Compared with SSAB’s blast-furnace hot-rolled steel, SSAB Zero™ reduces CO₂-equivalent emissions by up to 77%. For the silencer itself, this results in nearly a 50% reduction in emissions compared with a conventionally manufactured unit.

JTK Power designs and manufactures silencers for power plants and marine engines, where noise reduction is a critical engineering requirement—particularly for installations near populated areas or on vessels operating under strict acoustic limits. The new silencer addresses noise control requirements while adding a second engineering dimension: lower lifecycle carbon emissions.

Most of JTK Power’s total emissions footprint originates from materials rather than direct manufacturing or energy use. As a result, collaboration with steel suppliers is essential to achieving meaningful reductions in scope 3 emissions. The silencer project originated as a joint effort to identify real-world marine applications for decarbonized steel.

The silencer is made from weather-resistant SSAB Weathering steel supplied as four-millimeter-thick sheet cut from coil. According to JTK Power, SSAB Zero™ steel behaves identically to conventional steel during cutting, bending, and welding, allowing it to be integrated into existing production processes without modification.

Currently, SSAB Zero™ steel is supplied from SSAB’s US facility. SSAB’s electric arc furnace in Oxelösund, Sweden, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, which will enable European production, shorten lead times, and expand available product grades.

The low-emission silencer is scheduled to enter marine service in spring 2026. Both companies view the project as a technically and commercially scalable example of how decarbonized materials can be adopted in the marine sector, where emissions increasingly influence operating costs through port fees and certification schemes.

JTK Power has set a target to halve its own emissions by 2030, with further reductions dependent on customer adoption of low-emission materials such as SSAB Zero™ steel.

www.ssab.com