Oxelösund Port Oxelösund
At Oxelösund Port, Helios Innovations installed a local CONTESS for oily sludge from ship calls. Through low-temperature evaporation, water is separated from oil and contaminants, which significantly reduces the amount of waste for incineration and enables recovery of oil-rich residual streams.
Oxelösund, Sweden
Previously, sludge from ship calls was handled by storing it in tanks before the entire waste stream was transported for incineration. The sludge typically consists of approximately 70–90% water and 10–30% oil, which meant that large quantities of water were transported and destroyed together with the oil-containing waste. This created high transport costs, unnecessary energy consumption, and significant climate impact. Oxelösund Port needed a more sustainable solution that could reduce waste volumes while recovering resources from the waste stream.
In 2026, Helios Innovations installed a local unit to handle oil-containing sludge directly at the port. Through low-temperature evaporation, water is separated from oil and contaminants. The process enables up to 90% waste reduction. The distillate is subsequently polished through carbon filters before being released to the port's carbon filters and further to the sea. The remaining concentrated waste stream, which contains high levels of oil, is refined and recovered instead of being sent for incineration as waste.
800 m³
sludge treated per year
≤90%
volume reduction
10-30%
oil-rich concentrate refined and recovered
2026
commissioning
What we achieved
Significantly reduced waste volumes
By separating water from oil, the amount of waste that needs to be transported for incineration is drastically reduced.
Recovery instead of destruction
The oil-containing concentrate is refined and recovered instead of being lost through incineration.
Reduced transports and lower climate impact
When large amounts of water no longer need to be transported to external incineration, both costs and climate emissions are significantly reduced.
A more circular way to manage oily sludge
By treating sludge directly at the port, Oxelösund Port has taken an important step towards more sustainable and resource-efficient waste management.
The installation demonstrates how port and industrial operations can reduce the amount of waste for incineration by locally separating water and recovering valuable waste streams.
The solution creates both environmental and economic benefits while contributing to a more circular way of managing oily waste streams.
Contact us
Get in touch for more information about how we can help you reduce the amount of liquid waste and your CO₂ emissions.