Tag: 2020 sulphur cap

  Ocean liners will be prevented from docking overnight at the terminal at Balmain until the State Government regulates low-sulphur fuel use in the harbor, ABC News reports. The New South Wales Port Authority has suspended overnight cruise ships from berthing at Sydney's White Bay Terminal in response to community concerns about fuel fumes. The move has been welcomed by the Leichhardt Council but it said the terminal also needed to be fitted with shore-based power so ships are not required to keep their engines running, which causes excess fuel emissions. "The temporary suspension and the anticipated regulation of sulphur fuel, which needs to happen urgently, are both welcome steps," Leichhardt Mayor Rochelle Porteous said in a statement. "However, ship to shore-based power must be retrofitted as soon as possible and noise mitigation addressed." Mayor Porteous said the community had suffered significant impacts. "Putting cruise ships with their engines running, invasive noise and diesel fumes belched out across the peninsula just next door to family homes was always going to have significant impacts," she said. A spokeswoman from the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said it has been working with local residents to remedy concerns about emissions from cruise ships. ...

  The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) started to accept applications for registration under the Extended Port Facilities and Light Dues Incentive Scheme for ocean-going vessels (OGVs) switching to cleaner fuel while at berth in Hong Kong. An EPD spokesman said, "To improve air quality, the Government launched a three-year incentive scheme on September 26, 2012, to encourage OGVs to switch to low-sulphur marine fuel (i.e. with sulphur content not exceeding 0.5 per cent) while at berth by reducing by half their port facilities and light dues. The switch to cleaner fuel (i.e. low-sulphur marine fuel, liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other approved fuel) for OGVs at berth will become mandatory on July 1 this year, following the Legislative Council's approval of the Air Pollution Control (Ocean Going Vessels) (Fuel at Berth) Regulation this April." He added, "Hong Kong is the first Asian city to require OGVs to switch to cleaner fuel when at berth. To maintain Hong Kong's port competitiveness, the incentive scheme has been extended for 30 months to March 31, 2018." On July 1, the scope of the incentive scheme will be extended to cover not only OGVs using low-sulphur fuel but also those using LNG or approved ...

  Shipowners switching to low sulphur content fuels in line with their obligations in Emissions Control Areas (ECAs) have demanded confidence in the cylinder oils specified to lubricate their engines Shell Marine Products (SMP) can claim early insight into the way low sulphur fuels used with oils of too high a base number can harm engine efficiency. Many lubricant suppliers have concluded that, where fuel sulphur content is 0.1% or lower, the required level of cleanliness requires cylinder oils of 40BN and below. SMP’s answer for two stroke engines has been the 25BN Shell Alexia S3 (SAE50).  “Extended use of conventional, high base number (BN) cylinder lubricants in engines burning low-sulphur fuels may lead to the formation of harmful deposits, potentially resulting in liner scuffing and premature replacement,” says Jan Toschka, General Manager, Shell Marine Products. “However, it is not only about matching BN to sulphur content. Our intensive research has shown that, in addition to acid stress, the cylinder oil in low-speed, two-stroke engines is exposed to thermal, insolubles and humidity stress. An imbalance between the acid stress a cylinder oil faces and its BN can lead to excessive deposits on piston top lands, rings, and ring grooves, leading ...

  The international sulphur market looks set to remain stable in the near term, with limited spot availability from some major Middle East producers countered by limited spot demand from major importer China, sources said. “We’ve heard some deals done in the $150s/tonne CFR (cost and freight). Our Shanghai office says there is some demand, but there are not many cargoes coming from the Middle East,” said an international sulphur supplier.   The sulphur market appears to experiencing some tightness because of a lack of availability from the Middle East, similar to the market of May 2014. However, the traders and speculators that were once the drivers of prices in China are not so visable. It is downstream consumers, buying on a hand-to-mouth, basis that are keeping price stable. “Downstream phosphate producers are only coming to the market when they need to replenish stock. So this is keeping prices from moving up or down,” said a China based source.  Sulphur prices in China, which set the tone for the international market, have remained relatively stablethrough much of the second quarter, despite inventory levels hovering below 1m tonnes for the past three weeks. Port inventories at the ports showed a moderate 36,000 tonne gain ...

  The Government of Hong Kong announced a 30 month extension to its low sulfur fuel switching incentive scheme in order to help the shipping industry cope with the increased operating costs of the fuel switch during the transitional period Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, Secretary for Transport and Housing, said last week  during a speech at the Global Port Research Alliance 2015 Conference: "Hong Kong will be the first port in Asia to require ocean-going vessels to switch to lower-sulphur fuel while at berth in coastal waters. The new regulation will take effect from July this year and is a major step forward in the improvement of Hong Kong's air quality and reduction of associated health risks. "To help the shipping industry cope with the increased operating costs of the fuel switch during the transitional period, the Government has extended the present incentive scheme on concessionary rates in port facilities and light dues for ocean-going vessels for another 30 months until the end of March 2018. Such a scheme is itself a good manifestation of Government-industry partnership in achieving a better environment for all." Source: Government of Hong Kong In the starting, I was frank with you propecia before and after has changed my existence. It has become much more ...

  The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has reported on the results of spot checks on vessels, testing their compliance with new EU regulations concerning the sulphur content of fuel. A total of 1,458 vessels operating in European waters between January and April 2015 were spot checked, and 90 vessels (6%) were found to be non-compliant with the new regulations. The reasons for the vessels’ non-compliance included: keeping inaccurate records or having incorrect processes, being unable to produce satisfactory fuel samples, and having fuel in tank with a sulphur content above 0.1%.   As of 1st January 2015, vessels operating in EU Sulphur Emission Control Areas, or SECA (including the North Sea, Baltic Sea, North American coastal areas and the US Caribbean Sea), are required by EU law to burn fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1%, a reduction from 1%. The EU requires member states to conduct spot checks on a minimum of 10% of ships in its waters in 2015, although several states exceed this and test up to 20%. Ship owners and operators should be aware that these spot checks are taking place, and ensure that all their vessels are fully compliant. Barry Newton, Managing Director ...

  The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met for its 68th session from 11 to 15 May 2015.     The MEPC adopted the environmental requirements of the Polar Code and associated MARPOL amendments to make the Code mandatory; adopted amendments to MARPOL related to tanks for oil residues; designated an extension to the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA); and furthered its work on implementation of air pollution and energy efficiency measures and the Ballast Water Management Convention.     Polar Code environmental requirements adopted    The MEPC adopted the environmental requirements of the International Code for ships operating in polar waters (Polar Code), and the associated MARPOL amendments to make the Code mandatory, following the adoption of the safety part of the Code by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in November 2014. The Polar Code is expected to enter into force on 1 January 2017.    The newly-adopted environmental provisions cover:     • Prevention of pollution by oil: discharge into the sea of oil or oily mixtures from any ship is prohibited. Oil fuel tanks must  be separated from outer shell;  • Prevention of pollution by ...

  The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) has urged Australia to wait the results of a "science- based study" and act with caution before implementing stricter environmental rules , according to Travel Weekly. Mr Bud Darr, senior vice president of technical and regulatory affairs at CLIA, said the industry is “directly and actively engaged” with New South Wales authorities and the Australian EPA on air pollution issues. “We are exploring a range of possibilities with those authorities,” Darr said in a statement. “We encourage those officials to take into account operational considerations and the results of a science-based study they have commissioned before taking any unilateral actions locally or nationally. Mr. Darr said that the sulfur content of fuel has been on the decline and in most cases is below 3.5%. He said in Australia, which imports all of its marine fuel, indications are that the content is about 2.5%. In the past, ships were powered with “residual” fuel left over from distillation of refined products such as gasoline, leaving behind oil with particularly high sulfur levels. In addition to using more refined fuel, ship owners have turned to exhaust gas scrubbers.  Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. are among the companies that ...

  Drewry Supply Chain Advisors issued a briefing reporting that lower fuel consumption and tighter rules have reduced box shipping’s CO2 level. In its April Logistics Executive Briefing for Importers and Exporters, Drewry Supply Chain Advisors used its proprietary databases and results of other consultancy work to take a look at how container carriers are performing when it comes to reducing their carbon footprint.  It concludes that “overall, international shipping is playing its part to protect the environment and the measures taken so far by both government and the private sector seem to have been very effective.” For anybody who is concerned that further growth in international trade and shipping will result in more pollution and more global warming, there is now evidence that this risk is being tackled. At least three factors have substantially cut the fuel consumption of containerships: slow-steaming, the trend towards larger, more fuel-efficient ships and restrictions placed by government on ships coming into the ports. The result? As average ship size on the Asia-North Europe route increased by 40% over the five-year period to 2013, CO2 emissions per round-voyage slot dropped by 35% (see chart below). Furthermore, as average containership sizes increased by a further ...

  Hapag-Lloyd and the Chinese Port of Shenzhen entered into an agreement to cut sulphur oxide emissions. Under the agreement, Hapag-Lloyd has voluntarily undertaken only to use fuel with a sulphur content of less than 0.5% while its ships are docked at the terminal.  “By joining the Shenzhen Port Green Convention, Hapag-Lloyd has once again demonstrated its commitment to environmental and health protection on a voluntary basis that goes beyond national and international requirements, thus emphasising how important this is to our Company,” explained Hapag-Lloyd’s Chief Operating Officer Anthony J. Firmin. Hapag-Lloyd has already participated in various voluntary environmental protection programmes that promote the use of low-emission fuels while ships are in port. Past examples of these include the ‘At Berth Clean Fuels Program’ in Seattle, the ‘Port Metro Vancouver Blue Circle Award’ and the ‘Fair Winds Charter’ in Hong Kong. Outside of ports, Hapag-Lloyd's vessels operate using fuel with an average sulphur content of only 2.1% when they are outside sea areas designated as Emission Control Areas (ECAs). This is significantly below the current limit of 3.5% specified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). When they are inside ECAs, Hapag-Lloyd’s ships only use fuel with a maximum sulphur content ...