Tag: CO2

 Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that it has started demonstration tests of a new windshield for containerships, which has the potential to reduce wind resistance, save fuel, and reduce CO2 emissions. MOL jointly developed the device with MOL Techno-Trade, Ouchi Ocean Consultant, Akishima Laboratory  and the University of Tokyo. The project was backed by the "Joint R&D for Industry Program", in which Nippon Kaiji Kyokai promotes wide-ranging R&D activities in cooperation with industry, government and academia.The new windshield was installed on the bow of the MOL-operated containership MOL MARVEL, and a demonstration test of its effectiveness in reducing CO2 emissions is under way.With today's larger containerships, the height of the containers loaded on their decks has increased, subjecting the vessels to greater wind resistance. MOL recognized the need to address this issue in a cost-effective way. Development of the new device began with an examination of the bow's aerodynamic form through wind tunnel testing. This led to the adoption of a horseshoe-shaped design, which encloses the front line of the stacked containers to maximize the wind resistance-reducing effect while minimizing the weight of the main unit. The new windshield has enough design strength to meet the ClassNK rules concerning wave impact ...

 The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a two-year global maritime energy efficiency partnership project. The GloMEEP project, formally designated “Transforming the Global Maritime Transport Industry towards a Low Carbon Future through Improved Energy Efficiency”, aims to support increased uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency measures for shipping, focusing in particular on building capacity and skills to implement technical and operational measures in developing countries, where shipping is increasingly concentrated.The project supports the development of a low-carbon maritime sector for minimizing the adverse impacts of shipping emissions on climate change, ocean acidification and local air quality. Ten IMO Member States have already signed up to the GloMEEP project as lead pilot countries (LPCs): Argentina, China, Georgia, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, Philippines and South Africa. The lead pilot countries will be supported in pursuing relevant legal, policy and institutional reforms, driving national and regional government action and industry innovation to support the effective implementation of IMO’s energy efficiency requirements. A number of events related to the implementation of the GloMEEP project are expected to be held alongside the two-day inaugural Future-Ready Shipping 2015 Conference. For example, the joint IMO-Singapore International Conference on Maritime ...

 Yara has a fleet of tanker vessels dedicated to transporting carbon dioxide. This fleet of three ships is now completely modernized, with Yara Gerda, named after a figure in Norse mythology, starting service this month.Yara Gerda is a new dedicated liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) marine tanker replacing an older tanker. Yara’s CO2 is used in the beverage business (carbonation), food business (chilling, freezing), air catering (cold chain assurance) and greenhouse businesses. Yara is Europe's No.1 producer and No.3 retailer of liquid CO2.“CO2 touches our lives every day,” says Petter Østbø, Yara’s Vice President Gas and Industrial Applications.“It provides us with the fizz in our beverages, the freshness of our groceries and of our meals on flights. Being a major European player in this market means that Yara adds something positive to the daily lives of millions of Europeans.”Why ships?Reliability is at the core of Yara’s value proposition as a CO2 supplier. This is a business with peaks and seasonality, especially around the summer. Customers’ processes rely on continuous, just-in-time deliveries. Some customers receive Yara CO2 several times a day. Any delivery delay has the potential to rapidly halt production at our customers who depend on our CO2.“Supply reliability is clearly ...

 Logistics is one of the most dynamic sectors of the economy, contributing to economic growth and international competitiveness. In the face of the steady growth in freight volumes throughout Europe, EU policy focuses on increasing the efficiency of freight logistics and reducing environmental impacts.As a significant area of EU transport policy, logistics has been selected for the TRIP series of policy brochures to highlight the contribution of EU-funded research to policy and the implications for future policy and research.This series of policy brochures is an essential component of the comprehensive Transport Research and Innovation Portal (TRIP) that provides open access to the results and best practices of research programmes and projects in the European Research Area (ERA). A central theme of research policy under the Treaty of Lisbon, the European Research Area has been identified to foster the free circulation of researchers, scientific knowledge, and technology.TRIP serves policy makers and research managers involved in all aspects of the transport sector. The Portal is developed and maintained by the TRIP Project Consortium and funded by the DirectorateGeneral for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.The policy brochure presents an overview of current and future ...

  The controversial EU Regulation on the monitoring, reporting and verification of Carbon Dioxide emissions from maritime transport came into force on 1 July 2015. To ensure uniform implementation of the regulation, the Commission has established two Subgroups that will look at the monitoring, verification and accreditation processes. The first meeting of the two subgroups, chaired by the European Commission and composed by experts coming from different backgrounds including industry, consultants, academia and Member States, held their inaugural meeting in Brussels on 7th and 8th July.  The MRV verification and accreditation subgroup held lively and productive discussions, with industry representatives, including the UK Chamber, raising a number of substantial issues with respect to the concept papers presented. In particular, the subgroup considered development of specific rules for the competencies of the verifiers, the assessment of the conformity of the monitoring plan and annual emission report by the verifier and methods of accreditation of verifiers. Unfortunately, it is now more evident that the verification process of the monitoring plan and annual emission reports - based on the Aviation EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) - will be a very costly task for the industry.  On the other hand, the monitoring subgroup dealt with more ...

  IMO, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed an agreement to allocate US$2.0 million to a two-year global maritime energy efficiency partnership project, which aims to support increased uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency measures for shipping.  The so-called GloMEEP project, formally designated “Transforming the Global Maritime Transport Industry towards a Low Carbon Future through Improved Energy Efficiency”, will focus in particular on building capacity to implement technical and operational measures in developing countries, where shipping is increasingly concentrated. The aim is to promote a low-carbon maritime sector, in order to minimize the adverse impacts of shipping emissions on climate change, ocean acidification and local air quality. A particularly interesting aspect of the project is its expected role in catalysing an innovative public-private sector partnership within the project framework, through a new Global Industry Alliance (GIA) for maritime energy efficiency. Participation is anticipated from leading private sector companies, including classification societies, ship builders, ship owners, ship operators, marine equipment suppliers, port operators, and marine consultancy and management system providers.    IMO will execute this GEF-funded GloMEEP project in partnership with UNDP. Ten IMO Member States have signed up to the GloMEEP project as ...

  The Japan P&I Club has published an article on its website to provide a summary of the latest developments regarding the Implementation Requirements for the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of CO2 emissions from vessels (EU MRV). The new EU Regulation 2015/757 came into force on 1 July 2015. The Regulation follows the European Parliament’s Resolution of 5th February 2014, which called upon the Commission and Member States to set a binding target of reducing domestic greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% compared with levels observed in 1990. Maritime transport has an impact on the global climate and on air quality, as a result of carbon dioxide and other emissions.  CO2 emissions from international shipping, related to the European Union alone, increased by 48% between 1990 and 2007.  However, as yet international maritime shipping remains the only means of transportation which has not been included in Community proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In light of the developing scientific understanding of the impact of maritime transport on the global climate, it has been decided that this should be assessed regularly and that the European Commission should consider implementing policies and measures to reduce both CO2 emissions and other kinds ...

  New report commissioned by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate says that 2015 is a year of unprecedented opportunity towards a low-carbon future Momentum is already building – technological innovation, new economic trends and political commitments are all coming together – towards a low-carbon future. But the pace of change needs to be accelerated to stimulate further and better quality growth and reduce climate risks. Several emerging trends and developments offer new opportunities to accelerate the transition to low-carbon growth and prosperity. The study highlights six: rapid innovation and declining costs of clean energy technologies; the fall in oil prices as an opportunity to advance carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reform; growing international attention to infrastructure investment, particularly in the context of low interest rates; heightened awareness of climate risks in the financial sector; rising interest in low-carbon growth pathways in emerging and developing economies; and an acceleration of the decline in the carbon intensity of the global economy. Highlights 2015 is a year of unprecedented opportunity. A goal once seen as distant – to end extreme poverty, achieve broad-based prosperity and secure a safe climate, all together – is increasingly within reach. Technological innovation, new ...

  A new review analyzing three decades of research on the historic effects of melting polar ice sheets found that global sea levels have risen at least six meters, or about 20 feet, above present levels on multiple occasions over the past three million years. What is most concerning, scientists say, is that amount of melting was caused by an increase of only 1-2 degrees (Celsius) in global mean temperatures. Results of the study are being published this week in the journal Science. "Studies have shown that both the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets contributed significantly to this sea level rise above modern levels," said Anders Carlson, an Oregon State University glacial geologist and paleoclimatologist, and co-author on the study. "Modern atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are today equivalent to those about three million years ago, when sea level was at least six meters higher because the ice sheets were greatly reduced. "It takes time for the warming to whittle down the ice sheets," added Carlson, who is in OSU's College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, "but it doesn't take forever. There is evidence that we are likely seeing that transformation begin to take place now." Co-author Peter Clark, an ...

  Our oceans need an immediate and substantial reduction of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. If that doesn’t happen, we could see far-reaching and largely irreversible impacts on marine ecosystems, which would especially be felt in developing countries. That’s the conclusion of a new review study published in the journal Science. In the study, the research team from the Ocean 2015 initiative assesses the latest findings on the risks that climate change poses for our oceans, and demonstrates how fundamentally marine ecosystems are likely to change if human beings continue to produce just as much greenhouse gases as before. Since the pre-industrial era, the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere has risen from 278 to 400 ppm (parts per million) – a 40 percent increase that has produced massive changes in the oceans. “To date, the oceans have essentially been the planet’s refrigerator and carbon dioxide storage locker. For instance, since the 1970s they’ve absorbed roughly 93 percent of the additional heat produced by the greenhouse effect, greatly helping to slow the warming of our planet,” explains Prof Hans-Otto Pörtner, co-author of the new Ocean 2015 study and a researcher at the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and ...