Tag: Emission Control Areas (ECA)

Ferry operator Brittany Ferries has cancelled an LNG-powered newbuilding as well as plans to retrofit LNG engines to three of its fleet. Instead, the company is installing exhaust gas scrubbers on the trio of ships earmarked for LNG retrofit, which still represents an investment of €70-80M. At the beginning of 2014, the company committed itself to an ecological transition plan in response to the stricter ECA limits coming into effect on 1 January 2015. However, it now believes the preconditions enabling the plan to be financially viable have not been met. In an official statement the owner said: "Brittany Ferries has worked tirelessly over recent years to convince governments of the desperate need for a temporary exemption from the new rules, contained within the revised MARPOL Annex VI. However, with the January deadline fast approaching, it appears unlikely that such an exemption will be granted. This is despite Brittany Ferries' ambitious plan going above and beyond what is required by the new rules, thanks to its reliance on LNG, which exceeds requirements concerning emissions of sulphur, CO2, nitrous oxide and particulate emissions. The company is simply unable to bear the costs of the double penalty that would be incurred by ...

The Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition (SIBCON) saw some 1,600 delegates from over 50 countries attend the event's opening ceremony. Organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), SIBCON is in its 18th instalment. Singapore's Minister for Transport, Mr Lui Tuck Yew, presided over the opening ceremony today, held at the Resorts World Sentosa. In conjunction with SIBCON, Minister Lui also officiated the global launch of the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel (SGMF), a new non-governmental organisation established to promote safety and industry best practices in the use of gas as a marine fuel. This year's SIBCON theme, "Driving Transformation in the Marine Fuel Industry", aptly describes the current industry trends and developments. Addressing an international audience during the opening ceremony, Minister Lui said that the bunkering industry has to grapple with a rather challenging environment. In the face of these challenges, we must look towards the adoption of new technologies and new modes of operation, and seek to transform the bunkering industry such that we can ensure continued growth in a sustainable manner. MPA introduced several new initiatives at SIBCON as part of Singapore's continued efforts to enhance our bunkering processes and prepare the ...

NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association) Annual Conference, themed 'Marine Environment Protection:  Evolution or Revolution?', reflects both the revolutionary challenges (new Emission Control Area (ECA) requirements, fuel sourcing, and partnerships) and evolutionary changes in the maritime industry.  The conference will be held on October 29th aboard the Hornblower Infinity at Pier 40 in New York, NY beginning at 0800.  "Our industry continues to experience revolutionary changes, as well as the evolution of responses to today's commercial and regulatory environment," stated NAMEPA Chairman Clay Maitland.  "We are facing a new era in marine propulsion, while updating and improving aspects of our operational practices.  We continue to create strategic alliances with groups anxious to work with us to improve the performance of our industry, as well as conduct risk analysis to make sure we are on track for success."  The "Revolution" of the new ECA coming into force on January 1, 2015 will prompt discussions about low sulfur fuel supplies and fuel alternatives.  Other revolutionary challenges being discussed include the maritime industry's willingness to partner to achieve collective success.  From an "Evolution" standpoint, a mixed-discipline panel will address the maritime industry's last 25 years of learning and improving its ability to respond to ...

NAMEPA to focus on new ECA challenges

On 1 January 2015 the sulphur requirements in Emission Control Areas (ECA) will be stricter again. At that time vessels operating in ECA will be required to comply to a sulphur content of just 0,10 per cent. The SOx requirements apply to all fuel oils as defined in MARPOL Annex VI Reg.2.9. Currently there are four (4) designated ECA's which includes; the Baltic Sea the North Sea the North American ECA which extends up to 200 nm from the coasts of the continental United States & Canada the US Carribean Sea Compliance with the new ECA requirements can be obtained by either using ECA compliant fuel at all times, or to switch to low sulphur fuel when entering an ECA. When switching to ECA compliant fuel oil, it is required to have a "written procedure showing how the fuel oil change over is to be done" according to MARPOL Annex VI Reg.14.6. The detailed change over procedure should be readable available and the ship's crew shall be familiar with it. Further it is required that the change-over process is fully completed before entering the ECA. A logbook for registering the fuel oil change-over has to be kept on board as prescribed ...

From January 1st, 2015 vessels operating in ECA will be required to comply to 0,10% sulphur content On 1 January 2015 the sulphur requirements in Emission Control Areas (ECA) will be stricter again. At that time vessels operating in ECA will be required to comply to a sulphur content of just 0,10 per cent.The SOx requirements apply to all fuel oils as defined inMARPOL Annex VI Reg.2.9. Currently there are four (4) designated ECA's which includes;the Baltic Seathe North Seathe North American ECA which extends up to 200 nm from the coasts of the continental United States & Canadathe US Carribean SeaCompliance with the new ECA requirements can be obtained by either using ECA compliant fuel at all times, or to switch to low sulphur fuel when entering an ECA. When switching to ECA compliant fuel oil, it is required to have a "written procedure showing how the fuel oil change over is to be done" according to MARPOL Annex VI Reg.14.6.The detailed change over procedure should be readable available and the ship's crew shall be familiar with it. Further it is required that the change-over process is fully completed before entering the ECA. A logbook for registering the fuel ...

The bunkering industry and its shipping industry customers will be gathering in Hamburg, 3-7 November for the International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) annual convention and forum. Taking place just weeks ahead of the implementation of European laws on the sulphur content of marine fuels, the event features over 30 expert speakers who will be looking at new fuels, emerging markets, quality and integrity and compliance with the latest regulations. IBIA chief executive Peter Hall said: "The management of marine fuels is at the top of every shipping company's agenda with so many questions surrounding new fuel types, ECA compliance, quality and testing. Our unique four day event takes place during the week of the Hamburg Eisbeinessen, a huge maritime industry gathering and will help to clarify many of the issues facing shipping company executives." The packed programme kicks off with a full day forum on 3 November titled "Bunkering in 2015 and Beyond" which provides delegates with a holistic view of the industry today covering legislation, pricing, quality, fuel switching and sampling. The convention opens on 4 November with an address by Dr Hermann Klein, CEO of leading German shipowner ER Schiffahrt, followed by presentations from European refiners, surveyors, owners ...

Maersk Line will introduce a new Low Sulphur Surcharge (LSS) to offset additional costs incurred by switching to cleaner fuels in so-called Emission Control Areas (ECA), as required by international environmental regulation effective from 1 January 2015. The LSS surcharge level will be trade-specific and apply equally to headhaul/backhaul and dry/reefer cargo. The surcharge level will vary based on the additional costs for low-sulphur fuels for the particular trade. Please see a complete overview of the affected trades and the surcharge levels in the table below. Surcharge levels will be reviewed quarterly, and will be adjusted to reflect the cost for low-sulphur fuels, i.e. significant fluctuations in the price for low-sulphur fuels will be reflected in the surcharge levels. Surcharge Level per Trade Below table indicates the tariffs of the Low Sulphur Surcharge (LSS) for the Maersk Line trades affected by the surcharges. The surcharge will be applied equally to dry/reefer and headhaul/backhaul.  (*)Transpacific Stabilisation Agreement (TSA) is developing a low sulphur surcharge, and Maersk Line intends to follow the tariff recommended by the TSA for relevant trades.  Source and Image Credit: Maersk Line   Background New legal requirement: From 1 January 2015 new legal requirements will come into force ...

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT) announced AWT SmartSpeed(TM), believed to be the first route advisory service to use advanced optimization to set both the optimum route and optimum speed for each segment of a voyage with daily updates.

Rickmers-Linie supports new low sulphur regime but expects increasing costs