APM Terminals has in its plans to add electric automated straddle carriers to its Pier 400 facility in the Port of Los Angeles. This move has raised protests by longshore union leaders, who asked the city’s council to intervene, as they believe that longshoremen will lose hundreds of shifts per day, because of the new technology.
The new RoRo MV Traviata set new benchmark in energy efficiency. The ship is the second of a series of Post-Panamax HERO vessels, and has joined Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s ocean fleet. This is an energy-efficient RoRo vessel. MV Traviata has a capacity equal to 8,000 cars and electrically hoistable deck panels
BP published its 68th annual Statistical Review of World Energy, reporting that global primary energy consumption grew fast in 2018, driven by natural gas and renewables. However, carbon emissions grew at their highest rate for seven years.
DeepGreen Metals and Allseas Group agreed to establish a strategic partnership to explore high-grade metals obtained from seafloor polymetallic nodule deposits together with Allseas’ offshore engineering capabilities. The companies aims to develop a deep ocean nodule harvesting system that will have minimal impact to the deep sea environment, enabling them to bring clean metals to market.
The use of batteries is an emerging means or power that some ships are considering or are even using. As DNV GL informs, today there are 352 ships confirmed with battery installations. This number is expected to increase until 2026 From 2020, the number of ships that will be running on batteries and are under construction will be 153.
Massterly, a ship manager who will operate unmanned vessels via a manned Shore Control Center builds, aspires to see a more sustainable maritime transportation. The unmanned ships will be 100% electrically powered and the battery will be charged when the ship is at shore.
The world’s most powerful fully-electric ferry will soon start passenger operations. Namely, the Ellen E-ferry was christened by Danfoss Communications Consultant Christina Clausen, on June 1. The vessel has a 4.3 MWh battery pack. Ellen E-ferry will be operating on a 22 nautical mile sailing between Denmark’s islands of Aero and Fynshav.
Alabama’s Gee’s Bend Ferry has started operations once again, as it has now been converted from diesel propulsion to the first zero-emission, electric-powered passenger/car ferry in the US. The 15-vehicle and 132-passenger ferry operates on the Alabama River between Camden and Boykin, Alabama.
Hurtigruten launched silent, electric-powered and emission-free catamarans. The company has collaborated with Norwegian startup Brim Explorer, in order to introduced the battery powered catamarans, which are custom built for Polar water exploration. Starting operations in the spring of 2020, the 24-meter vessel will operate in daily ocean excursions from Longyearbyen on the Arctic island of Svalbard.
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the Maid of the Mist, which has been navigating the waters of the Lower Niagara River, is preparing to launch the first two new all-electric, zero-emission passenger vessels constructed in the US. The vessels will be launched later this year. The new vessels will be placed into service in mid-September.
