Tag: green practices

 The Danish-South Korean Green Growth Alliance has recently met for roundtable talks. The Minister for Business and Growth's meeting with the South Korean Minister of Oceans and Fisheries is important for further developing the close co-operation.The Green Growth Alliance between Denmark and South Korea met at the Danish Maritime AuthorityThe Green Growth Alliance held its fifth meeting on October 6th, 2015 . This time it had the form of roundtable talks with a maritime focus at the premises of the Danish Maritime Authority. South Korea is the third-largest export market for Denmark in Asia and an important market for Danish shipping.South Korea is also of major importance to Danish suppliers of marine equipment, several of which have their production, service centres or sales offices in South Korea. The Growth Alliance was launched in 2011 as a cooperation between Denmark and South Korea. The main purpose of the alliance is to pave the way for increased Danish exports of energy and environmental technology to South Korea. The agreement commits the countries to having annual meetings with ministerial participation.Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Ki-June Yoo took part in the roundtable meeting as a representative of the Korean government, accompanied by a trade delegation ...

 120 cruise, port and terminal operators, cruise lines, industry organisations, NGOs and suppliers to the sector came together in Copenhagen on 6th of October, 2015 for the 3rd GreenPort Cruise Conference.As part of the 10th GreenPort Congress, the Greenport Cruise Conference, in association with Malmo Port, highlighted the innovations in equipment and technology that allow port users to adhere to environmental policy, whilst illustrating practical solutions through case studies from the global logistics chain.Patrick Hicks, founder of GreenPort and moderator of this year's GreenPort Cruise event, kicked off the day’s proceedings with a welcome and a quick introduction to the first panel.ECA complianceArnt Møller Pedersen, COO Cruise and Ferries from Copenhagen Malmö Port, took to the stage in the first session to explain why Denmark punches above its weight in the maritime sector.He said that the sulphur directive has already had a dramatic impact in Copenhagen with air sulphur levels down by 60% in the past year.Dealing with wasteThanos Pallis, Secretary General of MedCruise, began the second session of the day with a discussion of the issues surrounding the treatment of waste from cruise ships.Dr Wei Chen, future programme development manager for Wärtsilä Water Systems, took a look at the management ...

 Oceanic Technical Solutions has secured a long-term service contract with Mitsui O.S.K Lines MOL LNG Transport (Europe) Ltd for the annual inspection, leak testing, condition monitoring and analysis of the refrigeration plants aboard all 15 LNG carriers in the Japanese shipowner’s European managed fleet.Oceanic Technical Solutions’ Managing Director, Robert Chesters, said: “The service agreement we have signed with MOL is to ensure that the refrigeration plant installed on these vessels is completely leak-tight, resulting in significant cost savings for the owner. With new refrigerant blends costing upwards of US$2000 per cylinder, we can pinpoint system failures and prevent costly refrigerant escaping to atmosphere. At the same time ensuring that vessels are running to the optimum efficiency and reducing their environmental footprint.“Fleet managers are under increasing commercial and environmental pressure to curtail the amount of refrigerant consumed and our experience tells us that containment is the only solution. A shipboard plant is no different to a domestic refrigerator. It is a contained system that if properly maintained should not require constant topping up. Refrigerant is not a consumable it is an asset that should be retained.”Service engineers have completed their assessment of the first vessel under the MOL LNG agreement, the ...

 Becker Marine Systems and KOTUG signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a LNG Hybrid Barge in the Port of Rotterdam with effect from June 2017.The LNG Hybrid Barge, a floating energy plant, is designed to provide environmentally friendly power for ships in ports. The LNG Hybrid Barge will deliver clean energy to moored cruise ships and contributes to a cleaner environment. It is an alternative for producing electricity in the traditional way by either their generator sets or their main engines. During winter season the LNG Hybrid Barge will be able to deliver heat to factories or to the central city heating system in addition to electricity.Becker Marine Systems (BMS) is the owner of the LNG Hybrid Barge and provides services to charter out the barge. The LNG Hybrid Barge concept is patented by LNG Hybrid, a division of Becker Marine systems. Dirk Lehmann, Managing Director of Becker Marine Systems said:“The LNG Hybrid Barge is the first flexible solution supplying clean LNG energy to cruise ships during summer season and providing the flexibility of generating electric energy and heat into a public grid system or industrial users during winter season. We see this advanced flexible solution as an opportunity ...

 NTNU student entrepreneurs have joined up with an inventor from SINTEF to commercialize a new, green method for cleaning up oil spillsThe current standard cleanup method of oil spills uses chemicals to disperse the oil into small enough particles for natural bacteria in the ocean to be able to digest.However, research on this process shows that the chemicals can actually slow or stop the breakdown process, and adding unnatural chemicals to delicate ecosystems is less than optimal.“We really don’t know enough about how these chemicals affect the microbial ecosystems in our oceans, and there is some discussion as to whether these compounds prevent bacteria from being able to properly break down the oil,” says Anette Andersen of ChemFree, a new startup created by Andersen and two other students from NTNU’s School of Entrepreneurship in search of an environmentally friendly way to handle oil spills.No chemicals, just waterAs its name suggests, ChemFree does not rely on unwanted chemicals for cleanup. The technology involves spraying sea water into an oil spill with enough force to disperse the oil in tiny particles, allowing it to be properly broken down by ocean bacteria. Think of it like a giant high pressure washer. Lab tests ...

 Odfjell is upgrading the propulsion system for 19 vessels with new technology to optimise energy efficiency. The vessels will be equipped with new energy efficient propeller blades, rudder-bulb and will undergo technical upgrades of the main engine, turbo chargers and shaft generator. These combined upgrades will reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 20%.The vessels will be amongst the most energy efficient chemical tankers in the world, and will achieve the highest score on the Rightship energy rating, A+.20% – A major achievementThe initial model tests, which were carried out at Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute (Marintek ), indicated a reduction in fuel consumption of about 15% for our series of eleven 37,000 deadweight (dwt) vessels (Kvaerner class). Sea trials before and after the upgrade show an overall efficiency gain of more than 20%. With such excellent result we will also upgrade additional eight 40,000 dwt vessels (Poland class). The concept has been developed by Odfjell, in close cooperation with MAN Diesel & Turbo, but also Grenaa Motorfabrik and ABB AS Turbocharging. The upgrade includes highly efficient Kappel propeller blades, fairing cone and rudder bulb, shaft generator gearbox and Odfjell determined settings.Dr. Kourosh Koushan, Research Manager at Marintek, acknowledges ...

 Matson, Inc. has announced the start of production on two new “Aloha Class” containerships designed specifically for Hawaii service, with greater capacity and state-of-the-art “green ship technology” features. After a small ceremony at Aker Philadelphia Shipyard in Pennsylvania, the cutting of steel plates began, initiating the construction work to build both ships.In 2013, Matson subsidiary Matson Navigation Company, Inc. signed a contract with Aker Philadelphia Shipyard Inc. (APSI) to build the two new ships for an aggregate price of $418 million. The new vessels are expected to be delivered in the third and fourth quarters of 2018. Matson also announced that the first of the two new ships will be named after the late Senator Daniel K. Inouye, who was a longstanding supporter of the U.S. maritime industry and its role in supporting Hawaii’s economy.The 850-foot long, 3,600 TEU vessels will be Matson’s largest ships and the largest Jones Act containerships ever constructed. They will also be faster, designed to operate at speeds in excess of 23 knots, helping ensure timely delivery of goods in Hawaii. Though bigger, the ships are also designed to accommodate future needs by being able to navigate safely into some of Hawaii’s smaller ports.The new ...

 Global marine terminal operators DP World, Hutchison Port Holdings Limited (HPH), APM Terminals, PSA International and Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), joined by the Port of Rotterdam Authority (PRA), have launched the first ever joint industry initiative of this magnitude to promote environmental awareness and make a sustainable difference in the communities in which they operate.The campaign will take place between 14 - 21 September this year with focus on three main themes: re-use and recycling, climate change and the communities in which the industry giants operate. A range of activities covering all three themes will be organised by the participating port operators’ local business units to tackle and raise awareness globally.The campaign will also identify local partners in the effort to improve the environment. Creating and upgrading local green spaces, launching educational programmes, adopting waste recycling measures and community engagement are some of the activities that will take place.DP World Chairman HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said:“Safeguarding the environment is the responsibility of all of us and by joining forces across the industry this initiative will make greater impact worldwide. International efforts require partnerships to make them a success and by coming together we can all make a sustainable ...

 A new vessel has been designed as a luxury expedition cruise vessel for worldwide operation including Arctic and Antarctic regions for itineraries up to 21 days with 300 passengers on-board. The vessel is designed for unrestricted ocean voyages and strengthened for Ice Class 1A service. As far back as the 1960’s, KNUD E. HANSEN A/S already designed the first vessel specifically for transport of passengers in polar regions; the Lindblad Explorer. More recently, KNUD E. HANSEN A/S designed the polar expedition vessel Fram and two ferries for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, also for sailing in heavy ice conditions. The hull is ice strengthened and has a double hull in way of all hull machinery and service spaces.  The design integrates state of the art green technologies related to propulsion and hotel services.  The ship is specifically designed to operate safely in heavy seas and high winds as well as narrow passages and small ports.  There are three main fire zones and the vessel exceeds safe-return-to-port requirements.  The vessel has all facilities required to ensure that environmentally sensitive areas remain untainted. All public facilities are concentrated on two decks, including an observation lounge with 360 degree views. Above the observation lounge a heli-deck ...

  As air pollution is responsible for around 400,000 premature deaths in the EU yearly, Environment MEPs last week tightened up Commission plans and called for more ambitious national caps on emissions of six main pollutants, such as sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in order to cut emissions by 70% across the EU and save €40bn in air pollution costs by 2030. MEPs also want to include emissions reduction ceilings on mercury, and a midpoint target for most caps of 2025. "The new NEC directive is the opportunity to tackle this important health issue, by putting in place the benchmarks for Member States to work towards. We cannot underestimate the benefits that would result from cleaning up the air we breathe," said the rapporteur, Julie Girling (ECR, UK) after her report was adopted by 38 votes to 28, with 2 abstentions. More ambitious caps The committee wants the future national emission ceiling (NEC) directive to include caps on mercury (HG) from 2020, as well as the new caps in all member states on emissions of the air pollutants sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC), methane (CH4) ammonia (NH3), and particulate matter (PM2,5) to ...