Tag: oil spill

Clean hydrogen power that's expected to lower emissions and reduce energy consumption will be coming to the Port of Honolulu in 2015 after the completion of a new fuel cell technology demonstration, one that could lead to a commercial technology for ports worldwide. The work comes on the heels of last year's study and analysis that confirmed the viability of hydrogen fuel cells to provide auxiliary power to docked or anchored ships. Hydrogen researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have joined with several partners in the follow-up project, which will result in a portable, self-contained hydrogen fuel cell unit that can float on a barge, sit on a dock or be transported to wherever it's needed to provide electrical power. Ports have been a major source of water and air pollution in the U.S. but remained relatively unregulated until recent years. As ports have begun to expand and their impact on the environment has become more apparent, port operators face a variety of regulations. Many ports have begun to enact sustainability goals or adopt green practices, and that's where fuel cells can play a role. "No one has ever built this kind of custom unit for this purpose," said Sandia's project ...

MONALISA 2.0 had its debut in Western Norway during the ‘Green Fjord' conference in Geiranger, January 22/23, 2014. Green Fjord 2020 is the forum which is about to outline a green future for the unique UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site of ‘Western Norwegian Fjords', famous for its fantastic panoramic scenery with steep mountains and deep fjords. With a vision of ‘leaving no footprints behind', the conference gathered local, regional and international expertise on how to achieve sustainable regional development within a framework of environmental initiatives, green technologies and conservation of existing cultural values. Increasing the profile of the area and sharing the popular travel destination with many visitors from across the globe, provides both challenges and opportunities. Transport - by sea and by land - is one of them; most of the hundreds of thousands of guests visit Geiranger by cruise-ship during the summer season. Air pollution and traffic control issues were some of problems addressed by the conference. Annelise Chapman (Møreforsking AS, Norway) gave a talk where she presented MONALISA's work on Maritime Spatial Planning in the context of ‘environmental transport at sea'. The Southern Norwegian Sea, including the UNESCO world heritage area around Geiranger, is one of three ...

National Response Team leaders from across Australia have gathered in Devonport, Tasmania to undertake annual training as part of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's preparedness for oil spill response under the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. From Wednesday, February 12 to Friday, February 14 the team leaders from the National Response Team (NRT) will undertake safety training around aircraft and rotate in groups using equipment used in the event of an oil spill. AMSA Chief Executive Officer Graham Peachey said the training was vital in maintaining the skills of the NRT leaders in accordance with the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances. "The National Response Team provides support to the Australian and state governments in the event of a major oil pollution incident," Mr Peachey said. "We hope we are never faced with this sort of event but AMSA's role is to ensure if the worst were to happen we have highly trained people ready to respond quickly and effectively." NRT team leaders will practice using booms, dispersant spray systems, rope mops, skimmers and helicopter spray buckets, which would be used in the event of a maritime environmental emergency. ...

EMSA has issued its Annual Report on Network of stand-by oil spill response vessels. The vessels are ready to respond to oil spills at sea caused by ships as well as by offshore installations following the request of a coastal State or the European Commission. By the end of 2013, the Network comprised 18 fully equipped vessels ready for immediate mobilisation. As of 1 March 2013, with the entry into force of Regulation (EU) No 100/2013, EMSA has a new mandate to respond to marine pollution caused by oil and gas installations. As one of the actions to implement this new task, in October 2013 EMSA vessels participated for the first time in an operational exercise scenario to test response to oil pollution occurring during offshore operations in the western Black Sea. To achieve the level of performance for pollution response required by the Agency, vessels and their crews participate regularly in training, drills and operational exercises.   The number of drills and exercises carried out annually has increased significantly over the years in line with the development of the Network. The figures for 2013 are summarised in the table below. Summary of Drills and Exercises carried out in 2013 ...

Coast Guard crews are responding to a diesel fuel spill in the Damariscotta River near the village of Walpole, Maine. On January 7th watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, Maine, received a report at approximately 8:40 a.m. of a 30-foot barge that had been damaged by ice and leaked approximately 100 gallons of diesel along the Damariscotta River. Responding to the spill are crews from: Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor, Maine Coast Guard Sector Northern New England Maine Department of Environmental Protection South Bristol Fire Department Response teams have capped the barge's fuel vents and deployed sorbent boom and pads around an estimated area of 100 yards by 20 yards to contain the fuel. The barge is equipped with two internal diesel fuel tanks and had a maximum capacity of 200 gallons. There is no active sheening at this time. The remaining fuel is scheduled to be pumped from the barge Saturday morning. In an average year, the Coast Guard responds to approximately 250 reports of pollution in the Northeast. Source: USCG  In the outbreak, I was straightforward with you propecia before and after has changed my being. It has become much more fun, and now I have ...

Spill Center, a North American leader in environmental claims management and emergency response support for transportation clients at risk for releases of hazardous materials, has expanded its program to include global cargo-carrying vessels, according to Tom Moses, president and founder of the company. V.Ships, a ship management company with a network of 18 offices worldwide, provides shipowners with a range of management and support services for oil tankers, chemical tankers, gas carriers and dry bulk cargo vessels. V.Ships offers environmental support services to ship owners through Spill Center. Services include immediate response management services, regulatory expertise and reporting, cleanup contractor referrals, invoice auditing and a proven method to place the spill generator in a legally defensible position, related Mr. Moses. He explained that Spill Center is positioned to provide support to owners of vessels involved in marine pollution events and spill-related claims wherever they occur around the world, helping spill generators contain costs and limit liability arising from environmental releases. Staffed by environmental, legal and technical specialists, Spill Center has provided 24/7 support to clients in the transportation, chemical and insurance industries for more than 20 years, noted Mr. Moses. Resources include advanced communication technology and up-to-date listings of local, ...

Qatari shipping company Nakilat and Qatari LNG producers Qatargas and RasGas Company Limited have agreed with engine manufacturer MAN Diesel and Turbo to convert a Q-Max vessel to use LNG as an alternative to heavy fuel oil in the main engines. The proactive initiative reinforces Qatar's commitment toward the environment with plans to convert an existing low-speed diesel LNG carrier to use LNG as fuel thereby reducing the ship's exhaust gas emissions. Shipyard operator Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine (N-KOM) will complete the ship's conversion at its Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard facilities in Qatar's Port of Ras Laffan. The modification will utilize MAN Diesel and Turbo's ME-GI (M-Type Electronically Controlled - Gas Injection) systems as an innovative and flexible technology. The Q-Max will be the world's first low-speed marine diesel engine to be converted to use LNG as a fuel. The modification will meet current known and future stated global emissions regulations. The control of greenhouse gas and exhaust gas emissions have a high priority in today's shipping industry. In-step with the emissions regulations, the engine manufacturer, MAN Diesel and Turbo has made technical advancements to the low speed diesel engine to have flexibility to utilize Liquefied Natural Gas ...

ITOPF's tanker spill statistics released today showed a slight increase in the number of large spills from tankers in 2013 compared to the previous two years but the downward trend is maintained. Although the volume of oil spilt is also up on the last two years, the total quantity spilt so far this decade is only a sixth of that spilt for the same period in the previous decade. Three oil spills of 700 tonnes or more occurred last year with one incident accounting for the vast majority of the total. In October the MT YONG WIN 3 reportedly capsized and sank spilling an estimated 5,000 tonnes of diesel oil. Two other incidents resulted in a spill of about 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil and 800 tonnes of bitumen respectively. These incidents illustrate the unpredictability of spills and the importance of preparing to respond to the range of oils involved. ITOPF maintains a database of oil spills from tankers, combined carriers and barges. This contains information on accidental spillages since 1970, except those resulting from acts of war.   Further information is available on ITOPF's statistics page.