Tag: reducing shipping emissions

The European Commission issued a proposal last June for a Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Regulation of CO2 emissions from ships calling at EU ports, which lays the foundation for a global measure to reduce CO2 emissions from international shipping. It required ships above 5000 gross tons (GT) to monitor and report the verified amount of CO2 emitted on voyages to, from and between EU ports. Ships were also required to provide certain other information, such as data to determine their energy efficiency. In late January, the European Parliament adopted the draft report of the rapporteur MEP Theodoros Skylakakis, as amended after a debate in the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee. According to this report, the scope of the regulation should be extended to also cover smaller ships and more types of emissions. Whereas the initial Commission proposal only made reference to ships above 5000 GT, the text adopted by the ENVI Committee foresees that smaller ships of 400 GT or above should also be included in the Regulation. Moreover, the text extends the scope of the proposed Regulation by including Nitrogen Oxyde (NOx) emissions. "We appeal to the legislators' reason" said Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary General. "Let ...

The Port of Rotterdam has issued a press release to announce that both Port of Antwerp and Port of Rotterdam want stricter emissions standards to enter into force from January 1st, 2016. The two ports want to see stricter nitrogen oxides emission standards for new built vessels on the North Sea and English Channel. The two largest ports in Europe do not support a proposal to postpone this already agreed upon regulation by five years. At the beginning of April, the environment committee of the IMO will discuss this proposal. Ships' engines which comply with the new standards emit 80% less nitrogen oxides than the current built vessels. Reducing the emissions from shipping to improve air quality is in line with the sustainability policy of the two port authorities. Port of Rotterdam website www.portofrotterdam.com Port of Antwerp website www.portofantwerp.com/en  In the start, I was straightforward with you propecia before and after has changed my life. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is incredible to sit.

"Shipowners' hopes for decisive action with regard to LNG refueling points have been shattered" said Patrick Verhoeven, ECSA Secretary General. "While the 2015 deadline for the compliance with the requirements of the EU Sulphur Directive is fast approaching and with time running out, it was our hope that the EU would break the LNG chicken and egg dilemma by deciding that major European ports will need to have LNG refueling points in place by latest 2020 so as to coincide with the 0.5% limit in sulphur content of bunker fuels in EU waters" he added. Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament have agreed in the context of informal negotiations (trialogue) on a text that would considerably weaken the initial Commission proposal for a Directive on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in Europe. According to the agreement, Member States will have to ensure that "a sufficient number" of big European ports have developed LNG refueling infrastructure for maritime transport by 2025. The EU Sulphur Directive adopted in 2012 aims at the reduction of sulphur emissions from maritime transport in the SECAs (Sulphur Emission Control Areas - Baltic Sea, North Sea and the English Channel) by rendering the ...

On January 31, 2014, the EU Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety,  issued report on the proposal for the regulation on the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification(MRV) of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport amending Regulation (EU) No 525/2013.   This Regulation provides an opportunity for a European wide approach for MRV of both GHGs and air pollutant emissions from the maritime sector. Such an approach will permit Europe to develop emission reduction policies for the maritime sector in the near future consistent with the overall climate, air pollution and human health protection policies. There is therefore the need to broaden the scope by including the MRV of NOx emissions additionally to those of the CO2. Both CO2 and NOxmaritime emissions are increasing significantly, causing important climate forcing. Similarly to the MMR Regulation EU No 525/2013 concerning the aviation sector, an assessment of the environmental impacts of maritime transport on the global climate is proposed by amending the MMR Regulation. The Commission, based on this assessment, should address the environmental impact of maritime emissions such as PM, BC and CH4, as well as other activities that lead to emissions of air pollutants and GHGs, i.e. use of refrigerants by fishing ...

CMA CGM has issued a press release to remind customers that it provides them with the opportunity to obtain their own carbon footprint for each booking on a door-to-door basis in multimodal & multi-carrier mode. The emission display can be accessed at http://www.cma-cgm.com/products-services/ecommerce/online-registration. CO2 emission is automatically available in the "shipment details" section once transportation is completed. Future developments should enable to devise reports with variable criteria (such as reported period, specific services/zones, group subsidiary, etc) in order to provide all customers with personalized CO2 dashboards. CMA CGM new CO2 reporting is in full compliance with French legal requirement, French Grenelle Law II which sets the obligation to provide CO2 information to the beneficiary of a transportation service. For years, CMA CGM Group had been developing its own CO2 reporting system to monitor the emission of its fleet of cellular ships. Through its active participation in the Clean Cargo Working Group, it contributed to the development of the official calculation methodology which is now the reference in the shipping industry.  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 to run. Just as it ...

The Republic of the Marshall Islands has issued Marine Safety Advisory No 7-14 with guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This guidance addresses how the US government will implement fuel oil availability provisions for ship owners. For the operators unable to obtain fuel oil that meets the fuel oil sulfur standards applicable to ships operating in waters off of the coast of North America, Transport Canada has issued Ship Safety Bulletin 04/2013 which provides information on reporting when compliant fuel is unavailable. Interim Guidance on the Non-Availability of Compliant Fuel Oil for the North American  Emission Control Area Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) has been in effect in the United States since January 8, 2009. MARPOL Annex VI is implemented in the United States through the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). Under the authority of APPS, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA), in consultation with the United States Coast Guard, has promulgated regulations which incorporate by reference the full text of MARPOL Annex VI. See 40 C.F.R. § 1043.100(a)(1). Compliance with the MARPOL Annex VI air emission standards, including the fuel oil sulfur standards, will significantly reduce emissions from foreign and domestic vessels that affect US air ...

Chair of SEStran (South East of Scotland Transport Partnership), Russell Imrie says that a bid to cut sulphur at sea may sink, The Scotsman reports SEStran supports moves to improve the environmental friendliness of water transport, as a mode that already has the potential to play a major role in sustainably transporting passengers and freight within the region and further afield. Mr Russell Imrie says that despite their potential to move large quantities of traffic off-road, ferry services present environmental problems as they use "bunker" fuels which produce high quantities of sulphur and other pollutants. The EU Sulphur Directive which comes into force from next year,  will reduce the acceptable sulphur output from engines from the current 1.5 per cent to 0.1 per cent in ships plying the North Sea routes. Although this measure will make a significant contribution towards reducing carbon emission from merchant vessels, it presents operators with problems. There are many solutions available to shipping lines affected by the Directive. They can refit vessels with new engines that use cleaner fuels. These alternative fuels would improve upon the sulphur output of bunker fuels, but they are more expensive, have potentially major implications for the fuel production industry ...

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) held its 1st session of the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response, from 3 to 7 February 2014 in London, headquarters. During the Sub- Committee important issues on pollution prevention discussed and measures adopted as follows: MARPOL Annex VI guidelines relating to marine diesel engines agreed Two sets of draft guidelines, concerning the implementation of regulation 13 "Nitrogen oxides" of MARPOL Annex VI, were agreed by the Sub-Committee on Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR), when it met for its 1st session. The regulation requires marine diesel engines installed on ships constructed before 2000 to meet the emission limits and for an Approved Method for that engine to be certified by an Administration of a Party. The Sub-Committee agreed, for   adoption by MEPC 66, draft 2014 Guidelines in respect of the information to be submitted by an Administration to the Organization covering the certification of an Approved Method as required under regulation 13.7.1 of MARPOL Annex VI (relating to "Marine Diesel Engines Installed on a Ship Constructed Prior to 1 January 2000"); and draft 2014 Guidelines on the Approved Method process. Definition for emissions of black carbon from international shipping discussed The Sub-Committee discussed the report of ...

On 9 January, the Transport and Tourism (TRAN) Committee of the European Parliament held a mini-hearing on the NAIADES II programme. The first part of the hearing dealt with the integration of inland waterways in the transport chain whereas the second part of the hearing concentrated on the modernisation of the inland waterway fleet. Among speakers and MEPs there was clear agreement that the inland waterway transport sector should be given more attention. As regards the technical part of the NAIADES II package, the deadline for amendments is 15 January whereas the TRAN Committee will vote on 20 February. On the same day, MEPs debated the report produced by the Commission earlier this year which is entitled “Summary of measures that internalise or reduce transport externalities”. The report is a request of Directive 2011/76/EU, the Eurovignette Directive on road infrastructure charging. Members of the TRAN Committee considered the Commission’s report and the related study not ambitious enough for the following reasons. First, the Commission does not consider current and future national projects that will contribute to reduce external costs. Second, the document does not contemplate an analysis of external costs across the different transport modes. According to the TRAN Committee, ...

The European Union will support with €6.7 million from the TEN-T Programme a series of studies followed by real life trials to evaluate a new generation lightweight pilot scrubber solution for Ro-Ro (Roll on, Roll off) ships. The initiative also contributes to the realisation of the "Motorways of the Sea" (TEN-T Priority Project 21) concept. The studies, selected for funding under the 2012 TEN-T Multi-Annual Programme, will assess, install, demonstrate and evaluate a new generation of innovative lightweight scrubber technology on two existing ro-ro vessels operating in the Baltic and North Sea. Three EU Member States - Sweden, Finland and The Netherlands - will work together to verify and evaluate the specific port infrastructure and preparatory investments needed for full scale implementation of this technology. The studies will also investigate how a financial mechanism can be set up in order to support ship owners/operators adopting the new technology and give recommendations to decision-makers on how to implement this mechanism. Dissemination of results and best practices will provide guidance to the shipping community and will assist on how to choose optimum Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) compliance strategies. The study will be monitored by the Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) ...