Tag: reducing shipping emissions

China is home to seven of the world's ten busiest container ports. About 26 percent of the world's containers pass through the top ten Chinese ports every year. Every ship and truck brings pollution along with its cargo, and China is paying a high price for pollution from shipping. In 2010 the country saw an estimated 1.2 million premature deaths caused by ambient air pollution. According to studies conducted in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, shipping is a significant source of these air pollution and health problems, particularly in port cities. Since Chinese port cities are among the most densely populated with the busiest ports in the world, air pollution from ships and port activities likely contributes to much higher public health risks than are found in other port regions.  Please click at table below to view the t op 20 container terminals and their throughput for 2013 (source: NRDC)    Health and Environmental Impacts of Shipping and Port Emissions Most ships at Chinese ports run on bunker fuel, also known as residual fuel. Almost all port vehicles and equipment are powered by diesel fuel. The exhaust from all of these engines contains high levels of diesel particulate matter (PM), oxides ...

In late May, Drewry’s Container Insight Weekly highlighted the new low-sulphur fuel environment regulations that will come into force in January 2015 and some five months later a number of carriers have finally announced the related surcharges they will be requesting from shippers. In summary, from 1 January carriers will be obligated to use fuel with maximum 0.1% sulphur content, down from today’s allowed 1%, in so-called Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in North Europe and North America, see map below. Northern Europe’s and North America’s Emission Control Areas   Carriers have said that they will collect new “low-sulphur surcharges” or “emission control area charges” in addition to ocean freight. As predicted by Drewry, these new fuel charges vary by geography and by trade. They range from $30 per 40ft container (for Asia to/from North West Europe) to $280 per 40ft container (for Baltic region to/from Canada East Coast). For the high-volume, big-ship routes between Asia and both North West Europe and the US, the surcharges are low and represent only a marginal increase on current freight costs. However, for the transatlantic tradelane, the low-sulphur surcharges of at least $120 per 40ft represent an extra cost of some 6% to 12% on ...

Cruise vessels can now plug in at Port of Halifax   The shore power system to allow cruise vessels to plug in when calling the Port of Halifax is now complete and fully operational. Shore power is a highly effective way to reduce marine diesel air emissions by enabling ships to shut down their auxiliary engines and connect to the electrical grid in order to provide necessary power while docked. This initiative represents the second shore power installation for cruise ships in Canada. The shore power project at the Port of Halifax is part of a $10-million cooperative initiative between the Government of Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Port Authority. The tariff was developed in partnership with Nova Scotia Power. “This is a very positive development for Halifax and for Nova Scotia for economic development and environmental sustainability,” said the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport. “The cruise industry in Halifax is a major contributor to tourism in Nova Scotia. Through this investment, the Government of Canada is committed to developing this industry in an environmentally sustainable   “The shore power project is an excellent example of various levels of government working with industry leaders to ...

Commissioned by TCC Group, researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering have made exciting progress in developing a more efficient method to initiate combustion, providing a breakthrough, technological step forward in clean shipping design. The technology, Transient Plasma Ignition (TPI), would allow marine diesel ships to reduce emissions, increase fuel economy and meet the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) stringent emissions mandate with minimal modifications. "We are thrilled to approach the cusp of a true clean shipping solution, especially on the heels of the recent United Nations Climate Summit," said Kenneth Koo, TCC Group chairman. "This epic endeavor strives to achieve reduction in harmful emissions and significant fuel consumption savings without additional investments into peripheral hardware such as scrubbers, chillers, hull coatings or fundamental modifications to the hull. It will be an immense boon for the shipping industry." TPI facilitates combustion by using energetic electrons that break the molecular bonds in fuel and air creating an alternate chemistry. This new environment allows for a more complete combustion, minimizing the amount of remaining unburned hydrocarbons, which translates to significant fuel savings and reduced emissions. TPI – Reversing Efficiency Losses, Recovering Energy & Reducing Emissions The technology aims ...

The MEPC approved the Third IMO GHG Study 2014 providing updated estimates for greenhouse gas emissions from ships.     The Third IMO GHG Study 2014 estimates that international shipping emitted 796 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2012, against 885 million tonnes in 2007.  This represented 2.2% of the global emissions of CO2 in 2012, against 2.8% in 2007.  However, the “business as usual” scenarios continue to indicate that those emissions are likely to grow by between 50% and 250% in the period to 2050, depending on future economic and energy developments. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) met for its 67th session from 13 to 17 October 2014, at IMO Headquarters in London.   Source: IMO For more information please read the "Third IMO GHG Study 2014".In the outbreak, I was explicit with you propecia before and after has changed my subsistence. It has become much more fun, and now I have to run. Just as it is fabulous to sit.

According to IMarEST (Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology), the text of the supplier’s declaration required on the bunker delivery note (BDN) under MARPOL Annex VI is likely to be amended. A proposal to was put to the 67th meeting of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 67) this week to add text to the BDN to reflect situations where the buyer would be using abatement technology, or scrubbers, to meet sulphur emission regulations. The last paragraph of appendix V of MARPOL Annex VI requires that the BDN should have "A declaration signed and certified by the fuel oil supplier's representative that the fuel oil supplied is in conformity with the applicable paragraph of regulation 14.1 or 14.4 and regulation 18.3 of this Annex." A submission from a large number of countries and the European Commissions said that in order to allow for situations where technology, rather than fuel, would be used to meet sulphur limits, new text should be added. The proposed addition reads: "If the receiver of the fuel oil identifies that the fuel oil is intended to be used in combination with an approved equivalent means of compliance in accordance with regulation ...

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced the publication of the English version of its Environmental and Social Report 2014, which introduces the MOL Group's perspectives and latest initiatives regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the environment. The report provides a broad range of information based on the viewpoints of the environment, society, and governance (ESG), which support MOL's sustainability, and focuses especially on issues the MOL Group should emphasize to ensure continued growth while meeting the needs of its various stakeholders. The special feature, "Contributing to Society through Businesses," explains the significance of the ocean shipping industry, which supports virtually every phase of people's lives today, from supplying energy and natural resources to transport of consumer products, as well as MOL technologies aimed at saving energy and protecting the environment. The MOL Group continually strives to grow sustainably with society while earning the trust of stakeholders.   MOL Environmental Technologies Shipping is an energy efficient mode of transportation; however, but vessels emit CO2, which is a cause of global warming, and NOx and SOx, which are linked to acid rain and atmospheric pollution. To further reduce such emissions, the MOL Group is implementing various unique actions including advancement of technologies ...

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has agreed to consider introducing measures to improve controls of bunkers delivered to ships. After six submissions to the IMO over 4 years, to which INTERTANKO made a major contribution, persistence with another submission has resulted in progress to assure the quality of fuel delivered to ships.  A correspondence group will develop guidelines for states to ensure fuel quality compliance with MARPOL Annex VI. It will also consider the adequacy of the current legal framework for assuring the quality of fuel.  INTERTANKO’s Managing Director Katharina Stanzel says: “We welcome this decision. However this is only the beginning as we believe that control of compliance should be transparent along the entire supply chain. Our members and all ship owners should be able to have confidence, and documented proof, that fuels they receive are at or above the mandated standards.” In order to control whether bunkers delivered and used by ships are compliant, most parties to MARPOL Annex VI control fuels used by ships (i.e. sampling fuel in the engine room). INTERTANKO has been arguing that there should be given first clear evidence of the quality of fuel supplied to the ship is compliant. From 1 January ...

The IMO Committee on Protection of the Marine Environment (MEPC) held its 67th Session from Monday 13 through Friday 17 October 2014 in IMO Headquarters in London. Among the many issues discussed by the Committee, developments on the air pollution were on the agenda. IMO MEPC 67 concluded the following: Air Pollution from ships Impact on the Arctic of emissions of Black Carbon from International shipping It was felt premature for the Committee to single out a particular contender for  an agreed definition of Black Carbon thus the matter will be sent back to PPR at its second (next) session with a view to them making a clear and definitive recommendation. Fuel Oil Quality The Committee noted the outcome of MSC 93’s consideration of fuel oil quality and its possible impact on crew health, ship safety and environmental protection.  Proposals were invited to MSC94, for consideration in conjunction with the outcome of MEPC 67, urging Member Governments, in the meantime, to strengthen their oversight capacity of bunker fuel suppliers.   In the ensuing discussion, the majority of Member States expressed a view supporting the development of non-mandatory guidance whilst a significant minority of Member States supported mandatory measures.  (Of note, had the NGO vote ...

European shipowners are concerned by the intention of the Italian Presidency of the Council to move full steam ahead with an inter-institutional agreement on the EU Regulation for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification system of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport (EU MRV Regulation), which could potentially include commercial and operational information. ECSA urges EU decision-makers ahead of the trialogue negotiations to re-focus on developments at international level, lest unilateral EU action lead to regional differentiation and ultimately obstruct progress in the IMO (International maritime Organisation). In 2013, the European Commission put forward the MRV proposal with the intention of paving the way for an international solution. The IMO has in parallel been making progress towards establishing a global monitoring system. Currently, the work on the EU instrument is proceeding at a faster pace than the work of the IMO, and therein lies the risk. The EU instrument should be as simple and straightforward as possible, so as to be easily adaptable at a later stage to incorporate the outcome of the IMO process. Moreover, the simpler the EU tool remains, the more it will facilitate international negotiations instead of pre-empting them. “The stated goal of EU regulators has until now ...