Tag: SECA

  In the port of Rotterdam, the number of ships which, via the Environmental Ship Index, have acquired a discount on their seaport dues has increased by 48% to 969 (of the 14,850), in the first half of the year. This means the level of pollution caused by ships is falling. Measurements taken by the DCMR Environmental Protection Agency in the Rijnmond region also demonstrate that the air quality in the region has been improving each year. Structurally, all concentrations of pollutants (such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter) are declining, with the exception of ozone. In the Rijnmond region, road traffic is the largest source of various high - but local - concentrations of pollutants. Since 1 January 2015, the SECA for the North Sea has been made more stringent. In this area, the maximum permissible sulphur content of the fuel used by ships is now 0.1%; previously it was 1%. The first measurements taken by DCMR indicate that this has resulted in there being about 20% less SO2 in the air in the western part of the region. Source and Image Credit: Port of RotterdamIn the start, I was frank with you propecia before and after has changed my ...

  The European Innovation Project LeanShips – Low Energy And Near To Zero Emissions Ships – will demonstrate the effectiveness and reliability of energy saving and emission reduction technologies at real scale. LeanShips is one of the first projects funded under the new European Research and Innovation Framework Program HORIZON 2020. Project scheme(Please click for a larger view) The project is coordinated by Damen Shipyards Group and jointly managed by the Netherlands Maritime Technology Foundation (NMT), the Center of Maritime Technologies (CMT) from Germany and Cetena, the Italian Ship Research Centre. LeanShips officially started on 1 May 2015 with a grant of 17 million Euro. The large project partnership consists of ship owners, shipyards, equipment suppliers and research institutes. In total, 46 partners (81% from industry) from 12 EU member states and one associated country are part of the project. LeanShips aims to put innovations into practice by carrying out eight demonstrator show cases that combine technologies for efficient and less polluting vessels with end-users’ needs and requirements. Dedicated teams of equipment manufacturers (technology providers), shipyards (technology integrators) and ship owners (technology users) as well as rule makers will make certain that the innovations developed in the project are matured ...

  Wärtsilä is launching a series of four new container feeder vessel designs at this year’s Nor-Shipping exhibition being held in Oslo from June 2 to 5. The innovative designs are based upon achieving optimal fuel efficiency, while being compliant with all known current and future environmental regulations.  The four ship designs, namely the WSD80-1500, WSD80-2400, WSD80-4000 and WSD84-2400, feature exceptionally low and best-in-class fuel consumption. Each design is available in three versions; ‘conventional’ using HFO as fuel, ‘environmental’ using HFO with exhaust cleaning scrubber systems, and ‘clean’ with dual-fuel capability and running mainly on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Wärtsilä’s technology and experience in the development of dual-fuel marine engines and LNG fuel supply systems is a key enabler of ship designs that efficiently anticipate the global adoption of LNG as a marine fuel. Fuel flexibility is, therefore, a main feature of these latest Wärtsilä designs along with fuel efficiency, cargo capacity, systems redundancy and the lowest possible levels of exhaust emissions. Since container feeder vessels operate largely within existing or anticipated ECA (Emissions Control Areas) or SECA (Sulphur Emissions Control Areas), environmentally compliant designs are extremely relevant. “Wärtsilä is a global supplier of efficient, reliable, and environmentally sustainable ship ...

  As of 1 June 2015 the port of Antwerp will grant a discount to seagoing ships that use alternative technology to reduce emissions of particulates. The new discount comes on top of the existing ESI discount, which means that in some cases ships can benefit from a 30% reduction in the port dues that have to be paid whenever they call at Antwerp. With this additional environmental discount Antwerp Port Authority seeks to encourage investments in green technologies for more sustainable shipping, by supporting and rewarding these technology pioneers. The discount is being introduced for a period of three years and will be gradually reduced. Local pollution  Despite all efforts so far, shipping still makes a significant contribution towards local pollution, mainly in the form of SOx, NOx and particulates. Various regulatory initiatives to improve this situation have already been taken. One of these is the introduction of standards for sulphur emissions by seagoing ships in the so-called Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs). To meet these stricter standards, ships must either improve the quality or type of fuel used (for example, by switching to low-sulphur fuel such as Marine Gas Oil or LNG), or must install post-combustion systems (e.g. ...

  DEME has confirmed its order for two new trailing suction hopper dredgers to enhance its fleet. Built according to a 'green' design the two vessels will have a 'Green Passport' and a 'Clean Design' notation. The ships will be equipped with 'dual fuel' engines and LNG tanks, ensuring compliance with all of the international emission requirements within the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECA). ‘Dual fuel’ technology is both sustainable and future oriented, as it enables engines to operate on either diesel or LNG while limiting the CO2, Nox and SOx emissions to the strictest minimum. In view of the innovative technology the ships will be manned with especially trained high-tech personnel and they will be 'best in class' according to their specific category. Both trailing suction hopper dredgers will be built by the Dutch shipyard Royal IHC. They will be operational before the end of 2016. The first vessel will be a new generation trailing suction hopper dredger in the ‘Antigoon class' with a hopper volume of approx. 8,000 m³ and a total length (LOA) of 104 m. Its maximum draught of 7.5 m and powerful pump for pumping dredging materials ashore make this vessel the perfect all-round solution. ...

  Germany's Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) announced the results of a study it says shows that "scrubbers are no solution to air pollution from ships." The recent tightening of the fuel sulphur limits for fuel used in Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) requires the use of fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1% in these regions, or a technology that can reduce emissions to an equivalent level, from January, 1st 2015. Most low sulphur fuels are distillates (e.g. marine gasoil MGO, which are more expensive than the residual fuels that are traditionally used by ships (e.g. heavy fuel oil HFO)). Exhaust gas scrubbers, in combination with the use of HFO, have been accepted as an alternative means to lower sulphur emissions. Four different types of scrubbers are available today: Seawater scrubbers (open loop) utilize untreated seawater, using the natural alkalinity of the seawater to neutralize the sulphur from exhaust gases. Freshwater scrubbers (closed loop) are not dependent on the type of the water the vessel is operating in, because the exhaust gases are neutralized with caustic soda, which is added to freshwater in a closed system. Hybrid scrubbers give the possibility to either use closed loop or ...

  A new fast ropax ferry ordered by the Estonia based Tallink Grupp for its Tallinn – Helsinki route, will feature Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines running primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG). The ship is to be built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland and is scheduled to be in operation from the beginning of 2017. The contract with Wärtsilä was signed in February. By opting for Wärtsilä’s industry leading dual-fuel (DF) engine technology with LNG used as the main fuel, the ship will comply with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) latest sulphur emissions legislation which came into force in January 2015. The Baltic Sea is designated as a Sulphur Emissions Control Area (SECA). When operating in gas mode, the sulphur oxide (SOx) and particle emissions from the Wärtsilä DF engines are negligible at almost zero percent. Furthermore, the nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are at least 85 percent below those specified in the current IMO regulations, and CO2 emissions are some 25 percent less than those of a conventional marine engine running on diesel fuel. The full scope of supply includes three 12-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF and two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 50DF main engines, as well as two Wärtsilä fixed pitch propellers ...

Wärtsilä and Clean Marine Energy announced the landmark signing of the shipping industry’s first collaboration agreement that will provide a convenient funding solution to drive the uptake of exhaust gas cleaning technology. The move is intended to ease the financial burden on ship owners seeking to install scrubber systems in order to meet sulphur emissions legislation. The financing solution, similar to those prevalent and proven in the building environment space, enables a ship owner to repay the cost of the scrubber system installation via a fuel adder, i.e. a fuel premium on the price of HFO by which the ship owner repays the cost of installing the scrubber. This provides a return from the differential between Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and Marine Gasoil (MGO) for a period of four to six years, depending on price spreads. This means that ship owners do not have the burden of meeting the up-front capital expenditure, which is typically between USD 3 million and USD 12 million per vessel. This investment is often difficult to pass on to charterers, whereas with CME financing, the fuel adder charge can be easily passed on until such time as the scrubber system is paid for. The concept ...