Tag: slow steaming

Regulated slow steaming in maritime transport Report If ships were obliged to immediately cut their speeds, they could also slash 15% of their carbon emissions and save billions in lower ship fuel bills, according to a new report.The report, 'Regulated slow steaming in maritime transport' by the consultants CE Delft, says that if global average maritime speeds were reduced by 10%, carbon dioxide savings would rise to 19%, even after the cost of building and operating new ships to make up for lost capacity was considered."Regulated slow steaming can produce emissions reductions by 2030 and 2050 which rival any other reduction option being considered at IMO or EU level," said John Maggs of Seas At Risk, one of the groups that commissioned the report."And it can do so with a sizeable economic gain."TheInternational Maritime Organisation, or IMO, is the UN body that oversees shipping safety and pollution.International shipping currently accounts for some 4.5% of global CO2 emissions but unless action is taken, the UN Environment Programme predicts that this figure could rise to between 10% and 32% by 2050.Kyoto ProtocolIn 1997, the Kyoto Protocol called on the IMO to reduce emissions from international shipping but agreement has proved elusive.Last May, ...

Maersk pioneered 'slow steaming' as an industry standard Maersk pioneered 'slow steaming' as an industry standard. Before 2009, the industry feared that slower ship speeds would damage the engine. But Maersk has proved that wasn't the case, if you follow the right procedures.When a ship 'slow steams' it reduces the engine load --and thereby the speed of the vessel. The benefits are threefold: lower fuel consumption, less pollution and higher schedule reliability. Slow steaming is mainly used on the long hauls, for example across the Pacific or between Asia and Europe.

Slow steaming cuts down on fuel consumption The world's biggest container shipping company, Maersk Line, said on Monday it planned to expand its use of slow steaming on Asia-Europe routes and also to introduce it in the Pacific.The statement by Maersk Line, a unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk, follows its Feb. 17 announcement that it would remove 9 percent of its capacity from Asia-Europe trade lanes because overcapacity had knocked freight rates to unsustainably low levels.Slow steaming, which means sailing at lower-than-normal speeds, cuts down on fuel consumption and tightens up the market by reducing available capacity as it takes longer for vessels to travel from port to port.Source: Reuters

Slow steaming and "super" slow steaming has been a common practice Many owners and operators faced with high bunker prices are considering implementing slow steaming regimes to save fuel and to assist with capacity planning. In the scheduled liner industry, slow steaming and "super" slow steaming has been a common practice for several years.Other sectors of the industry are now looking at the possibility of slow steaming, but are aware of the need for a special provision to incorporate into their charter parties to deal with the legal and technical aspects of this practice. In response to this demand BIMCO has been working over the past year on developing two new standard charter party clauses - one for time charter parties and the other for voyage charters.The first to be published is the time charter clause which was adopted by BIMCO's Documentary Committee in November. The Clause has been issued as a Special Circular to Members (No. 7, dated 23 December 2011) containing a set of explanatory notes and a copy of the ClauseBIMCO has consulted with the major engine designers during the development of the Clause to ensure that the technicalities of slow steaming are properly reflected in its ...

"Slow steaming" is when service speed is lowered but where the vessel can safely steam The Slow Steaming Clause for Time Charter Parties was reviewed when the Working Group met in Copenhagen on 14 October. The Group were joined by a technical expert from engine manufacturer Wärtsilä with the purpose of shedding some light on the advantages and technical challenges that shipowners face when agreeing to slow steam. A solution was found to the technical issues which had been holding up the adoption of the clause.The clause is designed for tankers, dry bulk and container vessels and it introduces a two-tier approach to slow steaming, either "slow steaming" or "ultra slow steaming". "Slow steaming" is when service speed is lowered according to the charterers' request, but where the vessel can safely steam without the use of the vessel's engine auxiliary blowers. According to the advice received from several engine experts all vessels, provided that they have been well-maintained, will be able to lower the speed until this point without requiring modifications or the keeping of extra spares and without suffering damage to the engines and other parts of the vessel."Ultra slow steaming" is when the vessel's service speed is lowered ...