Tag: US EPA

Belco, a division of DuPont Sustainable Solutions, has been awarded a contract for two BELCO Marine Scrubbers by Interlake Steamship Company, a U.S.-based company that has led the Great Lakes shipping industry since 1913. The closed loop scrubbers are to be installed on the M/V Honorable James L. Oberstar, a self-unloading dry bulk carrier that operates on the Great Lakes. Installation begins in mid-January in Wisconsin, and testing is scheduled for April 2015. The system will allow Interlake to meet all North American ECA and IMO Annex VI sulfur requirements while continuing to operate on heavy fuel oil. Each single-inlet, closed loop scrubber will be connected to a Rolls Royce Marine Bergen 6-cylinder diesel engine rated at 4,079 b.h.p. (3000 kW). For this retrofit, BELCO® worked closely with Interlake to provide a system whose equipment and auxiliaries were optimized based on the vessel’s operational profile. For example, the scrubbers will take advantage of a common effluent treatment system to meet all U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. EPA and IMO washwater emission standards. “Interlake recently spent millions of dollars converting and repowering several of its vessels with engines that operate on heavy fuel oil, and was in search of a solution to ...

Horizon Lines, Inc.  announced it has received a permit providing a conditional waiver from the North American Emissions Control Area (ECA) fuel sulfur content requirements of MARPOL Annex VI regulation 14.4.  The permit is in force while Horizon pursues installation of Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS) on each of its three (3) D7-class vessels which operate in the Alaska trade. The permit was issued by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and became effective in 2015. The permit will allow these Horizon vessels to use low-sulfur heavy fuel oil in their main engines while operating between Washington state and Alaska, subject to compliance with other terms and restrictions of the permit.  Horizon is committed to operating its vessels and terminals in accordance with all environmental regulations, and continuing to serve its customers in the most efficient and reliable means possible. Further, Horizon has entered into a supply agreement with Alfa Laval Aalborg Nijmegen BV for design and procurement of the PureSox 2.0 EGCS for the three Horizon D7-class vessels which operate in the Alaska trade.  This Alfa Laval EGCS is a multiple inlet hybrid system which will clean the exhaust gas from the ...

YANMAR America has announced the introduction of its new EPA Tier III compliant commercial marine diesel engine. Rated at 755 mHP and 1900 RPM, the new 20.38-liter 6AYAM-ET uses a fully mechanical control system for easy servicing and reliable performance. The four-cycle, in-line six-cylinder 6AYAM-ET offers several key features and benefits that make it a top choice for commercial vessel operators. First, the torque characteristics allow for stable cruising with the least amount of speed reduction even with sudden load changes. The engine also offers its globally acclaimed low fuel consumption and a continuous rating suitable for river push boats, tugboats, trawlers and other applications with uninterrupted operations or load cycles. Plus, a 500-hour service interval aided by a purpose-built marine design featuring a long stroke, water cooled exhaust manifold, special coated liner and nodular cast iron piston with coated piston rings assure minimum downtime to keep vessels on the water and out of the shop. To comply with emissions regulations, the 6AYAM-ET uses an internal exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system. This design does not require any external control devices or significant engine structure changes. In addition, the micro-sized multiple holes in the all-new injectors produce an even finer fuel ...

Sampling of Bilgewater from a Bilgewater Treatment System U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a guide to provide vessel owners/operators with tips and tools for meeting the sample collection and analysis monitoring requirements in the 2013 VGP. The document is written primarily to better educate vessel owners/operators who intend to conduct some or all of the sampling themselves rather than contracting these sampling activities to experienced third-party sampling service providers. However, EPA expects many vessel owners/operators will look to sampling service providers and laboratories to perform these activities for them and this document should serve as a resource for them as well. Many NPDES permittees hire full-service “turnkey” operations to sample and analyze their discharges in lieu of building these capabilities in-house. Such service providers are currently available in many ports and EPA is aware that additional entities are considering offering similar services soon. When an owner/operator is not interested or unable to perform these sampling activities, use of a full-service provider is a viable alternative. Vessel Required to Collect and Analyze Samples under the 2013 VGP Any vessel discharging bilgewater to waters subject to the VGP constructed on or after December 19, 2013 and greater than 400 gross tons ...

MARPOL Annex VI requires ocean-going vessels to use fuel with a maximum sulfur level of 1,000 ppm in Emission Control Areas beginning January 1, 2015. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a guidance on ECA marine fuel to assist with the compliance with the requirements as suppliers of ECA marine fuel and vessel owners and operators transition to the 2015 standard. Liability and Violations Under the 40 CFR Part 80 ECA marine fuel regulations, any person in the fuel distribution system who controls the facility where a violation of the 1,000 ppm ECA marine fuel sulfur standard is found may be liable for the violation. Anyone who produced or distributed this fuel is also presumed liable for the violations unless and until they can establish an affirmative defense. The ECA marine fuel regulations also explicitly prohibit any person from causing another person to violate the 1,000 ppm ECA marine fuel sulfur standards. Since anyone in the ECA marine fuel distribution system may be held liable for downstream violations of the 1,000 ppm sulfur standard, EPA encourages everyone in the ECA marine fuel distribution system to implement robust quality assurance programs toassure that the fuel they are producing, transporting, and selling complies with the 1,000 ppm ECA marine sulfur standard ...

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm EST to discuss the Annual Report requirements of the 2013 Vessel General Permit (VGP) and to provide an overview of how to use EPA’s electronic tool for preparing and submitting those annual reports. This webinar will describe:- Who is required to submit annual reports under the 2013 VGP,- How to register or update registration to use the new annual reporting module of EPA’selectronic reporting system (eNOI),- What information is required to be submitted in the annual report,- How to submit single or multiple (i.e., batch) annual reports, and- Where to go for help with submitting these reports. Time will be allotted during the webinar for EPA to respond to questions posed by participants. To participate in this webinar, please go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/616753794 to register in advance. There is no charge to register or participate. If you cannot participate, a recording of the webinar will be accessible from VGP website at:http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/npdes/vessels/Vessel-General-Permit.cfm  In the origin, I was frank 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 ...

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency announced a $975,000 Diesel Emission Reduction Act grant to the Delaware River and Bay Authority that will help bring new clean air technology to the Cape May-Lewes Ferry and reduce toxic air emissions. “Cleaning up our air and ensuring people’s right to breathe healthy air is a priority for EPA,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “The benefits of upgrading engines on the Cape May-Lewes ferry will help us combat climate change and benefit local air quality equivalent to removing emissions from 12 diesel tractor trailer trucks.” The grant will support repowering the propulsion engines in the ferry boat M/V Delaware with EPA certified engines that are anticipated to annually reduce fuel use by 39,600 gallons and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 443 tons. In addition, the upgrade will reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 39.7 tons and particulate matter (PM) emissions by nearly half a ton.  “We are grateful that the EPA recognized the importance of repowering MV Delaware, and the DERA grant will greatly assist that effort,” said Heath Gehrke, Director of Operations for the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. “The new engines will not only burn less fuel and be more ...

Cruise ships dumped more than a billion gallons of sewage in the ocean this year, much of it raw or poorly treated, according to federal data analyzed by Friends of the Earth, which continues the call for stronger rules to protect oceans, coasts, sea life and people. Friends of the Earth's 2014 Cruise Ship Report Card reveals that some of the 16 cruise lines graded are slowly getting greener; but more than 40 percent of the 167 ships still rely on 35-year-old waste treatment technology. Such antiquated treatment systems leave harmful levels of fecal matter, bacteria, heavy metals and other contaminants in the water. By law, wastewater dumped within three nautical miles of shore must be treated, but beyond that ships are allowed to dump raw sewage directly into the ocean. For this reason, the issue of accountability is paramount for the 2014 report card. In a complete reversal from prior years of cooperation and transparency, all 16 major cruise lines refused -- through their industry association, Cruise Lines International Association -- to respond to Friends of the Earth’s requests for information on their pollution-reduction technologies. Therefore, the 2014 Cruise Ship Report card contains a new category: “Transparency” in which ...

Tenneco  announced that it has introduced a complete urea dosing control, fluid handling and catalyst solution for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after treatment, enabling large engines to meet EPA Tier IV and IMO Tier III regulations. The company will showcase the complete system at the 2014 WorkBoat Show in New Orleans Dec. 3-5, 2014 (Booth #2152). The system is designed specifically for high-horsepower engines in the marine, stationary and locomotive markets, providing precise and reliable delivery of liquid urea. It includes a proprietary, high-performance injector design, a precision mechatronic fluid delivery pump and customizable remote monitoring and controls. “We’re excited to introduce an advanced SCR system specifically designed and purpose-built for large engine applications,” said Timothy Jackson, chief technology officer, Tenneco. “The system provides a turnkey dosing solution which is compatible with a wide range of engine and after treatment architectures, and is supported by Tenneco’s extensive full systems integration expertise.” Tenneco’s large engine SCR system is designed to meet the requirements of major maritime classification societies including the ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), DNV (Det Norske Veritas), CCS (China Classification Society), KR (Korean Register of Shipping) and Class NK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai). The system is currently being validated with ...

GE Transportation announced the first delivery of its latest marine diesel engines to GE Marine distributor Cummins Mid-South. The new engines meet EPA Tier 4 and IMO Tier III Emissions standards (ABS Certification and Green Passport) -- reducing NOx emissions by 70 percent when compared to EPA Tier 2 or IMO Tier II. “Our investment in this technology helps our customers meet their emissions requirements in the most efficient manner possible today.” Cummins is integrating the five 12V250 engines into gensets designed to power Oceaneering’s new vessel, MSV Ocean Evolution, which is expected to launch in early 2016. Oceaneering is a global oilfield provider of engineered services and products primarily to the offshore oil and gas industry with a focus on deep-water applications. “The GE Transportation team is very proud of this major milestone marking the first delivery of our Tier 4 emissions compliant diesel engines,” said Afra Gerstenfeld, General Manager of Transportation’s Marine group. “Our investment in this technology helps our customers meet their emissions requirements in the most efficient manner possible today.” GE Marine’s breakthrough engine technology eliminates the need for a Selective Catalytic Reduction system (SCR) for exhaust gas after-treatment and for storing or using urea aboard a vessel. ...