Reducing emissions from shipping: Commission’s Joint Research Centre sets out some options - ScienceBlog

Posted December 20, 2010 - ScienceBlog

Maritime transport causes about 4% of global man-made CO2 emissions which makes its carbon footprint approximately as high as Germany’s. There is no regulation of international maritime transport emissions yet, but this is currently under discussion in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In respect of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, shipping is the most environmentally-friendly mode of transport. However, if no action is taken, it is estimated that emissions from ships will increase by 150-200% by 2050. At present, around 50,000 merchant ships transport 90% of global goods and make maritime transport indispensable for the world economy. A report published today by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), provides the first comprehensive overview of methodologies for estimating air emissions from shipping, describes technological solutions and analyses policy options for reducing carbon emissions and air pollution in this sector.
Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire-Geoghegan-Quinn said: “This JRC report underlines why pollution from shipping, like that from many other sources, needs to be reduced both to help tackle climate change and to prevent severe damage to human health. It also discusses options for how a combination of technological innovation and market-based policies could deliver the reductions needed. This study is also a perfect example of how the scientific work done by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre can help drive political progress towards the EU’s Innovation Union and Europe 2020 goals.”

Complete story at:
http://scienceblog.com/41240/reducing-emissions-from-shipping-commissions-joint-research-centre-sets-out-some-options/

DNV Unveils New Design for VLCC Vessel - Linkedin - Maritime Group

Posted - With thanks to Captain Mike Popescu - Thailand

London: The introduction of a new crude oil tanker concept that is fueled by liquefied natural gas, has a hull shape that removes the need for ballast water and will almost eliminate local air pollution. This concept vessel also recovers hundreds of tons of cargo vapours on each voyage and represents a major step towards the new environmental era for the tanker shipping industry.
The new crude oil concept vessel, named Triality, has been developed through a DNV innovation project. As its name indicates, it fulfills three main goals: it is environmentally superior to a conventional crude oil tanker, its new solutions are feasible and based on well known technology, and it is financially attractive compared to conventional crude oil tankers operating on heavy fuel oil.
DNV CEO Henrik O. Madsen, who presented the new concept in its VLCC version in London today, says: “I am convinced that gas will become the dominant fuel for merchant ships. By 2020, the majority of owners will order ships that can operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG). As a leading class society, DNV has an important role to play in finding more environmentally friendly solutions for the shipping industry, and I’m proud of what has been achieved for the crude oil tanker segment through this innovation project that we are presenting today.”

Less harm to the environment

The Triality concept VLCC has been compared to a conventional VLCC. Both ships have the same operational range and can operate in the ordinary spot market. Compared to the traditional VLCC, the Triality VLCC will:emit 34% less CO2
eliminate entirely the need for ballast water - eliminate entirely the venting of cargo vapours (VOCs) - use 25% less energy - Less harm will also be caused to the health of people living close to busy shipping routes and ports as NOx emissions will be reduced by more than 80% while emissions of SOx and particulate matter will fall by as much as 95%.
The new concept tanker has two high pressure dual fuel slow speed main engines fueled by LNG, with marine gas oil as pilot fuel. The next phase of the Triality concept development will review the use of dual fuel medium speed engines and pure gas engines.
Two IMO type C pressure tanks capable of holding 13 500 m3 LNG - enough for 25 000 nautical miles of operation - are located on the deck in front of the superstructure. The generators are dual fuel (LNG and marine gas oil) while the auxiliary boilers producing steam for the cargo oil pumps operate on recovered cargo vapours (VOCs).

No ballast water

A traditional tanker in unloaded transit needs ballast water to obtain full propeller immersion and sufficient forward draft to avoid bottom slamming. The new V-shaped hull form and cargo tank arrangements completely eliminate the need for ballast water in the VLCC version. There will also be much less need for ballast water on other kinds of crude oil tankers, such as Suezmax, Aframax and smaller ships. The new hull shape results in a reduced wetted surface on a round trip and has a lower block coefficient and thus a more energy efficient hull.
A VLCC in unloaded transit will normally carry between 80 000 and 100 000 tons of sea water containing organisms that can cause damage when released into foreign ecosystems. In addition, a lot of fuel is needed just to transport this extra water. And finally, the initial coating and later maintenance of ballast tanks during operations are among a shipowner’s main concerns.
The Triality VLCC can collect and liquefy more than 500 tons of cargo vapors during one single round trip. These liquefied petroleum gases will then be stored in deck tanks and up to half will be used as fuel for the boilers during cargo discharge, while the rest can be returned to the cargo tanks or delivered to shore during oil cargo discharge.

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a1f4b93d

Interestering Read: Business leading the way on air pollution in Hong Kong - CSR Asia

Posted - December 8, 2010 - by Helen Roeth hroeth@csr-asia.com CSR Asia

CSR Asia’s CSR briefing in Hong Kong this month addressed the issue of air pollution with two outstanding speakers shedding light on the challenge– the one an impassioned environmentalist and the other a business leader. While Joanne Ooi, CEO of Clean Air Network and Tim Smith, CEO of Maersk Line in North Asia, could not have been more different in terms of their professional backgrounds, they shared similar views on how to tackle the problem of air pollution – through proactive business practices and engagement with governments to set necessary regulations.
A public opinion survey released this month by policy think tank Civic Exchange paints a bleak picture of the situation. Air pollution has become a serious health crisis and one in four Hong Kong residents is considering emigrating because of this, up from one in five in 2008. This is close to 2 million people and largely includes those that are wealthier, better educated, and employed as managers or professionals.
These findings are supported by global surveys published earlier this year. In April 2010 a Gallup survey found that 70 percent of Hong Kong people – more than anywhere else on the planet – were dissatisfied with air quality.
These figures indicate that air pollution has reached a level at which it is affecting Hong Kong’s competitive position. An earlier Gallup survey of 148 jurisdictions between 2007 and 2010 on migration flows rated Hong Kong with a net loss of 12 per cent, i.e. more people seek to leave the city than want to come here. In contrast, Singapore topped the chart with 219 per cent net inflow.

Complete article at:
http://csr-asia.com/weekly_detail.php?id=12217

New Online Registry to Rate Efficiency of Worldwide Shipping Vessels - Climate.bna.com

Posted on Monday, December 06, 2010 by Eric J. Lyman.

CANCUN, Mexico--Carbon War Room, the non-profit organization co-founded by U.K. billionaire Richard Branson, Monday unveiled a new website it says will help ratchet down emissions from international maritime shipping by creating a registry where interested parties can look up the efficiency ratings of more than 60,000 commercial shipping vessels.
Organizers said they believe the ratings will be useful to ship buyers looking to acquire efficient vessels, sellers looking to retrofit their feet in order to increase its value, merchants that can state a preference for higher-rated ships, and port owners that can give preferential treatment to more highly rated vessels.
The website rates all sorts of vessels—container ships, tankers, cargo ships, cruise ships, bulk carriers, and ferries—on a scale from A to G based on a variety of factors, such as energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions, and the performance of other ships in the same class. Ships can move up or down the ratings depending on changes to their status, either because of retrofitting or aging.

Complete story at:
http://blogs.bna.com/climate/fulltext.aspx?id=4294969640&blogid=4294969421

Cancun - The shipping news - Financial Times - ft.com/energysource

Posted - December 6, 2010 By Fiona Harvey

The global shipping industry gives rise to more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire German economy. Yet shipping has been all but ignored in international climate change negotiations. Shipping emissions were excluded from the Kyoto protocol, and from the European Union’s emissions trading scheme.
Though the shipping industry has made some moves to monitor and reduce its emissions, these have not yet resulted in industry-wide action.
The Carbon War Room, a grouping founded by Sir Richard Branson to try to enlist businesses in the battle against climate change, is hoping to change all that.
Analysts at the CWR have taken data on the energy efficiency of most of the world’s cargo ships, amassed by the International Maritime Organization, and turned it into a form that businesses can easily understand.

Complete story at:
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/12/06/cancun-the-shipping-news/

Shipping Faces Calls to Lower Its Carbon Footprint - The New York Times

Published: December 5, 2010 - By JAMES KANTER

BRUSSELS — In an era when industries are competing to shrink their carbon footprints, shipping has charted a slower course.
Shipping is less visible to the public compared with airlines and smokestack industries, making it less exposed to calls for regulation. Shipping also carries about 90 percent of global trade at rates of efficiency already far higher than most ground and air transport.
Yet emissions from shipping have soared in the past three decades as global trade has expanded, and that is upping the pressure on the industry to make improvements and to start compensating for its annual emissions, which the International Maritime Organization said might be as much as 1,260 million tons of carbon dioxide. That equates to 3.9 percent of the global output of carbon dioxide — or higher than the carbon footprint for aviation.
The I.M.O., which is a U.N. agency that sets rules for the maritime industry, has publicized a much lower figure of 2.7 percent. But that leaves out shipping along national coastlines and a margin of error of as much as 20 percent in its calculations.
At the start of this year, Connie Hedegaard, the E.U. commissioner for climate action, warned the 169 countries that are members of the I.M.O. that they would “have to speed up compared to what they used to do earlier on” to tackle their carbon footprint.
She pledged to impose regulations — possibly in the form of a trading system or a mandatory carbon levy — if the industry failed to come up with a plan to reduce its emissions by the end of next year.

Complete story at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/business/energy-environment/06iht-green.html?_r=1

New energy efficiency standards for shipping - The Washington Post

Posted - at 1:52 PM ET, 12/ 3/2010 - The Washington Post - By Juliet Eilperin

Major shippers will join with retailers and the Carbon War Room group on Monday to announce that they will apply a universal energy efficiency index to their fleets.
The effort could translate into serious cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from global shipping by enabling shippers to measure and compare how dirty some marine vessels are.
The Carbon War Room, a group founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson and several other business leaders, has been working over the past couple of years to develop responses to climate change from the private sector. Branson will be hosting a "World Climate Summit" in Cancun this week, during the weekend break for negotiators at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Sir Richard Branson, CEO for Virgin Groups, gestures during a debate at the Climate Summit for Mayors at the Copenhagen City Hall on December 16, 2009.
The action will involve some of the world's biggest shipping companies, such as Maersk Line. Maersk recently announced it is now the first shipping line to receive independent verification of its CO2 emissions data, vessel by vessel. Lloyd's Register has conducted the verification, and Maersk said it will include the data as one of eight performance measures that it presents to customers -- such as Starbucks -- in a scorecard.
Jacob Sterling, Maersk's head of climate and environment, said if independent verification became an industry standard, "this will enable our customers to choose shipping lines based on their environmental performance."
The shipping industry's carbon footprint has come under scrutiny recently, in part because large ocean-going vessels use fuel that is much dirtier than the kinds used by cars and trucks. International negotiators have raised the idea of imposing a carbon tax on the international maritime industry ito help raise the billions of dollars the industrialized world has promised to give developing countries to cope with global warming.
These shipping emissions pose a significant public health risk, as well: According to a 2007 study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, exposure to shipping-related fine particle emissions accounted for 19,000 to 64,000 annual deaths stemming from heart and lung disease. That same study projected the death rate could rise 40 percent "due to trade-driven growth in shipping emissions."
"The deaths of tens of thousands of people could be avoided throughout the world each year if the shipping industry used cleaner diesel fuel, rather than the high-pollution residual or bunker fuels currently used," said S. William Becker, executive director National Association of Clean Air Agencies.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/post-carbon/2010/12/in_an_effort_that_could.html

Four LNG dual fuel engines ensure low NOX emissions (85 percent reduction) and significantly reduce CO2 emissions (25 percent reduction). - Maritime News

Posted - December 2, 2010 - Maritime News

Eidesvik doubles up on Kleven order:

Norway’s Eidesvik Offshore has exercised a NOK 440 million ($71.2 million) option to build a second LNG fueled PSV at Kleven Maritime. Scheduled for delivery from Kleven’s Ulsteinvik shipyard in 2012, the vessel will be Eidesvik’s fifth platform supply vessel powered by natural gas, confirming the company’s position as the world’s largest provider of LNG powered PSVs.
Like its sister ship, which was ordered in July, the vessel is specially equipped for operations in northern areas and is of VS 489 LNG design.
The two vessels are new generation environmentally friendly PSVs with great emphasis on fuel economy, low emissions and large capacities both below and on deck.
With a length of 90 m and beam of 21 m, they offer a deck space of more and have a deadweight of 6,500 dwt.
Built to ice class ICE C, they are equipped for oil recovery (OIL REC NOFO 2009) and a capacity for standby vessel duties further increases market value.
Four LNG dual fuel engines ensure low NOX emissions (85 percent reduction) and significantly reduce CO2 emissions (25 percent reduction). A new state of the art system for or purifying ballast water is installed.

http://bestshippingnews.com/uncategorized/eidesvik-doubled-in-order-to-kleven/