Experts Assess Micro-plastics in Marine Environment - MarineLink.com

Posted - July 29, 2013 -  MarineLink.com

International experts have met in London to review the growing problems in the marine environment caused by micro-plastics – tiny pieces of plastic or fibers which may act as a pathway for persistent, bio-accumulating and toxic substances entering the food chain.

The experts form a key working group (WG-40) under the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP), an advisory body that advises the United Nations (UN) system on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the Administrative Secretariat of GESAMP, which has, to date, produced more than 85 reports, including numerous in-depth technical studies contributing to the assessment on the state of the global marine environment.

The working group, which was meeting for its second session (from July, 23-25), completed a draft assessment report, covering the inputs of plastics and micro-plastics into the ocean, from land- and sea-based human activities; the mechanisms and rates of particle degradation and fragmentation; the processes controlling particle transport and accumulation; the interaction of micro-plastics with organisms, and potential physical and chemical impacts; and public perceptions about marine litter in general and micro-plastics in particular.

Further meetings will be held in 2013 and 2014, with a view to presenting the final global assessment report on micro plastics in the ocean at the Second International Ocean Research Conference in Barcelona, in November 2014.

The principal audience for the assessment consists of the five UN Agencies supporting the work (IMO, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC), as the lead Agency). The group recognized that the results will also be of interest to many other stakeholders, including intergovernmental bodies, regional seas organizations, maritime and relevant land-based sectors, industry, conservation bodies, scientists and the general public.

The workshop brought together experts in chemistry, ecology, eco-toxicology, human toxicology, materials science, physical oceanography, psychology, science-policy interface, social media and waste management, from nine countries on five continents, and observers from PlasticsEurope and the American Chemistry Council.

Plastic debris comes in a wide variety of sizes and compositions and has been found throughout the world’s oceans, carried by ocean currents and biological vectors, such as in the stomach contents of fish, mammals and birds. Plastics degrade extremely slowly in the open ocean, partly due to UV absorption by seawater and relatively low temperatures. The dumping of plastics into the sea from ships is prohibited under international treaties.

The potential problems of micro-plastics n the marine environment were brought to the attention of GESAMP in 2010. Micro-plastics are one of the degradation products of all plastics and may be small to very small, including just fibers or strands, with a range of compositions. They tend to fall into one of two categories: “primary” micro-plastic resin pellets used in the plastics industry, and in certain applications such as industrial abrasives and skin-care products; and “secondary” micro-plastics resulting from the degradation and breakdown of larger items, including so-called biodegradable plastics.

While micro-plastics may not pose an obvious risk to marine life – such as entanglement – due to the small size, nonetheless they may pose chemical or physical risks, especially on micro-fauna. Micro-plastics may also contribute to the transfer of pollutants from seawater to marine life.

imo.org

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http://www.marinelink.com/news/microplastics-environment357057.aspx

Ship Detained in Australian Port Over Oil Spill Suspicion - Maritime Executive

Posted - July 30, 2013 -  Maritime Executive

Australian authorities have issued a detention order to prevent a ship from leaving the Port of Brisbane while an investigation into an oil spill continues.

The order was issued on Tuesday afternoon to the master of the Dominica-flagged Danny Rose, which was docked at Fisherman Islands' wharf near where the oil was discovered.

Queensland's Marine Pollution Act 1995 gives the state government the right to hold the vessel in the port if authorities believe it may be responsible for the oil spill.

• The spill clean-up is currently ongoing, after leaving a nearly one-mile oil slick at the port on Sunday night.
• Investigators have already interviewed crewmembers of the detained ship and taken oil samples.
• A marine engineer has also inspected the ship's fuel systems.
• Five oil-slicked birds have been found so far, but wildlife officials are searching for others.
• Danny Rose is managed by Neptune Pacific Agency and was built in 1988.
• The official statement from Maritime Safety Queensland is below:

Maritime Safety Queensland and Port of Brisbane pollution response crews are assessing the extent of an oil spill reported near Fisherman Island wharves in the Port of Brisbane.

First reports of a suspected spill were received overnight however response crews had to wait until morning to assess the nature and extent of the spill by daylight.

Initial inspections have identified small globules of oil in the water concentrated near the outer Fisherman Island wharves with some coating of oil on wharf structures.

Maritime Safety Queensland and Port of Brisbane oil spill response crews are on standby with containment and clean-up equipment while a full assessment is conducted.

It is anticipated that booms will be put in place around areas where the oil is concentrated.

While it is not expected that the incident will have a significant effect on shipping through the port some vessels may be delayed until the affected wharves are determined to be clear of any oil contamination.

Maritime Safety Queensland is also conducting an investigation into the cause of the spill.

Post to be found at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Ship-Detained-in-Australian-Port-Over-Oil-Spill-Suspicion-2013-07-30/

RasGas maintains leading position in environment friendly vessels - RasGas Company Ltd. - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Posted - July 31, 2013 -  RasGas Company Ltd. - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Launched in 2008, the WPCI currently has 55 of the world's key ports committed to reducing greenhouse gases participating in its programme. WPCI ports offer incentives to ships with the best environmental performance calling at their facilities, to help reduce and improve the quality of their emissions through substantial discounts on tonnage dues. Currently, there are 2,148 ships committed to WPCI's industry-recognized standards. Ships' performance and adherence to WPCI standards are reviewed every three months.
AlAreesh and AlDaayen currently hold first and second position respectively. RasGas' chartered ships, Lusail, Ejnan and Al Marrouna, have also headed the list and are currently among the top 25.
"RasGas elected to join this programme as part of our commitment to managing our business in an environmentally responsible manner. Having five of our chartered vessels registered with WPCI take such leading positions is testament to the rigorous environmental standards we maintain throughout the supply chain," said Khalid Sultan R. Al Kuwari, RasGas Chief Marketing and Shipping Executive.
The majority of RasGas' LNG tankers use steam boilers which are known to release much smaller quantities of nitrogen oxides when compared to diesel engines. The Company's conventional vessels are also made to run on cleaner natural gas whenever possible, reducing sulfur oxide emissions to best achievable results.
RasGas' integrated shipping fleet consists of a variety of conventional ships, Q-Flex tankers and a Q-Max vessel enhancing RasGas' flexibility to meet global demand.
Source: RasGas Company Ltd.

Post to be found at:
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/News.aspx?ElementId=babe9189-6951-422d-9387-6062c214b599&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily

Shipping Industry Needs To Be Greener To Address Financial "Gaping Hole” -- Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Posted - July31, 2013 -   Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

The financial crisis and the retreat of the banks means the shipping industry must look to a new set of investors that are demanding greater transparency and environmental performance before they will invest, according to the global head of transport at Dutch bank ABN-Amro.
"Banks are retreating from the business so that leaves a very big gaping hole in the financial structure," ABN-Amro’s Gust Biesbroek said "The way ships are being financed today: that hole is being filled rapidly by capital markets, private equity and other private investors […] and the demands that this new money puts on all the shipping companies in which they invest are very different from the old fashioned bank; there is a lot more emphasis on transparency, longer term transparency as well and of course environmental performance."
Biesbroek made his remarks yesterday at an event hosted by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, a cross-industry coalition of businesses working to achieve a sustainable future for the shipping industry. He was joined by representatives from global marine equipment manufacturer, Wartsila Corporation, and shipping giant Maersk Line, which today launches the first of its Triple E ships, its most environment-friendly family of ships to date.
Over 80 per cent of world trade is carried by the global shipping industry and that means emissions from shipping now total over a billion tonnes a year.
Biesbroek suggested it was time the shipping industry dragged itself into the 21st century and start thinking long-term.
"The world fleet has become a lot bigger in recent years […] and all those new ships are yesterdays ships because they have been built to come to the market as soon as possible […] rather than being the most modern ship […] and that is, as far as I am concerned, a huge missed opportunity," he said.
But he said the industry also had an opportunity to go for the "low hanging fruit" and make these 'old ships’ more sustainable by retrofitting them so they cut their fuel bills.
Describing the industry as "very traditional", Signe Bruun Jensen, Global Advisor on Environment and CSR at Maersk Line, said sustainability measures that are potentially environmentally friendly are also financially beneficial.
Maersk Triple E class The Maersk Triple E class will be a family of 20 large, fuel-efficient container ships, designed as a successor to the Maersk E-class and costing US$1.9 billion to build. The name 'Triple E; is derived from the class’s three design principles: 'Economy of scale, Energy efficient and Environmentally improved’. The vessels are 400 metres long, 59 metres wide and 73 metres high and will travel the Asia-Europe trade route. They cover 184 kilometres using just one kilowatt hour of energy per ton of cargo – the same amount of energy per ton of cargo it would take a jumbo jet to travel half a kilometre. They will cut carbon dioxide emissions by more than 50 per cent for every container they move, compared to the industry average the same trade route.
In addition, Jensen said Maersk was launching an initiative that retrofits their chartered vessels and incentivises behavioural performance from ship captains geared towards greener sustainability practices to meet these measures.
Maersk has reached its carbon emission goal of reducing emissions by 25 per cent eight years before its set target. For the end of the decade, the new plan is reach 40 per cent less carbon emissions.
Cross-industry collaboration
"Technology is one thing and we are very proud of that but I think early on we came to the realisation that there is only so much you can do as one company," Jensen said. "We are working across the entire value chain: with some of our customers like Unilever or Cargill but also working with suppliers […] finance providers to see if we can really develop some solutions to the bigger problems we can’t address alone."
Tomas Aminoff, director Technology Strategy and Ship Power of Wartsila agreed with Jensen on the entire industry coming together to combat carbon emissions and fight for more sustainable shipping.
Aminoff affectionately quoted a technical director he met early in his career who told him, "we can put a man on the moon but we can’t measure the speed of water".
SSI is a coalition of ship owners, charterers, builders and engineers, insurance and logistics firms that teamed up with Forum for the Future and WWF to make the shipping industry resilient, socially and environmentally responsible, and profitable by 2040.
Source: Sustainable Shipping Initiative

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The first Maersk Triple E has left the port - Naftrade Newsletter

Posted July 22, 2013 -  Naftrade Newsletter

The first of the massive new Maersk Line "Triple E" ships has left the port of Busan, South Korea on its maiden voyage, taking the megaship era to another level. The Triple E is designed to carry some 18,000 TEU, about 11% more than the previous largest ship.Maersk believes it will significantly reduce operating costs per container, a critical benefit at a time when ocean carrier finances are suffering from overcapacity and relatively weak demand.

SCDigest Says:
United Arab Shipping Co. is set to order five Triple-E's as early as this month to run a joint Asia-Europe service with China Shipping Container Lines Co.

The first of 20 Triple E's ordered by Maersk has been named the Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller, after the parent company's founder's late son. It will be co-captained by Jes Meinertz (age 44) and Niels Vestergaard Pedersen (48). It will operate with a crew of about 22 in total, but can be operated by as few as 13, Maersk Line says.

The ships are costing Maersk Line about $120 million each.

From Busan the Triple E will head to a port in Malaysia, then on to several European ports. It will not call on any US ports.The Triple E's can in theory hold more than 18,000 TEU, but that is with all containers on board being loaded at about 83% of capacity. The practical capacity is more often governed not by the number of containers a ship could manage, but rather by the total weight of those containers, so if they are stuffed especially full or with heavy cargo, the practical capacity will be less than 18,000.

Port limitations are also a factor. A port needs to be deep enough to handle this large of a ship, and its cranes need to be larger enough to accommodate the giant ships as well, which are 1,300 feet long and 20 stories high. Of the total of 16 ports certified to handle Triple-E size vessels at present, several do not yet operate adequate gantries.

Early estimates were that on the maiden voyage, the ship would max out at about 14,000 containers on board, and probably run at that rate for a while.

"We will operate it as a smaller ship for the first few months while ports upgrade their cranes," Lars Jensen, head of Maersk Line's Asia-Europe operation, told the Wall Street Journal this week. "You can't do much about this while the infrastructure is adapting to larger ships."

Of course, sailing at less than full capacity will provide a hit to the ship's favorable economics.

The Triple E's are also a key element of the new P3 alliance just announced by the world's three largest ocean carriers, Maersk Line, Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Co. and France's CMA CGM, in which the three will pool vessels and capacity.(See New Ocean Carrier Mega-Alliance May Boost Rates, Causes Concern Among Shippers.)

With Triple E's estimated to consume 35% less fuel per container than traditional ships, and other operational efficiencies, there will be an incentive for the alliance to pool demand to fill up the Triple E's.

How Big Can These Ships Get?
Is the industry close to reaching the upper limit of just how big it is practical to build and operate ocean container ships? Probably not, says Marc Pauchet, senior analyst at ACM Shipping.     

"We had ships of 6,000 to 8,000 [containers] in the late 1990s, and we are seeing significant jumps every five years now," Pauchet says. "When the Triple E was first talked about in 2008, then six months later we were seeing designs for 22,000 [containers]. It's the natural course."

The efficiency of the larger ships is likely to push smaller carriers and ships out of the market.

"In three to four years, companies will operate Asia-Europe with ships that can carry 14,000 containers and above. Those who don't have these ships won't be able to compete," Maersk's Jensen says.

The Triple E enters the market at a generally tough financial period for ocean carriers, if a good one for shippers and importers. Rates were at bargain basement levels for much of Q2, before rising sharply of late, due to general rate increases announced by most of the carriers, and new of the P3 alliance, which will become operational in Q2 2014.

But whether those rates can hold up is the key question. In recent years, the answer has primarily been no. In 2012, that led to operating losses at 23 of the world's 30 largest ocean carriers, according to the analysts at Alphaliner.

More Triple E's are on the way. United Arab Shipping Co. is set to order five Triple-E's as early as this month to run a joint Asia-Europe service with China Shipping Container Lines Co. The Chinese carrier made a similar order for itself in May. 
 
Source: Supply Chain Digest 

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USCG Accepts Hyundai Heavy Ballast Water Treatment System - MarineLink.com

Posted - Thursday, July 25, 2013 -  MarineLink.com

Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) announced that its electrolysis-based ballast water treatment system, HiBallast, was accepted as Alternative Management System (AMS) by the United States Coast Guard. This comes after the company won type approval from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2011.

According to the Standards for Living Organisms in Ships' Ballast Water Discharged in U.S. Waters, Final Rule, it is mandatory for all new ships built from December 2013 coming into and going out of U.S. ports to install approved ballast water treatment systems. Hyundai Heavy believes the U.S. Coast Guard’s acceptance of HiBallast as AMS will play a positive role for the company to win more HiBallast orders for ships operating on US routes.


HiBallast Accepted as AMS by the United States Coast Guard

The Ulsan, South Korea-based company is also aiming to win the U.S. Coast Guard’s approval for another ballast water treatment system, EcoBallast, by the first half of 2014. This system sterilizes seawater by using ultraviolet rays.

Post to be found at:
http://www.marinelink.com/news/treatment-accepts-hyundai356963.aspx

Samsung Heavy Delivers LNG Carrier GasLog Skagen - ShipBuildingTribue.com

Posted/Release - July 25th, 2013 - ShipBuildingTribue.com

GasLog Ltd. today announced the delivery of the fully owned LNG carrier GasLog Skagen, from Samsung Heavy Industries. The vessel was delivered on budget and ahead of schedule.
The vessel is a 155,000 cubic meter tri-fuel Diesel Electric LNG carrier that sets new standards for efficient performance and environmental protection. The vessel is classified to the ABS ENVIRO+ notation, signifying the highest level of environmental protection and energy conservation.
Furthermore the vessel is equipped with a new type of cargo compressors that will reduce the release of greenhouse gasses and offer enhanced cargo and heel management.
The vessel will be operated by GasLog LNG Services Ltd. in accordance with their Marine Health, Safety, Quality, Environmental & Energy Management system which in December was certified by ABS to be in compliance with ISO50001.
GasLog has one further LNG carrier newbuilding due for delivery this year, as well as two in 2014 one in 2015 and two in 2016.

Post to be found:
http://shipbuildingtribune.com/2013/07/25/samsung-heavy-delivers-lng-carrier-gaslog-skagen/

Fire update: gas stopped and flames reduced at Walter well - Decomworld

Posted - July 26, 2013 - By Rod Sweet - Decomworld

Jul 26, 2013

Jul 26, 2013

Jul 26, 2013

Jul 26, 2013

The flow of gas under pressure has stopped at the burning Walter Oil & Gas Corporation well in the Gulf of Mexico, and the rig fire has decreased to a small flame, BSEE reports.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has confirmed that the flow of natural gas under pressure stopped at the burning Walter Oil & Gas Corporation well at South Timbalier Block 220 in the Gulf of Mexico.

The gas flow was feeding a fire on the rig, operated by Hercules Offshore, and the fire has decreased to a small flame, BSEE said.

The derrick and drill floor structure of the Hercules 265 rig had collapsed due to the fire which started 10:45pm on Tuesday, 23 July. The natural gas leak was reported that morning.

The rig is located 55 miles offshore Louisiana in a water depth of 154 feet.

BSEE said work continues to secure the well, and all options are being considered for the most efficient and safe path forward.

Walter submitted to BSEE an application for a permit to drill a relief well, which includes proposals for the cement and casing programs. BSEE engineers are currently evaluating the permit, and BSEE continues to review and approve all operational plans and procedures related to the response.

There are currently firefighting and other marine vessels on site involving personnel from Walter, Hercules, Wild Well Control, other professional engineering contractors, and relevant federal agencies. At present, response personnel are conducting aerial observations and monitoring the situation.

The 225-foot Coast Guard Cutter Cypress is onsite to assess the situation and enforce the 500-meter security zone around the rig.

Preliminary visual inspection of the area this morning indicated that the structural integrity of the rig remains intact.

A slight sheen was detected on the water's surface and is dissipating quickly. Air and gas monitoring equipment is being deployed around the perimeter of the well location to help ensure operations to secure the well remain safe.

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One Scrubber for all Main and Auxiliary Engines - Maritime Propulsion

Posted - July 25, 2013 06:07 - By Peter Pospiech -  Maritime Propulsion

Norway's Clean Marine says it offers a patented exhaust gas cleaning system (EGCS) to meet upcoming regulations on sulphur emissions. "For vessels sailing in European waters and other emission control areas (ECAs), a maximum sulphur limit of 0.1% will apply from 2015," said CEO Nils Hoy-Petersen. "The Clean Marine system will clean both sulphur oxides (SOx) and particulate matter emissions from main and auxiliary engines as well as boilers." The EGCS is said to be the only system currently on the market with true multi-stream exhaust gas handling. This means that all exhaust sources on board are served by one common EGC unit without encountering an increase in back pressure, Clean Marine said. In addition the system can be retrofitted and installed, with slight modifications, in the existing funnel design.

Two fans and a gas recirculation mechanism integrated into the EGC unit ensure that pressure at the common gas-meeting point is maintained at ambient level, irrespective of the amount of exhaust fed to the system.
The advanced vortex chamber (AVC) is another vital part of the Clean Marine EGC unit. This high-speed cyclone has outstanding separation efficiency and achieves a high sulphur and particulate matter (PM) trapping efficiency at minimum cost, according to the company.
Clean Marine says it offers a proven, hybrid system that can operate in both open-and closed-loop mode. It uses caustic soda in both modes, which means vessels can operate in all types of water (including low-alkaline and saline water) in either mode and without loss of efficiency. Furthermore, the use of caustic soda enables the Clean Marine EGCS to meet the current pH limit for washwater discharges with good margin, it noted.
The Clean Marine EGCS is easy to operate and monitor and is also a cost-efficient option, especially for vessels with many exhaust sources, as the one EGC unit simultaneously serves several combustion units.

Assuming a conservative USD 300 per metric tonne price difference between marine gas oil and high sulphur fuel oil, and 100% of operations inside an emission control area (ECA), Clean Marine says payback time would be about a year.
A Clean Marine EGCS is operational and fully certified on the bulk carrier M V Balder, and the company recently signed a contract with Samsung Heavy Industries and AET for two shuttle tanker newbuildings. Installation of the EGC units is scheduled to take place during 2013 and 2014, and Samsung will deliver the state-of-the-art tankers at the end of 2014 and beginning of 2015, respectively. ------- Graphics: courtesy of Clean Marine

Post to be found at:
http://articles.maritimepropulsion.com/article/One-Scrubber-for-all-Main-and-Auxiliary-Engines19016.aspx

Global Shippers Forum backs EC carbon proposals - The MotorShip

Posted - 25 Jul 2013 - The MotorShip - Mercator Media

The Global Shippers’ Forum has backed European proposals to establish a system to reduce carbon emissions from the maritime sector.

According to GSF, maritime emissions currently make up an estimated 2.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions but left unchecked could increase by 150% to 200% between 2007 and 2050. Although, says GSF, the IMO has made progress in adopting energy efficiency standards for ships, there is a virtual deadlock in finding a suitable market-based measure (MBM) for the sector which is workable for both ship owners and shippers.
The European Commission has said that it will legislate for a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system to be implemented from 2018, for large ships (over 5,000gt) that use EU ports, irrespective of where the ships are registered. Under the system, ship owners will be required to monitor and report the verified amount of CO2 annually emitted by their lships on voyages to, from and between EU ports. GSF believes that this proposal offers flexibility for ship owners to record and report emissions by focusing on fuel consumption through methods such as using bunker fuel delivery notes or bunker fuel tank monitoring. Although this is essentially a regional scheme, GSF says that the EC initiative will provide much needed testing and time for the IMO to reach agreement on global measures, and perhaps evidence of a scheme that works.
Chris Welsh, GSF secretary general, said: “Shippers are increasingly demanding verifiable greenhouse gas data from ocean carriers so that they in turn can accurately benchmark the carbon footprint of their supply chains. We hope the Commission’s initiative will push the IMO to promptly accomplish what it set out to achieve—a global agreement on reducing GHG emissions in the global maritime industry.”
He added: “The global shipping industry needs a predictable and uniform set of global regulations to reduce GHG emissions. It is vital that any eventual MBM will succeed in making the emission reductions required and not simply add additional cost to ship owners and ultimately shippers. The IMO needs to make urgent progress in achieving a global solution to the maritime emissions problem. The MRV, although European based, could provide some much needed direction by providing a workable framework"
GSF says that the proposal is now being examined by the European Parliament and Council, whose approval is needed for it to become law.

Post to be found at:
http://www.motorship.com/news101/industry-news/global-shippers-forum-backs-ec-carbon-proposals

Five Companies Honored By Port For Reducing Emissions - Long Beach Post

Posted - July 24, 2013 - Jason Ruiz - Long Beach Post
 
Five companies were honored in San Pedro this week by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach for their efforts to fight against harmful emissions at the 6th Annual Clean Air Action Plan Air Quality Awards.
  
Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, OOCL USA Inc., Foss Maritime Co., APL and Knight Transportation were awarded for their work in trying to cut emissions at the port. The winners who were eligible because they are either port tenants or port-related businesses, were judged by a panel of port staff  and representatives from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, California Air Resource Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The awards were separated into three different categories-Air Quality Leadership at the Corporate Level, Innovative Air Quality Improvement Technologies and Innovative Operations That Improve Air Quality. In a press release, The Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz Ph.D. spoke of the company’s efforts to help build a greener and cleaner port.
“The significant air quality improvements that our two ports have achieved would not be possible without the leadership, cooperation and initiative of the tenants and customers doing business here,” Knatz said. “We sincerely appreciate all their efforts to support our mission of a greener, cleaner port community.”
APL, a global container transportation company which was recognized for the second year in a row, was celebrated for its air quality improvement technology. The company was the first to install and test “seawater scrubber” technology which helps reduce contaminants in the exhaust stream of engines, removes waste from wash water and helped maintain pH levels within International Maritime Organization guidelines.
Foss Maritime Co. developed, built and operates the first hybrid tugboat which has been deployed in the port since 2009. WWL has allowed third party verification of its greenhouse gas emissions since 2009 and their  “Salome” vessel was the first to qualify for a voluntary clean air incentive program which rewards ocean carriers whose ships are outfitted with Tier II or III engines. OOCL USA Inc. signed a “green lease” with the port and pledged to reduce harmful emissions by 50 percent and Knight Transportation was recognized for its dedication to using newer, cleaner trucks in its fleet (half of the company’s trucks at the port are 2010 models or newer).
In November of 2006, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach adopted the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan which was aimed at reducing health risks from air pollution from port-related traffic. The two ports are the two busiest seaports in the United States and account for $355 billion in trade each year while providing thousands of jobs for Southern California.


Post to be  found at:
http://lbpost.com/business/trade-transportation/2000002619-five-companies-honored-by-port-for-reducing-emissions#.UfE1G22AyOQ

Two Shipping Firms to Pay $10.4 Million for Obstructing Justice and Environmental Crimes - The Maritime Executive

Posted - July 24, 2013 - The Maritime Executive

$2.6 Million to Benefit New Jersey and Delaware Coasts Hit by Hurricane Sandy

Two shipping firms based in Germany and Cyprus were sentenced in federal court in Newark, N.J., to pay a $10.4 million penalty for felony obstruction of justice charges and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships related to the deliberate concealment of vessel pollution from four ships that visited ports in New Jersey, Delaware and Northern California, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in New Jersey and Delaware, the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Coast Guard announced.

Columbia Shipmanagement (Deutschland) GmbH (CSM-D), a German corporation, and Columbia Shipmanagement Ltd. (CSM-CY), a Cypriot company, were sentenced to pay a $10.4 million criminal penalty, $2.6 million of which will be directed to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to fund community service projects selected to help restore the coastal environment of New Jersey and Delaware hit by Hurricane Sandy.  The remaining $7.8 million is designated as a criminal fine.  In addition, the companies were placed on four years of probation.  During probation, the companies will be subject to the terms of an environmental compliance plan that requires outside audits by an independent company and oversight by a court appointed monitor.  The shipping firms admitted that four of their ships - three oil tankers and one container ship - had intentionally bypassed required pollution prevention equipment and falsified the oil record book, a required log regularly inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard.  The case is the largest vessel pollution settlement in either New Jersey or Delaware. 

The companies previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton on March 21, 2013, to six counts involving three vessels in New Jersey and four counts involving one ship in Delaware.  The counts consist of violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships for failing to maintain an accurate oil record book, obstruction of justice and making false statements.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The investigation into the M/T King Emerald was launched on May 7, 2012, after several crew members provided cell phone photos and other evidence to Coast Guard officers conducting a routine inspection.  The King Emerald was engaged in various types of illegal discharges of bilge waste dating back to at least 2010.  The defendants admitted that illegal discharges of both sludge and oily bilge waste were discharged at night off the coast of Central America, including a discharge within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Costa Rica where a national park is located.  The ship’s second engineer pleaded guilty previously and was sentenced in Newark on April 3, 2013.

The Delaware investigation began in October 2012 after several crew members of the M/T Nordic Passat provided the Coast Guard with a thumb drive containing photographs and video showing how illegal discharges had been sent overboard through the ship’s sewage system.  They also alleged that sludge had been put into the ship’s cargo tanks and that logs showing sludge had been incinerated onboard had been falsified.  The charges involving the M/V Cape Maas stem from a whistleblower report to the Coast Guard when the ship visited the port in San Francisco.  The whistleblower provided a video showing the operation of the oily water separator pumping overboard without the use of the oil content monitor to detect and prevent oil from being illegally discharged.
  
Violations on a fourth ship, the M/T Cape Taft, which was anchored in New York waters and destined for New Jersey, were uncovered just weeks before the March plea, after the ship disclosed problems to CSM-D.  An internal investigation revealed that the ship’s oily water separator had been used improperly for some time.  Instead of sensing a sample of overboard discharges, it was instead flushed with fresh water by the crew.  The ship’s oil record book was revised by CSM-D to reveal 16 instances where it was false.  The defendants cooperated with the investigation and provided the government with video replays of the oil content monitor showing when the crew had “tricked” the sensor with fresh water.

This prosecution was made possible through the combined efforts of the U.S. Coast Guard Districts 1, 5 and 11; Coast Guard Sectors New York, Delaware Bay, and San Francisco; Coast Guard Investigative Service; Coast Guard Office of Maritime and International Law; and Coast Guard Office of Investigation and Analysis.

The United States is represented by Kathleen P. O’Leary, Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey; Richard Udell, Senior Counsel, and Stephen Da Ponte, Trial Attorney, of the Environmental Crimes Section of the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division; and Edmond Falgowski, Assistant U.S. Attorney in Delaware.  Assistance was also provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California

Post to be found at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Two-Shipping-Firms-to-Pay-104-Million-for-Obstructing-Justice-and-Environmental-Crimes-2013-07-24/