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Shipping industry turns to automated systems that minimize the time, money and people required to keep in compliance with myriad of environmental regulations
Tough new air pollution regulations for the
maritime industry are making it difficult for the shipping industry to
comply. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources
Board (CARB), to name a few, have introduced new regulations to regulate
air pollution. Steep fines and delays face maritime operators that do
not comply with engine emissions monitoring and reporting.
This is a
challenge for shipping companies on several levels. First, despite
being similar in some respects, the regulations often have different
requirements, operating parameters and deadlines. Second, until
recently the continuous, on-board emissions testing equipment and
services required to monitor emissions have not existed. Third, meeting
the needs of all these environmental organizations and submitting the
necessary documentation is an administrative nightmare.
In an
attempt to keep up, many shipping companies post a dedicated
environmental specialist to oversee the labyrinth of regulations,
changes and updates regularly announced. These experts then make
recommendations on retrofits, upgrades, and pollution control products
that will keep their vessels in compliance. The goal ultimately is to
meet the requirements by making the best purchasing decisions while
minimizing the amount of personnel required.
“Ship
owners have so many other issues to worry about that when it comes to
environmental regulations what they want is a solution that will keep
them in compliance with minimal difficulty, manpower and headaches,”
says Mark Adair Technical Director at GreenLink Systems, a company that
produces high-tech emission monitoring and control products for heavy
duty diesel engines.
Although
this would seem rather straightforward, until recently the on-board,
continuous monitoring devices and other testing equipment required to
monitor NOx emissions accurately and with repeatability have not been
commercially available.
Furthermore,
the continuous information generated by monitoring units must be stored
in local servers accessible at any time on board or from shore, with
all of it organized to ensure that the proper documentation for each
regulatory agency is immediately available upon request.
“There is
quite a bit of bookkeeping involved to meet the requirements of all
these regulations,” says Adair. “It involves monitoring data that has
to be collected, stored and presented. And if a shipping company gets
in to the extreme case of litigation or fines, they would have the
proper documentation and have a better chance of ultimately being found
to have been in compliance.”
Fortunately,
as with previous emissions reductions efforts in industries such as
automotive, trucking, and waste handling, such regulations drive the
market to respond with the necessary products and services to meet the
challenge.
GreenLink
Systems, for example, is currently offering on-board NOx Emission
Monitoring Units (NEMUs) designed to meet all the requirements of the
IMO NOx Technical Code for all on board maritime engines, including
auxiliary engines.
The
compact NEMU is installed directly on the engine and exhaust system
utilizing sophisticated sensors that measure to within .5 parts per
million of NOx. It remains on the engine to measure, record and
transmit data 24/7, with new updates uploaded every few seconds.
Information
from these units is relayed wirelessly via built-in 4G wireless modems
to a secure, online database accessible over the Internet from any
location. Automatic alerts by SMS text message and/or e-mail
immediately inform designated personnel of out of compliance issues.
GreenLink
Systems has set up its web interface to indicate each regulation along
with a visual representation of a gauge panel. For ease, a green light
signifies “in compliance” and a red indicates “out of compliance.”
Listing each regulation is required because many have unique emissions
parameters and a red light could leave personnel to figure out which is
out of compliance.
“With an
automatic alert system you don’t need a person to monitor a computer or
gauges throughout the day,” says Adair. “They would get a text message
or e-mail and then log in to the web site to find out what is out of
compliance. By clicking on the item, they can dial in to the test data
folder and find out the date, time and section of the event and what
channel – temperature, pressure, emissions level – is not compliant so
they can quickly address it.”
According
to Adair, such equipment will also play a key role in identifying
emerging emission control technologies that can be retrofitted on
ships. The NEMU is the only product on the market that includes NOx
sensors both upstream and downstream from a catalyst. This provides for
more accurate reporting when an emissions control device is employed
and allows ship owners to separate emission control products that work
as advertised from those that don’t.
Post to be found at:
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Automated-Systems-Simplify-Regulatory-Compliance-2013-08-02/
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