Ecospec system to cut emissions in ships - Sea.Rates.com

Posted - 25 May 2010 - Sea.Rates.com

Singapore-based research and technology company, Ecospec Global Technology, said it has introduced a low-cost system capable of dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships. The company recently signed an agreement with Dutch shipping company ForestWave Navigation to incorporate CSNOx technology in six new ship builds, and is in discussion with other shipping companies to install CSNOx on their ships. Ecospec has also formed partnerships with STX Heavy Industries of South Korea and AE&E Lentjes GmbH of Germany to build CSNOx systems into large-scale, onshore industrial construction projects such as power plants, incinerators, and refineries.

According to a company statement, the system, called CSNOx, is capable of significantly reducing carbon dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx), all in a single system and by a single process and can also be effective for power plants, refineries and other fossil fuel-burning sites. "This is a major breakthrough for the global shipping and onshore industries," said Chew Hwee Hong, Founder and Managing Director of Ecospec. "No other single piece of commercially available equipment is capable of removing all harmful emissions in one process; and with its compact size, the CSNOx meets the most demanding space constraint problems on board ships. In addition, it does not require ships to switch to lower-sulfur fuel, which costs more. For land-based, onshore industries, this would give conventional facilities such as fossil fuel power generating plants a convenient, low-cost solution to reducing their carbon footprint," he added.

The CSNOx technology not only effectively removes emissions that contribute to climate change but does so without producing secondary pollutants or generating further CO2 emissions. Its compact size and low cost strengthen even further its potential for widespread implementation and positive impact on the environment on a global scale," said the statement. While the CSNOx technology is applicable to a wide range of onshore and offshore industries, Ecospec's initial implementation targeted the shipping industry, which is under increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact and to comply with stricter emissions requirements. Shipping accounts for an estimated three per cent of global CO2 emissions, and SO2 and NOx emissions from ships have increased by more than 42 per cent since 1990. In initial testing onboard an Aframax tanker in December 2008, the CSNOx system reduced SO2 by 92.9 per cent, NOx by 82.2 per cent and CO2 by 74.4 per cent.

In January 2010, Houston-based American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) a marine and offshore classification services provider, verified the system's efficiencies onboard a 100,000-tonne tanker sailing from Singapore to the Middle East via Sri Lanka. The ABS verification showed the CSNOx effectively removing 99 per cent of SO2, 77 per cent of CO2, and 66 per cent of NOx - results that place emissions well within the latest requirements of the International Maritime Organization and other international regulations.

At the heart of CSNOx is Ecospec's proprietary Ultra-Low Frequency Electrolysis System, through which freshwater or seawater is fed to make it alkaline, reactive, and effective in removing CO2, SO2 and NOx through reductive absorption.
http://www.searates.com/news/9116/

Drop in global travel volume leads to cut in transport emissions - Baird Maritime

Posted May 20 - Baird Maritime - International Transport Forum

A drop in travel volumes in the wake of the global economic crisis has decreased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transport sector in many countries. The long-term trend, however, continues to be towards an increase in CO2 emissions from travel activity, according to a new report released by the International Transport Forum at the OECD for its annual global mobility summit on “Transport and Innovation” to be held in Leipzig, Germany, from May 26-28.

The report says that global CO2 emissions from transport grew by 45 percent from 1990 to 2007. It concludes that from 2007 to 2030, transport emissions will continue to grow by approximately 40 percent. This is only slightly lower than pre-crisis estimates and already takes account of many planned efficiency improvements.

Road sector emissions dominate transport emissions, with light-duty vehicles accounting for the bulk of emissions globally.

In some of the International Transport Forum’s 52 member countries, road freight accounts for up to 30 to 40 percent of road sector CO2 emissions. Emissions from global aviation and international shipping respectively accounted for 2.5 percent and 3.0 percent of total CO2 emissions in 2007 and are the fastest growing sources of transport CO2 emissions.

Across the economy, the crisis of 2008 has contributed to the sharpest drop in emissions in the past 40 years, with estimates ranging from 3.0 percent to 10 percent. This could translate into a 5.0 percent to 8.0 percent decrease in 2020 emissions from their pre-crisis projected levels, depending on the strength of the economic recovery. Despite countries gaining some breathing room due to the post-crisis drop in GHG emissions, fundamental drivers for increased transport sector CO2 emissions remain and necessitate coordinated policies to limit future emissions. Some countries, notably France, Germany and Japan, have seen their road CO2 emissions stabilized or decrease even before the recession of 2008-2009, despite economic and road freight growth over the same period.
http://www.bairdmaritime.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6751:drop-in-global-travel-volume-leads-to-cut-in-transport-emissions&catid=111:general-shipping-news&Itemid=205

APL calls on shippers, carriers to join environmental effort - HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS WORLDWIDE

Posted - Friday, 21 May 2010 HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS WORLDWIDE

PL, the world's fourth-largest container shipping line, today called for help in the effort to curb global trade's impact on the environment. In a speech here at the Green Tech 2010 conference, the carrier's Environmental Affairs Director urged carriers and shippers to join the international Clean Cargo Working Group. "We need to expand the membership and continue the environmental progress that can only be realized through this unique collaborative effort," said APL's Kevin Krick, a U.S. Navy Commander and Coast Guard dual-licensed deck and engineering officer. "It's imperative that shippers and shipping companies continue to work together through the group."
The 30-member working group includes some of the biggest names in retailing and consumer products as well as 14 top container shipping lines. Their aim is to measure the environmental impact of global trade, then hasten advancements in emissions and pollution control.
But they need help, Krick told an audience of maritime leaders and shippers. He urged greater membership to assist the working group in environmental mitigation measures that include:
-- Emission metrics to rate carriers' environmental performance;
-- Operating standards for those who transport global trade; and
-- The adoption of technology and operating procedures that will reduce CO2 emissions worldwide.
In the past four years, carriers affiliated with the Clean Cargo Working Group have reduced CO2 emission rates by more than 25% Krick said. "Our vision is for the working group’s tools and methodology to become the industry standard."....Complete story at - http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102218&Itemid=79

Shipping faces turbulent ride on carbon-cutting quest - HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS WORLDWIDE

Posted - Thursday, 20 May 2010 HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS WORLDWIDE

What's a natural resource that is free, produces zero carbon emissions and has been used to power ships since time immemorial? The answer is of course the wind. The graceful sailing ships that sent the likes of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama to the Americas and India are long gone, though, replaced by vast iron vessels loaded with crude oil, minerals and neat stacks of shipping containers to feed the voracious global economy.
These massive vessels, which can reach as long as three soccer fields put together, consume fuel oil that pumps out tonnes of planet-warming gases such carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide as well as other pollutants that cause acid rain.
Shipping is responsible for ferrying over 90 percent of global trade and produces about three percent of mankind's carbon emissions, or more than the CO2 produced by the German economy.
Yet reducing these emissions means tackling idiosyncratic maritime laws, the vested interests of countries such as China that rely on shipping to fuel rapid economic growth, and convincing conservative ship owners to embrace green technology.
Ironically, one of the most promising technologies to reduce ship fuel consumption is the same one used thousands of years ago when ancient mariners first ventured across seas on rickety boats--sails.
German entrepreneur Stephan Wrage is among those re-inventing the sail and his 21st century version is very different from the sails that graced the masts of Columbus' Santa Maria.
As a teenager, Wrage figured he could speed up his sailing boat if he attached a sports kite overhead. Two decades later, he has translated that idea into a kite system for large vessels such as bulk carriers.
"Wind is unbeatable because it's free and you don't need to transport it with you so you just use it as you need," said Wrage, whose company SkySails makes giant kites that look similar to paraglider canopies for ships.... Complete story at
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102041&Itemid=79

Sock On A Stack Technology On Hold Over Cash In Hand Woes - The Cunningham Report

Posted - 05/17/2010 The Cunninghan Report
The Port of Long Beach is holding back on long-term testing of the "sock-on-a-stack" emissions filter built by Advanced Cleanup Technologies Inc. (ACTI) after reports surfaced that the company was bouncing checks.

Contract negotiations for the Advanced Maritime Emissions Control System, or AMECS, have stalled while the port waits for assurances from ACTI that their financial troubles have stabilized, said port environmental planner Heather Tomley.

Bakersfield-based Channel 17 News reported in February that paychecks cashed by ACTI employees in Kern County bounced. ACTI eventually paid the balance on some of the checks after taking heat from frustrated businesses and the media.

While the port's concerns are understandable, drawn-out testing and negotiation between the port and Advanced Cleanup over the green technology could be one of the factors hitting the company's paychecks.

Long Beach's Board of Harbor Commissioners approved up to $2.39 million at the committee level last June for a long-term durability study of the sock-on-a-stack technology, which included a rental agreement that would pay ACTI $50,000 per month to rent the filter system to the port. Terminal operator Metropolitan Stevedore, which would host the tests at its berth, also committed to paying up to $200,000 for water and utility expenses on the project.

Performance tests on the AMECS began in late 2007, marking almost three years since the completed emission filter was available for port use. Once the contract is finished, it must come before the port board again for approval before the next round of testing can begin.

The AMECS uses a crane to place a bonnet-like device over a ship's smokestack to scrub the exhaust of pollutants before releasing it into the atmosphere. In two full-scale tests on vessels at Berth G214 in May and July of 2008, the sock-on-a-stack reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and diesel particulate matter (PM) by more than 95 percent.

ACTI received the Clean Air Award from the South Coast Air Quality Management District for creating the AMECS, which the company says is more than twice as cost-effective in reducing emissions as cold ironing.

Company owner Ruben Garcia said that his company is still working with the port to frame the contract for a long-term durability test. Garcia also told Channel 17 that his company has struggled in recent years in part because the government has yet to pay his company for millions of dollars of cleanup done after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast in 2005.

ACTI currently has crews back in the Gulf states, this time because of the BP spill that is gushing crude oil into the water following an explosion on April 20 that sank the floating offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon in 5,000 feet of water.


http://www.cunninghamreport.com/news_item.php?id=1274

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK TO REGULATE AIR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FROM MARITIME TRANSPORT - Facultas – Sustainable Development Resources

Posted by professorpaul on 2010/05/10 Facultas – Sustainable Development Resources

This new report from the Joint Research Centre of the European Union provides an analysis of the pollutants emitted by maritime transport and analyses policy options for regulating those emissions and mitigating their impact on the environment.
Abstract:
Maritime transport activity is becoming one of the most important topics on sustainability debate. Indeed, a part from industrial activity and energy production, maritime transport is the largest contributors to air pollution and the increasing rate of trade make the problem even more worrying. Scope of this report is to sketch the state of the art on data, methodologies, air emissions estimations, technological and policy options to design a sectorial environmental policy strategy to regulate air emissions from ships. The report gives an overview of the main methods to estimate the air emissions deriving from shipping activities and compares their results to define a reference framework. Particularly attention is done to cost effectiveness analysis of technological and policy options to abate GHG emissions from international maritime transport taking into account the legal regulatory system of this sector, and the main legal and economics constraints to implement a sectorial policy to abate CO2 emissions. More and Summary at -

http://facultas.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/analytical-framework-to-regulate-air-pollutant-emissions-from-maritime-transport/

WWL unveils plan for zero emissions terminal - HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS WORLDWIDE

Posted - Friday, 14 May 2010 HELLENIC SHIPPING NEWS WORLDWIDE

The global shipping and logistics company Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has unveiled plans for a zero emissions terminal that it claims could be a reality by 2020. Erik Nyheim, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Terminal & Inland Services at WWL, presented the concept during a WWL event in London, UK on May 11, attended by Sustainable Shipping.
"We want to achieve this vision by 2020, and we want it to be not just viable, but preferred by customers around the world," Nyheim said.
WWL, which specialists in factory-to-dealer transport solutions for the automotive, agricultural and construction equipment industries, has pledged to be an environmental forerunner.
Five years ago, it unveiled its zero emissions concept ship, the futuristic Orcelle cargo ship.
"We want to extend our zero emissions ambition from ocean activities to port and land-based activities," Nyheim noted.
"The terminal is a vital link in the supply chain," he observed, and WWL wants to show customers that it can cut carbon emissions throughout the chain.
WWL has called the roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) zero emissions terminal concept the 'Castor Green Terminal'... Complete Text at
http://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101118&Itemid=79