Who, what, why: How do you scrap an aircraft carrier? - BBC News

Posted -  20 May 2013 Last updated at 05:21 ET - BBC NEWS


The Royal Navy's former flagship, HMS Ark Royal, is to be towed to a breakers' yard in Turkey. But how exactly do you scrap an aircraft carrier?

There were schemes that offered a future of sorts to the Ark Royal - a proposal to sink it and turn it into a diving site off Torbay, a suggestion that it should become a floating casino off Hong Kong and a plan to turn it into a heliport for London.
But on Monday hundreds of people are expected to gather as the 690ft (210m) ship leaves Portsmouth for the last time.
Decommissioned five years early to save the Ministry of Defence money, it will be towed to the Leyal shipyard near Izmir in Turkey after being sold as part of a £2.9m ($4.4m) deal.
Once there it faces an ignoble end as 20,000 tonnes of scrap metal.
Getting it to that stage is a long process.
Anyone bringing an aircraft carrier to Able UK's yard in Hartlepool could expect the work to take 24 months plus planning time.
"There would be in excess of 300 people employed. It would be a seven day a week operation, working 12 hours a day," says managing director Andrew Jacques.
A challenge comparable to the Ark Royal was presented to its workers when the French aircraft carrier Clemenceau arrived early in 2009.

The answer

• Scrappage plan drawn up once details of hazardous materials on board are known
• The ship is secured at a yard and full environmental survey carried out
• Hazardous waste removed, including asbestos and fuels
• Large sections removed using cranes, excavators and cutting torches
• Further cutting into 2ft by 5ft pieces, which are then sent for recycling
• Some materials and equipment sold on
• Process takes 24 months

The first step is to find out what hazardous substances are on board, says Jacques.

In the Clemenceau's case this included everything from 1,000 tonnes of asbestos to oils and polluted water - factors which led to protests at the decision to scrap it in the UK.
It is the owners' responsibility to provide the details, after which the breakers' yard draws up a plan.
The Ministry of Defence says the work to prepare the Ark Royal began soon after it was retired in early 2011.
All equipment has been removed and "all potentially hazardous waste, including asbestos, has been permanently removed or, if integral to the ship, has been catalogued in detail so its proper removal can be monitored".
At Able UK, ships are grounded in a dry dock.
Several vessels would be brought in at the same time as an aircraft carrier to make the most of the workforce and equipment.

 

 

Clemenceau - with 1,000 tonnes of asbestos - was scrapped in Hartlepool

Even when a ship is in place, it is some time before it meets its demise.
Up to two months can be spent carrying out a more detailed environmental survey, after which "windows" are cut to provide ventilation.
A team of 150 asbestos workers then starts work. Other hazardous materials are also tackled - tanks, for example, are pumped out through holes cut in the side of the ship.
Asbestos is buried in Able UK's on-site landfill, while other contaminants like oil and polluted water are processed at an on-site treatment facility.
The main part of the cleaning process takes about 12 months but the process continues.
"Because of the dead spaces and areas that you can't see you have to approach it with care... there will inevitably be voids and double bottomed tanks [with] oils that you couldn't see," says Jacques.
A cleaning team continues working even after work to break up the ship starts.
Sections of between 50 to 200 tonnes are removed from either end of a ship, using large hydraulic excavators, workers with cutting torches and cranes. A 3D model is used to work out how to safely proceed.

 

When HMS Invincible was scrapped, sections were removed from the upper decks first

"If it's opened up it just looks like egg boxes all piled on top of each other - different rooms and compartments," says Jacques.
A pair of 150 tonne excavators are then used to transport the pieces to a nearby area where hydraulic shears and gas torches are used to cut them into "furnace-sized scrap" of around 5ft by 2ft (1.5m by 60 cm).
It was 10 months from the time that pieces started "dropping" from the Clemenceau to the end of the cutting work. That's about one man hour a tonne, says Jacques.
From there, pieces are taken to the steel plant. Along the way re-usable parts of the ship - like pumps and pipes - will have been stripped and sold off.
In the case of the Clemenceau, 98.2% was reused or recycled, says Jacques.
Exactly how a ship is scrapped varies between yards, although many now adhere to the standards set out by the Hong Kong Convention. This was proposed - but is still to be formally adopted - because of environmental and health and safety concerns over practices in some countries, including Bangladesh and Pakistan where ships are scrapped on the beach.

 

 

Ship-breaking on a beach in Pakistan

In the case of the Ark Royal it will first be secured on a slipway, says Robin Townsend of Lloyd's Register, who has worked with Leyal in Turkey.
Work to dismantle it will start at the front, with sections of up to about 20 tonnes removed from the superstructure and upper decks first. For those involved it can be hot and physically demanding work.

Who, what, why?

A part of BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer questions behind the headlines

"There are large areas of the ship which can be extremely loud, with overpowering smell of fuels and oil," says Townsend.

For those who work on areas like the oil tanks there is also an assault on the senses, "with literally gangs of workers wielding hammers so it is like standing inside a huge steel drum".
Another of the Royal Navy's carriers, HMS Invincible, was dismantled by Leyal in 2011, a job which took 10 months.
The firm has also scrapped Type 42 destroyers including HMS Cardiff, HMS Newcastle, HMS Glasgow, HMS Exeter, HMS Southampton and HMS Nottingham.
For HMS Illustrious, the third and final of the Royal Navy's Invincible Class aircraft carriers, there is a possible reprieve.
Due to retire in 2014 it would provide plenty more metal for Turkey's furnaces, but the MoD hopes to preserve it as a "lasting tribute to the work of the Invincible Class".

Post to be found at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22513349

Dry Bulk Shipowners, Cargo Interests and the Environment to Benefit from IMO Decision on Reception Facilities - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Posted - Monday, 20 May 2013 | 00:00 0 - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide - from Intercrogo

Shipowners pleas for greater clarity on what to do when there are no adequate port reception facilities to receive residues including Hold Washing Water (HWW) from cargoes deemed “Harmful to the Marine Environment” (HME), have been substantially answered after an important decision at the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee held on 13-17 May. With effect from 1 January 2013, shippers and shipowners faced difficulties in meeting the requirements of the amended MARPOL Annex V regulations which entered into force on that day without knowing whether there were suitable facilities to process the dry residues and HWW at the receiving port.
Compounded by the fact that a few shippers did not realise that the IMO had clarified in Circular MEPC.1/Circ 791 that they had to declare whether a commodity was HME or not with immediate effect, albeit with some flexibility on the criteria used to define HME until the end of 2014, many shippers and owners were left confused as to how to comply with the regulations.
However, this is set to change after Governments at the IMO meeting considered representations from Intercargo – the Dry Bulk Shipowners Association and supported by other Round Table Shipowners Associations and concerned Flag and Port States, which identified the scale of the problem and suggested a pragmatic interim solution.
Delegates had considered evidence of shortcomings in a representative sample of countries receiving dry bulk shipments and with information from the International Council of Mining and Metals (ICMM), were left in no doubt that the difficulties in meeting the regulatory requirements were genuine.
IMO will now send an official Circular to Industry providing shipowners / operators with some flexibility and clear guidance on procedures to be adopted when encountering a lack of adequate port reception facilities for HWW. This will state that, until 31 December 2015, HWW from holds previously containing solid bulk cargoes classified as HME, may be discharged outside Special Areas, providing :
1. Based on the information from the receiving port, the Master determines that
there are no adequate reception facilities at the receiving terminal or at the
next port of call;
2. The ship is en-route and as far as practicable but at least 12 nautical miles
from the nearest land;
3. Before washing, solid bulk cargo residues are removed (and bagged for
discharge ashore) as far as practicable, and the holds swept;
4. Filters are used in the bilge wells to collect any remaining solid particles and to
minimize solid residue discharge; and
5. The discharge is recorded in the Garbage Record Book with the Flag State
notified utilizing the Revised Consolidated Format for Reporting Alleged
Inadequacies of Port Reception Facilities (MEPC.1 / Circ 469 / Rev 2)
Parties to the MARPOL Annex V Convention were urged to ensure the provision of adequate
port reception facilities including HWW and the residues. Shippers within the jurisdiction of
those states must also provide complete and accurate cargo declarations in accordance with
MARPOL Annex V (and circular MEPC.1 / Circ 791) and Section 4 of the IMSBC Code.
Speaking after the conclusion of the IMO meeting, Intercargo’s Technical Manager, Mr Ian
Harrison said :-
“The decision reached is good for IMO and Industry in that it defines clear responsibilities,
provides clarity for ships so that they will not fall foul of inadvertent MARPOL transgressions
and otherwise creates an internationally appropriate, environmentally responsible and
pragmatic solution to a very real problem.
We must remember that this is an interim solution. Shippers, ports and terminals must
continue to strive for full compliance with the MARPOL Annex V requirements. Declarations
should be accurate and proper port reception facilities should be provided as soon as
possible but in any case, within the timeline agreed by IMO.
Having extensively researched and consulted with leading Dry Bulk owners and a
representative body for some of the shippers of HME cargoes, Intercargo is delighted to have
met its members aspirations for a responsible solution.”
Source: Intercargo

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IMO’s GloBallast Partnerships Project Wins International Maritime Award - United Nations Development Programme

Posted - 17 May 2013 - United Nations Development Programme
 The International Maritime Organization’s GloBallast Partnerships Project won an award as the “Best Innovative Project” for its efforts in finding solutions to the management of ships’ ballast water.

As a capacity building project, it assists developing countries and their maritime industries in implementing international regulations on ballast water management and preventing risks arising from the transfer of harmful aquatic organisms.

The Project is executed by IMO in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with financial support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

“The GloBallast Project creates appropriate incentives for the private sector to address environmental issues facing the maritime industry,” added GEF CEO and Chairperson Naoko Ishii.

The award was presented during the 6th Marine BizTV International Maritime Award ceremony in Dubai on 15 May 2013.  Marine BizTV is a 24hr free- to-air global maritime channel which serves as an information platform for international maritime activities.

This is the third international award presented to the GloBallast project since its inception in 2000.  In 2003 it won the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and in 2007, the awareness-raising video documentary “Invaders from the Sea”, produced by GloBallast jointly with the BBC, won the Gold Award for Best UN Feature Film at the United Nations Documentary Film Festival.

Post to be found at:
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2013/05/17/imo-s-globallast-partnerships-project-wins-international-maritime-award/

IMO Opens Door to Reduce Shipping Emissions - Maritime Executive

Posted - May 17, 2013 -   Maritime Executive

Today, the member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed on a Resolution on technology cooperation, which was delaying the implementation of standards to improve the energy efficiency of new ships. This resolution had been in discussion for two years and was hindering any progress on other measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships. The Resolution meets the concerns of developing and developed nations by recognising the principles of non-discrimination in the IMO and common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) in the UN's Framework on Climate Change ^[1].

Reacting to the IMO decision, Antoine Kedzierski, T&E clean shipping officer, said: "The lack of agreement on this resolution was holding up the discussion on tackling shipping emissions at the IMO for too long. Today's decision unlocked the door to serious consideration of further measures to reduce the sector's contribution to climate change. We urge the IMO and its member states to now make progress towards a market-based measure to reduce emissions from existing ships."

^[1] CBDR is a founding principle of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change talks designed to ensure developed states take responsibility for their emissions and developing countries aren’t over-burdened with obligations that hinder their economic development.

Post to be found at - 
http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/IMO-Opens-Door-to-Reduce-Shipping-Emissions-2013-05-17/

Shipping and aviation emissions in the context of a 2°C emission pathway - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Posted - Friday, 17 May 2013 | 00:00 - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Shipping and aviation represented around 3.2% and 2.1% respectively of global CO2 emissions in the mid-2000s. A wide range of projections and scenarios shows that both sectors are likely to grow over the coming decades with a resultant increase in CO2 emissions by 2050, despite mitigation efforts through technology, operations, and usage of low-carbon fuels. Here, a typical emission pathway that will limit global mean surface temperatures to no more than a 2°C increase by 2100 over pre-industrial temperatures is taken from prior work. This 2°C emission pathway makes no assumptions over the contributions of either the shipping or aviation sectors or of any particular nations’ efforts. It merely shows what the overall global emission reduction trend must be to reach the 2°C target. If current projections of emissions from shipping and aviation to 2050 are placed in the context of such an overall global 2°C emissions reduction pathway, then shipping might contribute between approximately 6% and 18% of median permissible total CO2-equivalent emissions in 2050 to meet the pathway, and aviation might contribute between approximately 4% and 15% of median total CO2- equivalent emissions, and the two sectors together might contribute between approximately 10% and 32% of total median CO2-equivalent emissions in 2050.
Conclusions
A 2°C emission pathway has been taken from the UNEP (2011) analysis, and shows that Total ‘allowable’ emissions in 2050 (on this pathway) would be between 18.0 and 23.2 Gtonnes of CO2-e. This estimate makes no assumptions over contributions of sectors or countries, it is simply an estimate of global CO2-e emissions that would result in a typical 2°C emission pathway (by 2100), at 2050. Taking available estimates of CO2 emissions projections from the literature to 2050 for aviation and shipping, aviation might represent between approximately 4% and 15% of median total CO2-e emissions in 2050; shipping might represent between approximately 6% and 18% of total CO2-e emissions. Taken together, shipping plus aviation emissions might represent between approximately 10% and 32% of total median CO2-e emissions in 2050 under a typical 2°C emission pathway. The emissions of aviation and shipping in these scenarios from the literature represent a variety of growth and technological scenarios, but no specific climate mitigation responses.
                                                                                                                                                                                     Download File[PDF]
Source: David S. Lee, Ling Lim, Bethan Owen, Manchester Metropolitan University, Dalton Research Institute, Faculty of Science and Engineering

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U.S.-Mexico border oil plan clears House - UPI.Com

Posted -  May 16, 2013 at 7:51 AM - UPI.com

WASHINGTON,  (UPI) -- A bill that lifts a moratorium on drilling along the U.S-Mexico maritime border has been advanced, the House Natural Resources Committee said.
The Republican-controlled committee advanced an Outer Continental Shelf transboundary agreement on a 25-16 vote, largely along party lines.
The measure, if passed, would give energy companies access to as much as 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas.
"This is a common sense approach to work with our partners south of the border to make both countries more energy secure, while protecting our sovereignty," U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, S.C., who introduced the bill, said in a statement.
Sierra Club representative Athan Manuel told the committee last month that more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico isn't needed because energy companies have enough work on their hands.
U.S. Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass, ranking member on the committee, published a report last week that said safety concerns were a factor to consider more than two years after the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have, in general, pressed for fewer restrictions on domestic oil and natural gas exploration.
A U.S.-Mexico agreement signed last year called for a joint inspection team to ensure compliance with applicable safety and environmental laws in the maritime area.

Post to be found at:
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/05/16/US-Mexico-border-oil-plan-clears-House/UPI-25481368705084/

Teijin Device Reduces Ships’ NOx Emissions - Environmental Leader

Posted - May 16, 2013 - Environmental Leader

Teijin Engineering has developed a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitration device for midsized ship engines to ensure compliance with the Tier III nitrogen oxides emissions regulation, which goes into effect in 2016. The company says ship tests have demonstrated that the device can reduce NOx emissions by 80 percent.
The company says it will initially supply the device on an OEM basis in June to Niigata Power Systems, an engine manufacturer and the co-developer of the product. Teijin Engineering says it plans to expand sales to other ship engine manufacturers, targeting annual sales of JPY 2.5 billion ($25 million) by 2016.
The SCR denitration device detoxifies emissions by mixing ammonia or liquid urea with exhaust gas that contains NOx and then passing the mixture through a catalytic layer to break down the NOx into nitrogen and water.
The company says the device ensures liquid urea is sprayed into the exhaust gas with high efficiency even as engine performance varies due to ocean swells and other navigational conditions. It analyzes oscillation and vibration to optimally position the catalytic layer for maximum NOx reduction. The device’s compact design enables installation in space-limited engine rooms, and with flexibility to ensure access when changing the catalyst, the company says.
Teijin Engineering has developed and marketed denitration devices for land-based equipment, primarily for in-house power generation at factories. With the new SCR denitration device, the company is now expanding into the ship-engine field to support efforts to clean up offshore environments.
Beginning in 2016, the International Maritime Organization will require compliance with the Tier III emissions rule, which calls for an 80 percent reduction of NOx emissions relative to the Tier I regulation.

Post to be found at - 
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2013/05/16/teijin-device-reduces-ships-nox-emissions/