Low Sulfur

APL Joins Clean Air Program in New York Harbor

APL volunteered to burn cleaner fuel in every vessel calling at the ports of New York and New Jersey. The agreement is part of a Port Authority program designed to curb emissions in New York Harbor.  Under the plan, APL vessels will use low-sulfur fuel in auxiliary generators while berthed.  “We have been leaders in implementing clean-air measures on our ships,” said Gene Seroka, APL President in the Americas.  “Bringing this effort to New York Harbor is a logical step for us.” Earlier in October, APL joined a low-sulfur fuel program at the Port of Hong Kong.  It has long been part of similar programs at the ports of Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. The Port Authority will reimburse 50% of the added cost APL incurs.  Low-sulfur fuel is more expensive to burn.  But according to APL, converting to low-sulfur fuel can reduce particulate matter emissions 75% and sulfur oxides by more than 85%.   

EPA Approves Marine Diesel Additive

ValvTect BioGuard Plus 6 prevents bacteria and solves all other diesel fuel related problems - eliminates need for multiple products.   Jerry Nessenson, president of ValvTect Petroleum, announced today that ValvTect has received formal approval for the registration and sale of ValvTect BioGuard Plus 6 multifunctional biocide diesel additive from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and in all 50 states. 

Fleet Emission Credit Applications Available

Application forms for fleet emission credits (FEC) as well as a status of the terminal plan submittals are now available on ARB’s Shore Power website.  FEC are only applicable toward compliance with the At-Berth Regulation where fleet operators have chosen the Equivalent Emission Reduction Option—fleets that have chosen the Reduced Onboard Power Generation Option cannot apply for or use FEC. These forms are applicable to two types of emission reductions: 1) Use of either

Owners Warned: Pay Heed to Turkish SOX Regs

OW Bunker highlighted the potential safety issues that ship owners and operators will face in Turkish waters when new local sulfur legislation comes into force from January 1, 2012.  The ruling, delivered by the Turkish Chamber of  Shipping and the Turkish General Directorate of Marine Transport states that:  ‘…marine fuels whose sulfur content exceeds 0.1% by mass cannot be used as of 01.01.2012 in the inland vessels and in the vessels on the quay.’[1]

Maersk Leads Fuel Switch at Port of Virginia

Maersk Line will switch to low-sulfur fuel while at berth for all of its containerships calling the Port of Virginia starting in February. This fuel switch program will help improve air quality in the greater Hampton Roads area by significantly reducing emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Maersk Line is the lead shipping line to participate in the fuel switch program sponsored by the Commonwealth of Virginia through the Virginia Port Authority (VPA) and the Virginia

Update #38: Kulluk Anchor, Hull Inspected in ROV surveys

Unified Command confirmed the following information today: •    Assessment of the Kulluk drilling vessel in Kiliuda Bay continues. Two remotely operated vehicle (ROV) surveys have been completed. The first was for the Kulluk’s anchor and chain. That survey revealed the anchor is firmly embedded with the chain buried near the anchor. No hard formations were found in the area surrounding the anchor. The second began an assessment of the Kulluk’s hull.

Air Emission Regulation Update

In March this year, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area was adopted by IMO, the International Maritime Organization. The North American ECA is a key part of a comprehensive EPA program to address harmful emissions from large ships. Which are the time schedules of upcoming emission regulations?  How are marine engine manufacturers preparing for the tighter air emission limits being adopted?

SOCP’s Exhaust Gas Cleaning System Selection Guide

The Ship Operations Cooperative Program (SOCP) announced the release of a recently completed study on Exhaust Gas Cleaning System (EGCS). SOCP conducted the study in light of new EPA regulations that become mandatory to ships operating in Emission Control Areas (ECA) in 2015 requiring low sulfur emission. The objective of the study is to assist ship operators in the dilemma of switching to expensive distillate fuel in ECA or install EGCS and continue to burn hi-sulfur heavy fuels.

First Solar-Power-Assisted Vessel in Development

—Car Carrier Auriga Leader to be Fitted with Hybrid Power Supply System and Ballast-Water Management System, and Adapted to Use Low-Sulfur Fuel — Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; president: Yasumi Kudo), Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (KHI; head office: Kobe-shi, Hyogo Prefecture; president: Satoshi Hasegawa), the Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI; head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; president: Yutaka Yasunaga)

Exhaust Gas Scrubbers, Not MGO, for 'Pride of America'

Green Tech Marine contracted to deliver four of its scrubber units to the Norwegian Cruise Line ship. The scrubbers will be installed in March during a dry dock in Pearl Harbor Naval shipyard. They will replace the ships silencers and clean the exhaust of four, 8 MW engines, in total 32 MW,  in what the manufacturers say is the biggest marine scrubber installation in the world at this time. Thanks to the small size of the scrubbers no valuable space for passengers or crew has to be