Best Available Technologies News

Oslo-listed FPSO leasing company BW Offshore said Wednesday a fatal incident had occurred in the Priya Blue shipyard in India, but that it was not related to ongoing recycling of former BW Offshore FPSOs at the yard.BW Offshore said in February it had signed an agreement with Priya Blue Industries yard in India to recycle the Cidade de São Vicente FPSO in compliance with Hong Kong Convention. The convention, adopted in 2009, is aimed at ensuring that ships when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives…

The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV is being revised to confirm the lifetime performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs). This may finally bring about grey water regulation – a necessity that is long overdue.Black Water and Grey WaterA ship’s sewage (black water) is collected from toilets, urinals and hospitals. The IMO’s MARPOL Annex IV prohibits its discharge, except when treated by an STP or discharged at > 12nm from the nearest land. A ship’s grey water, collected from showers, wash basins…

“Sustainable development” has gone from buzz word to business imperative in the two decades since the initial Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Companies are increasingly evaluated on how well they address sustainability as a critical measure of their commitment to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. Stakeholders expect companies to develop sustainability and corporate responsibility programs and reporting as part of efforts to take up civil society concerns and maintain the social license to operate.

“Sustainable development” has gone from buzz word to business imperative in the two decades since the initial Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Companies are increasingly evaluated on how well they address sustainability as a critical measure of their commitment to the triple bottom line – people, planet and profit. Stakeholders expect companies to develop sustainability and corporate responsibility programs and reporting as part of efforts to take up civil society concerns and maintain the social license to operate.

ABB announced at the UN Climate Summit in New York today that it is joining the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL). The company will provide expertise on energy efficient motors and transformers to help governments devise policies that accelerate energy savings. “ABB is excited to be part of the United Nations initiative and to contribute to decoupling economic growth from energy consumption and emissions,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, CEO of ABB. “ Many cost- and energy-efficient technologies are already available. Electric motors account for about 28 percent of global electricity consumption. Many motors are bigger than they need to be and most are running at full speed, even when they don’t have to.

The Superior Court issued an “Order to Compel” to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. The court order issued to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is for failing to address challenges brought by Campaign to Safeguard America’s Waters and Friends of the Earth to the Cruise Ship Discharge Permit that allows cruise ships to dump their wastewater into Alaska’s waterways. Earthjustice sued on behalf of CSAW and Friends of the Earth because the permit violated key provisions of the State’s pollution law. CSAW and Friends of the Earth won the case in May, 2011, however, ADEC has failed to fix the significant flaws in the permit for more than fourteen months. The Court is now ordering ADEC to act by August 31.

“Some have criticised the IMO for acting too slowly and it has been suggested local regulation might be more effective. Whilst we agree that regional initiatives have made an important contribution to the cause, exclusively-local regulation would make it very difficult for international ship owners to operate effectively. Mr Schjerven discussed how the combination of engineering and global network capabilities has made it possible to develop environmental solutions for Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS) customers worldwide: “By offering the best available technologies in the market we can help our customers stay compliant and reduce their vessel operating costs. The less energy a ship consumes the less fuel it will burn, resulting in reduced pollution and cost savings.

OptiMarin AS has received Type Approval Certificate for the OptiMarin Ballast System (OBS). The Type Approval Certificate has been issued by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) on behalf of the Norwegian Maritime Administration and confirms OptiMarin’s compliance with IMO’s International Convention for the Control and Management of Ship’s Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004. The OptiMarin Ballast System has been tested extensively at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) in accordance with IMO’s G8 guidelines with excellent results. The ship board testing requirement was completed aboard the Klaveness cement carrier KCL Banshee using DNV and NIVA for testing and verification.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced legislation to help protect the world's oceans and the from damage caused by cruise ship pollution. The legislation, known as the Clean Cruise Ship Act, raises current pollution control standards by creating coastal zones in which cruise ships are prohibited from dumping waste, strengthening standards for waste treatment, and increasing surveillance to ensure cruise ship compliance with anti-pollution laws. Durbin says these measures are needed to keep pace with the challenges posed by today's cruise ship industry, whose fleets include larger and larger vessels each year. "In one week, a large cruise ship generates 500…

by John W. As a designer of ships, and president of a vessel design company, I know the shipbuilding industry is made up of people who recognize the importance of ferries, cruise ships and other maritime vessels to our economy. These same people also care a great deal about the marine environment in which our ships operate. That's why reports by environmental groups criticizing the marine industry for supposed ecological offenses leave a bad taste in the mouths of those who know the whole story. For example, a recent report on cruise ships by the Oceans Conservancy (Hertz and Davis, Cruise Control, May 2004) states, "Some of the pollutants generated by these giant ships daily include as much as 37…