Institute Of Environmental News

The International Maritime Organization (IMO)-administered Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) is providing technical expertise to help clean up beaches in Greece affected by an oil spill. Two experts are in Greece (8 to 14 October) to give technical support on sunken oil assessment, removal techniques and efficient oil removal from sandy beaches. This follows the sinking of the AGIA ZONI II, off Piraeus, on 10 September. The experts are from the Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution (Cedre) based in Brest, France, and from the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) based in Rome, Italy.

The extent of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has set a new record low for the wintertime in a region strongly affected by long-term trends of global warming, U.S. and European scientists said on Wednesday. Sea ice around the North Pole expands to its biggest extent of the year in February or March after a deep freeze in the winter polar darkness and shrinks to the smallest of the year in September, at the end of the brief Arctic summer. Arctic sea ice appears to have reached its annual maximum extent on March 7…

IBM Corp has signed an agreement with the city of Beijing to use advanced weather forecasting and cloud compting technologies to help tackle the Chinese capital's persistent smog. After a series of pollution scares and scandals, China's central government has promised to reverse some of the damage done to the nation's sky, rivers and soil by more than three decades of growth. ButChina has first had to improve data collection, monitoring and forecasting capabilities before it can work on cutting smog and pollution. Beijing city already uses an alerting system based on data from 35 monitoring stations, allowing it to shut schools and factories and cut traffic three days in advance, but residents still complain that not enough is being done.

Dr. Anne-Marie Warris, an internationally respected expert in the fields of sustainable shipping, climate change and environmental management, has been chosen as Personality of the Year 2013 by WISTA-UK, part of the Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association. Dr. Warris recently retired from a leading environmental role at Lloyd’s Register to initiate a new venture, ecoreflect ltd, a U.K.-registered company, whose purpose is “to explore ‘eco’ and to ‘reflect’ on the…

After several days of waiting for favorable weather, the MS Tûranor Planet Solar, the largest solar boat in the world, left the city of Boston, carrying three scientific team members from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and a researcher from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the largest center of its kind in the world, with whom UNIGE is collaborating for this expedition. This important stopover in the capital of Massachusetts was crucial in the planning of the “DeepWater” expedition’s itinerary…

Environmental and Project Approvals Advance Visionary Concept. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission today certified the final Environmental Impact Report for the proposed redevelopment of City Dock No. 1 and approved the framework for bringing a world-class marine research center to the LA Waterfront at the Port of Los Angeles. The action sets the stage for creation of a state-of-the-art waterfront research institute where leading scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs can collaborate on solutions to today’s marine, environmental and maritime industry challenges.

Sulphur dioxide emissions from shipping have sharply decreased in EU ports thanks to an EU policy which limits sulphur content in fuels for ships at berth or at anchor in ports. Scientists at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre measured key air quality parameters in Mediterranean harbours before and after the entry into force of the low-sulphur requirements in January 2010. In European harbours they found an average decrease of 66% in concentrations of sulphur dioxide, a chemical compound that poses risks to health and the environment. Measurements taken in a non-EU port showed that levels of this noxious substance remained the same.

Horizon Lines reaches agreement with U.S. Department of Justice on Environmental Record-Keeping Incident. Horizon Lines, Inc. today announced that its Horizon Lines, LLC operating subsidiary has entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, under which the ocean cargo carrier will plead guilty to two counts of providing federal authorities with false vessel oil record-keeping entries on a containership in the U.S. West Coast-Hawaii service. Under the agreement…

Puerto Rican-based Shipping Company Sentenced to Pay $700,000 Penalty for Intentional Cover-Up of Oil Pollution. WASHINGTON – Epps Shipping Company, a Liberian corporation doing business out of Carolina, Puerto Rico, was sentenced in federal court for violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) and making false statements to U.S. Coast Guard inspectors, announced Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno and United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez. The company was sentenced to pay a $700,000 criminal penalty to include a $100,000 payment towards community service projects to rehabilitate and protect coral reefs in Guanica Bay, Puerto Rico.

Genoa-based verification, certification and ship classification group RINA has published a new notation GAS FUELLED SHIPS which establishes requirements for the use of liquefied or compressed natural gas (LNG or CNG) on board ship as an alternative to traditional fuels. It is designed to  give the industry a regulatory tool to ensure that the arrangement and installation on board of machinery using this type of fuel are such as to provide a level of integrity, from the point of view of safety and reliability, equivalent to that of a conventional installation. RINA notes that the use of natural gas as a fuel provides the advantages of a total reduction in sulphur oxide emissions…

The US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said that a ship management company and a chief engineer pleaded guilty to a charge that they falsified the oil record book (ORB) on a commercial vessel. The company was sentenced to pay a $1m fine and a $200,000 community service payment. It will also serve a three year period of probation and institute an environmental compliance program. Source: HK Law

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California said that the owner of a foreign freighter pled guilty to grossly negligent operation of a vessel and was fined $50,000. In addition, the owner agreed to pay $100,000 to a local fund for environmental restoration projects and to institute an environmental compliance program. The owner admitted that, during a trans-Atlantic voyage to North America in September 2006, several small cracks and rust holes were identified on the starboard side of the main deck. These were repaired by welding. Soon after, two large cracks were discovered on the port side of the main deck. These cracks were taped over and the tape was painted to blend in with the deck (it must have been rust-colored paint).

The US Attorney for the Western District of Washington said that a ship owner was sentenced to pay a criminal fine of $500,000, make a $250,000 community service payment, and serve four years probation for failing to maintain an accurate oil record book on one of its ships. The crewmember who reported the offense to the Coast Guard has been rewarded with one-half of the fine ($250,000). The company must institute an environmental compliance program and hire a third-party auditor to ensure that its personnel follow the program. Source: HK Law

The U.S. Department of Justice has stated that the owner of a gaming vessel based out of Port Aransas, Texas, pleaded guilty in federal court to obstructing a Coast Guard investigation into whether the ship had illegally discharged waste oil and deliberately bypassed its pollution prevention equipment. The ship’s chief engineer also pleaded guilty to making false statements to the Coast Guard regarding existence of tank sounding records and then attempting to destroy the records. Under the terms of the proposed plea agreement, the owner will pay a criminal fine of $300,000 and institute an environmental compliance program. Sentencing is scheduled for April 25. Source: HK Law

Crowley Marine Services announced today that Elizabeth Caporelli will join the company's ship assist and escort services group as Manager of Tug Dispatch in Southern California. in San Diego. collection and analysis, and maximizing fleet utilization. Vice President and General Manager, Ship Assist and Escort. Caporelli graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. in resource development. US National Science Foundation. Studies, and the Bermuda Biological Station for Research. environmental issues and she holds a U.S. near-shore coastal license.