Maritime Energy Efficiency News

Red Funnel's Redjet 7 will serve as a bench test for an innovative vessel docking project between a maritime data company and university student game developers.Efficient vessel docking which melds traditional maritime know-how and cutting edge gaming tech is the focus of a project between Azurtane, a Southampton maritime energy efficiency firm, and the School of Media Arts and Technology at Solent University.The project seeks to leverage the skills of student game developers in a high precision kinematics (HPK)…

Partnerships and innovations are essential to combat climate change through reductions in GHG emissions. Norway has provided an additional NOK 40,000,000 (US$4.3. million) to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)-Norway GreenVoyage-2050 project, which will support GHG reductions in line with the IMO initial strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.This supports UN SDG 13 on climate action. The project aims to assist countries to implement legal, policy and institutional reforms, build capacity and initiate and promote global efforts to demonstrate and test innovative technical solutions for reducing GHG emissions from shipping.IMO is currently in the process of selecting pioneer pilot countries…

The GMN global network of maritime technology cooperation centers has completed numerous pilot projects over the past three years, helping to drive forward the changes which are required to reduce GHG emissions from shipping. A global network of maritime technology cooperation centers has completed an impressive array of pilot projects over the past three years, helping to drive forward the changes which are required to reduce GHG emissions from shipping.Five regional Maritime…

"Just-In-Time" (JIT) operations have the potential to cut the time ships spend idling outside ports and help reduce harmful emissions as well as save on fuel costs.According to International Maritime Organization (IMO), this can be achieved by communicating in advance the relevant information to the ship about the requested time of arrival - allowing the ship to adjust to optimum speed. A desktop trial in Just-In-Time ship operations has yielded positive results, showing emissions can be cut considerably.The trial was conducted by members of the IMO-led Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (GIA), at the Port of Rotterdam (10 July).Technical adviser Astrid Dispert said…

The Global Industry Alliance (GIA), a key International Maritime Organization (IMO)  initiative supporting ship decarbonisation, is set to be extended to 2023, in line with the time-frame of IMO’s Initial greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) Strategy.The UN body announced that the extension follows two years of good progress by the initiative, whose 6th Task Force meeting took place in Gothenberg, Sweden this week (25 June).The task force discussed developments in a number of on-going projects, including the upcoming release of the first of three ‘Energy Efficient Ship Operation’ e-learning courses, which will be made available free of charge.Work is progressing on the second course…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is at the UN climate change conference in Bonn, Germany (17-27 June), where governments are meeting to work towards significantly accelerating the pace of climate action.The UN body is reporting to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA 50) on the latest and ongoing work to implement the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships.The strategy sets out a vision confirming IMO's commitment to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, to phasing them out as soon as possible in this century.Specifically, IMO has highlighted the achievements of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 74)…

Data sharing is a prerequisite to enabling the successful implementation of “Just-In-Time” (JIT) operations – which can cut the time ships spend idling outside ports and help cut emissions as well as save on fuel costs.Participants at a roundtable meeting of  International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (GIA) at IMO Headquarters, London (1-2 May), agreed that increased transparency of information through data sharing was imperative, while this should be achieved through standardized functional and data definitions.More frequent exchange of information would lead to better predictability of when a berth is available.

The Panama Canal Authority and A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S are the latest entities to join the International Maritime Organization (IMO)-supported Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (GIA).According to the UN body, the GIA now has 18 members, including leading shipowners and operators, classification societies, engine and technology builders and suppliers, big data providers, oil companies and ports.The new members signed up to the GIA during the fifth meeting of the GIA Taskforce at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom (15 March).The GIA Taskforce meeting (photos) progressed work on several on-going projects, including on the validation of performance of Energy Efficiency Technologies…

A new set of toolkits to assess and address emissions from ships and ports is now available from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the global regulatory body for shipping.The Ship Emissions Toolkit and Port Emissions Toolkit have been developed under the GEF-UNDP-IMO Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships (GloMEEP) Project, in collaboration with its strategic partners, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH)."To reduce emissions across the maritime sector, national authorities need to first quantify those emissions and then develop a strategy to reduce them…

If seagoing vessels were better informed about the availability of berths and adapted their speed accordingly, substantial savings could be made in terms of fuel and CO2 emissions. This conclusion is based on a study that was recently commissioned by the Port of Rotterdam Authority and research institute TNO.The study pointed out that if sea-going vessels are regularly kept informed – particularly during the last twelve hours before arrival – about exactly when their berth will become available, they will be able to adapt their sailing speed accordingly.That usually means reducing their speed so that they arrive just in time. This in turn leads to less fuel consumption and therefore lower emissions of unwanted substances such as carbon dioxide, sulphur oxides and nitrous oxides.

How can ports cut emissions to ensure cleaner air and contribute to the battle against climate change? First, ports need to quantify emissions in ports, then they need to identify measures to cost-effectively reduce port-related emissions. A strategic partnership between the International Maritime Organization (IMO)-executed GloMEEP energy efficiency project and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is helping selected countries to develop port emission inventories and subsequently draw up a port emission reduction strategy. A new three-day workshop package on the “Prevention and control of shipping and port air emissions” is being developed as part of the GloMEEP-IAPH strategic partnership.

The Government’s Plan for Growth in the Danish Maritime Sector positions the country to become a global maritime hub by 2025. The plan counts initiatives aimed at making Denmark a global frontrunner within tests of maritime autonomous technologies and maritime digitalisation, creating more work-experience places at sea and increasing the number of applicants admitted to the training programmes for masters and ship officers, as well as ensuring the development of an overall maritime marketing strategy in close cooperation with the industry. The Government’s Plan for Growth is based on the recommendations made by the Maritime Strategy Team. ”With the Plan for Growth in the Danish Maritime Sector, the Government has set the course for Denmark to become a global maritime power hub by 2025.

A global network of centres of excellence in marine technology was officially launched on Monday (4 December) at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Directors of five regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the global maritime technology centre network. The network of MTCCS - in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific - is the mainstay of the GMN maritime technology project, run by IMO and funded by the European Union. The MTCCs are expected to provide leadership in promoting ship energy-efficiency technologies and operations, and the reduction of harmful emissions from ships.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) treaty covering the prevention of air pollution from ships has been ratified by Iceland, bringing the total number of contracting States to 89, and representing more than 96% of world merchant shipping tonnage. The MARPOL Annex VI treaty limits the main air pollutants contained in ships exhaust gas, including sulphur oxides and nitrous oxides, and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances. It also includes energy-efficiency measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships. Stefán Haukur Jóhannesson, Ambassador of Iceland to the United Kingdom, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London (22 November) to deposit the instruments of accession.

The first national workshop under the Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships GloMEEP), Project, which aims to support increased uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency measures for shipping, has been held in Georgia. Georgia is one of the Lead Pilot Countries for the project, which aims to build understanding and knowledge of technical and operational energy-efficiency measures to lead maritime transport into a low-carbon future. The national workshop in Batumi, Georgia (15-17 December), focused on raising awareness of Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), in particular the energy-efficiency regulations in chapter 4.

International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s response to the needs of developing countries for building capacity and facilitating technology transfer to promote low-carbon shipping was highlighted at the Environmental Sustainable Shipping Industry Conference (ESSIC), held in Panama City, Panama (14 March). The international conference was held in parallel with the Panama Maritime XIII World Conference and Exhibition. IMO’s Jose Matheickal talked through the Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships Project (GloMEEP) funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), which focus on legal, policy and institutional reforms in developing countries to implement MARPOL annex VI requirements.

A global Train-the-Trainer workshop on energy efficiency has been delivered in China (23-27 May), preparing the personnel needed to cascade knowledge on energy efficiency for ships and related efforts for mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. The five-day intensive course was organized by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), within the framework of the Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships (GloMEEP) Project. The workshop was co-hosted by the China Maritime Safety Administration (China MSA) and Dalian Maritime University (DMU). The GloMEEP Project  aims to support increased uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency measures for shipping. China is one of the ten Lead Pilot Countries implementing the GloMEEP Project.

At a ceremony in Singapore Bureau Veritas formally joined the Global Industry Alliance (GIA). The GIA was officially inaugurated on June 29 by IMO Secretary General, Mr Kitack Lim. 17 companies have now signed up to join the GIA, which will work within a framework established by Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnership (GloMEEP) Project, a Global Environment Facility (GEF)-United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - IMO project. The GIA will support improving the energy efficiency of ships and shipping by collectively identifying and developing innovative solutions to address common barriers and promote the uptake of energy efficiency technologies and operational measures.

Close to 240 maritime leaders and professionals will gather in Singapore to identify priority areas for international action and exchange best practices in maritime technology transfer and capacity building at the Future-Ready Shipping 2017 Conference. Jointly organised by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the conference will take place from 25th to 26th September 2017 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. Future-Ready Shipping 2017 is the second edition in the conference series which pioneered a global dialogue on maritime technology cooperation. The first, also held in Singapore in 2015…

"No stakeholder, alone, can deal with the complexities the planet faces in addressing the challenge of climate change", said International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Director of the Marine Environment Division, Stefan Micallef. He was opening the joint Singapore-IMO International Conference on Maritime Technology Transfer and Capacity-Building also known as Future-Ready Shipping Conference 2017, held in Singapore (25-26 September). The Conference looked at future collaborations that can drive discussions towards identifying opportunities that can have an impact on the shipping industry as it moves towards decarbonization. The event also included sessions covering the latest trends in maritime and port energy efficient technologies…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has launched a website for GloMEEP energy efficiency project. IMO’s continuing efforts to promote environmentally sound shipping received a boost today with the launch of Glomeep.imo.org. The new website provides important information and updates on the Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships (GloMEEP) project – a GEF-UNDP-IMO initiative that supports the uptake and implementation of energy efficiency measures for shipping, thereby reducing the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. A key feature of the site is an information portal on energy efficiency technologies – covering areas such as machinery, propulsion and hull improvements, and energy recovery.

The Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships Project (GloMEEP), which aims to support increased uptake and implementation of energy-efficiency measures for shipping, was formally launched on Monday, September 28, in Singapore, at the IMO-Singapore Future-Ready Shipping 2015 conference. This Global Environment Facility (GEF)/United Nations Development Program (UNDP)/IMO project, formally designated “Transforming the Global Maritime Transport Industry towards a Low Carbon Future through Improved Energy Efficiency”…

International Maritime Organization (IMO) is continuing its work to support developing countries to prevent air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from ships with a global training exercise held in Batumi, Georgia (12-14 September). Participants are being trained to use three new draft guides, specifically developed under IMO’s GloMEEP project in collaboration with IMArEST, which cover i) rapid assessment for determining the country maritime energy efficiency and emissions status, ii) maritime energy efficiency strategy development, and iii) incorporation of MARPOL Annex VI into national law. Thirty-seven participants from all 10 GloMEEP lead pilot countries* are taking part in the exercise, which will lay the foundation for further work in the countries going forward.