Value Maritime Installs First Filtree System for Ardmore Shipping
Value Maritime announced it has completed the first in a series of nine installations of its emissions reducing Filtree systems for product and chemical tanker company Ardmore Shipping Corporation.Taking place in China, this was the first time that Value Maritime has installed its system outside of Europe. The Ardmore Seaventure is also the first Ardmore vessel now fully equipped with Value Maritimeâs Filtree system. The remaining installations for Ardmore Shipping are scheduledâŚ
Total Buys 25% Stake in Ecoslops
French multinational integrated oil and gas company Total S.A. has signed an agreement with Ecoslops S.A. that gives the oil major a 25% interest in its affiliate Ecoslops Provence.Ecoslops Provence is building a unit to regenerate oil residues at Totalâs La Mède complex. The new facility is scheduled to come on stream in late 2019.Total is providing Ecoslops Provence with access to existing infrastructure and the services and utilities the unit needs to operate.âThanks to our partnership with Total, weâve been able to maximize the synergies between our activities and make our move into the Marseille region much simpler and less expensiveâŚ
Ecoslops and Suez Canal Economic Zone Ink Second Agreement
Ecoslops, the producer of recycled marine fuels from oil residues, and Suez Canal Economic Zone signed a new agreement, further to the signature of an agreement for a detailed feasibility study in January 2018.A press release said that the firms take another step towards the implementation of a collection, reception and treatment unit of maritime oil wastes, under the auspices of the French and Egyptian governments and on the occasion of the State visit of President Macron in Cairo.The new agreement, based on the positive outcomes of the feasibility study, foresees in 2019 the finalisation of the technical studies and the developmentâŚ
Ecoslops for Feasibility Study on Suez Canal
Ecoslops announces that it has made further progress in its project to expand in Egypt by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Suez Canal Economic Zone for the development of a detailed feasibility study. The potential for recovering oil residues transiting the Suez Canal is estimated at more than 40,000 tonnes per year, based on 18,000 passages and 7,000 ports of call. Egypt also has important world-class ports like Alexandria, generating more than 5,000 calls a year, which also have significant potential for waste generation. Based on this, and in continuation with the Letter of Intent signed in March 2017 with SSCOâŚ
NGOs, Unions Denounce Certification Issued to PHP Yard by RINA
In October, the PHP Family (Peace Happiness and Prosperity) shipbreaking yard received a Statement of Compliance with the Hong Kong Convention by the Italian classification society RINA. Trade unions in Bangladesh, as well as the Platformâs member Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies (BILS), are concerned that such a labelling sets a dangerous precedent for the further green-washing of the Chittagong beaching yards. Workers and the environment are not protected as long as ships are broken on the beach, and as long as fundamental labour rights and proper infrastructure are not secured. PHP is run by a renowned business family in Chittagong, who also runs activities in the steel re-rolling and construction industries, and owns TV channels.
Pakistani Shipbreaking Plot Sealed Off
Shipbreaking plot no. 54 in Gadani, Pakistan, was sealed off after a massive fire broke out on-board the ship ACES (IMO 8021830), said NGO Shipbreaking Platform. This is the same floating oil production tanker that blew up on 1 November last year â an explosion that caused the death of 31 workers and seriously injured at least another 58 workers. Fortunately, reports seem to indicate that no workers got caught in the flames of yesterdayâs fire on the ACES. After having been left untouched and unbroken in the same yard since last yearâs catastrophic explosion, the Pakistan Department of Environment gave permission last week for the continued breaking of the ACES.
Ecoslops Seeks Authorization for Marseilles Project
Ecoslops, an innovative technology company that upgrades ship-generated hydrocarbon residues, or âslopsâ, into valuable new fuels and light bitumen, has announced the formal application to the French competent authorities for an authorization to operate an oil residue waste-processing unit at La Mède, near Marseilles in partnership with Total group. Within this partnership, in which Ecoslops will get a majority stake, and as soon as a unique authorization is given (building and operation permits), the building of a micro-refinery unit with a 30,000 tons per year capacity should start mid 2018. This unit should be operational by the end of 2018.
Ecoslops Issues âŹ5.5 Mln Bonds for Growth
Ecoslops, the first company to develop a technology to sustainably produce marine fuels from refined marine oil residues (âslopsâ), has announced the successful issuance of ORNANE convertible bonds for the nominal value of âŹ5.5 million. Following the commercial validation of its first micro-refining plant in the Port of Sinès, Portugal, the additional capital will be used to accelerate the development of new projects, while continuing to ramp up the initial operation to full capacity by the end of 2016. Vincent Favier, CEO, Ecoslops, said, âOur micro-refinery in the Port of Sinès has shown its capability to transform 98% of hydrocarbon residue into marketable and certified products, exceeding expectations.
Ship Captain Guilty of Felony Obstruction
A Filipino citizen and the captain of the tanker ship, T/V Green Sky, pleaded guilty today to one felony count in federal court in Charleston, South Carolina, for obstructing a U.S. Coast Guard investigation into pollution crimes aboard the vessel. Genaro Anciano, 52, who was the highest ranking officer aboard the ship, pleaded guilty to one count of Obstruction of an Agency Proceeding. The charge stems from a Coast Guard investigation in late August 2015 into the bypass of pollution prevention equipment, including the use of a âmagic device,â on the Green Sky. In court papers, the defendant stated that members of the shipâs engine room, including a senior officer, admitted to illegally discharging overboard.
Ecoslops to Implement Recycling Unit in the Romanian Port of Constanta
Ecoslops has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP), a leading offshore drilling and construction company, to conduct a feasibility study for the development of an oil residues processing plant in the Romanian Port of Constanta, on the Black Sea. Ecoslops is the first company to develop technology to produce recycled marine fuels from marine oil residues (slops). "The Port of Constanta is ideally located, and GSP is the ideal partner to collaborate with on the development of this significant project, given their wealth of industrial experience and in-depth knowledge of the region,â he added. Ecoslops has just signed a Letter of Intent with Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP)âŚ
Ecoslops Announces First Sale of Light Bitumen
Ecoslops, the first company to develop technology to produce recycled marine fuels from marine oil residues (slops), has announced its first sale of light bitumen. Vincent Favier, CEO of Ecoslops, said: âFollowing our initial sale of marine fuel, the first sale of light bitumen shows our plant in the Port of Sinès has the capacity to recycle and upcycle over 98 percent of the oil residue we collect, and our ability to meet the requirements of our end clients. This latest step bodes well for our future sales development. Ecoslops has just carried out its first sales of light bitumen (XFO), the heaviest cut of its production. The bitumen presents excellent technical characteristics for companies involved in waterproof and insulating cladding, such as the building and construction markets.
Ecoslops Sells First Recycled Marine Fuel
Press release - Ecoslops, the first company to develop technology to produce recycled marine fuels from marine oil residues (âslopsâ), has announced that it has sold its first volume of marine fuel, as well as importing a new shipment of slops to its refinery at the Port of Sinès in Portugal. Following the commencement of industrial production, Ecoslops sold 1,000 tonnes of Marine Diesel Oil (MDO), compliant with ISO 8217 standards, at market price, to a European bunker operator. After the initial import of a shipment of 3,200 tonnes of slops from Northern Europe, the company has also imported a second shipment of 3,000 tonnes, further ramping up its refinery operations.
IMOâs MEPC Set to Adopt Polar Code Provisions
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meets for its 68th session from May 11-15, 2015, at IMO Headquarters in London. Items on the agenda include the proposed adoption of the environmental part of the Polar Code and associated draft MARPOL amendments to make the Code mandatory; the implementation of the Ballast Water Management Convention; further work on air pollution and energy efficiency measures; and a proposal to extend the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) to parts of the Coral Sea.
Training to Crackdown on Illegal Ship Discharges
The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) provides joint Interpol training to member-state represetatives. This year EMSAâs training and cooperation sector offered a new training course together with Interpol, the international police organization. The contents of the course was developed by Interpol withhin the framework of the project âCleanSeasâ a training course on âIllegal discharges and MARPOL Violationsâ. Lecturers from EMSA, the US Department of Justice, the Swedish CoastâŚ
Singapore âBunkers Convention
The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) issued a circular reminding the maritime community that the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001 (Bunker Convention) comes into force on 21 November 2008. As of that date, ships having a gross tonnage greater than 1000 may only enter the port of Singapore if they carry on board a Bunker Convention Certificate (BCC) to attest that insurance or other financial security to cover liability for bunker oil pollution damage is in place. Note that oil tankers having a gross tonnage of greater than 1000, either carrying oil in bulk as cargo or with oil residues on board need not carry a BCC since they are already covered by the Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage, 1992 (CLC Convention).
Gotar: Keeping Ships Clean From the Inside
With a number of recent disease scares aboard cruise ships, the mandate to get and stay clean is monumental. The company, whose headquarters are based in Quebec, Canada, also operates an R&D Production unit out of Saguenay, Quebec, and a U.S. office in Houston (Friendswood), Texas. Manufacturing a diversified variety of cleaning products with a large range of applications, the company features a selection of products, such as deoxidizers that eliminate lime and calcium buildup; degreasers that remove organic matter, oil residues and carbon deposits; and other formulas developed for a variety of metal surfaces. Gotar's products are touted as non-toxic, biodegradable and cost-effective, while extending equipment's life cycle.