Quality Energy News

Trade group The American Waterways Operators (AWO) has released a set of environmental stewardship best practices for the tugboat, towboat, and barge industry.Distributed to AWO members and available on the AWO website, the best practices are intended to inform, support and guide vessel operators' continuous improvement in the areas of water quality, energy efficiency, air quality, waste management and corporate responsibility, AWO said."Barge transportation is the safest, most environmentally sustainable mode of freight transportation," said Jennifer Carpenter, AWO president and CEO.

UAE-based Tomini Shipping has increased its fleet size further with an order for three Kamsarmaxes. The 82,000 DWT ships are being built by Taizhou Kouan Shipbuilding Co, a successful private shipyard in China with over 40 years of shipbuilding experience. The vessels are scheduled for delivery from the second half of 2019 onwards and follow the company’s order earlier this year for three newbuilding bulk carriers from another prominent Chinese shipyard. This latest deal underlines Tomini Shipping’s comprehensive fleet renewal strategy with the latest in quality, energy-saving, and fuel-efficient designs. The order will take Tomini’s fleet to over 18 vessels.

PBES and Høglund Marine Automation today announced a partnership agreement to industrial quality energy storage for hybrid and fully electric commercial marine vessels. The partnership agreement underscores the on-going green shift that is now occurring in the commercial marine industry. Leading marine controls and automation company Høglund sees the future. Commercial vessels increasingly rely on automation in day-to-day operation. In keeping with their cutting edge thinking and innovative designs, adding energy storage maximizes efficiency potential and environmental stewardship together. “The hybrid power system of today is smart, proven technology, designed for ease of integration and uninterrupted performance,” said Brent Perry, Chief Executive, PBES.

Veritas Petroleum Services (VPS) and DNV GL have launched a new Fuel Analytics solution. As part of DNV GL’s ECO Insight fleet performance management portal, the tool will enable a systematic assessment of the impact of fuel quality on vessel performance. The Fuel Analytics solution is the result of an ongoing close cooperation between VPS and DNV GL. “We have been the largest fuel testing services provider since our inception in 1981,” said Gerard Rohaan, CEO of VPS. “And as a result we have the world’s largest fuel sampling database – over two million tested samples.

Tsakos Energy Navigation Limited (TEN ) (NYSE: TNP) one of the largest independent ice-class owners in the world with 21 out of 51 vessels with ice-class capabilities has announced six-month time charters for three ice class tankers to a global energy end-user at rates that reflect currently available market premiums. "As we enter the winter months, the ice-class capabilities of our modern vessels provide a much sought after feature for quality energy companies that seek access to ice-bound ports worldwide," said Mr. George Saroglou, Chief Operating Officer of TEN. "As we head into the seasonally strong first quarter of 2013 we will continue to position our vessels to take advantage of market upturns which we see developing particularly now that the oversupply situation seems to be waning.

International classification society RINA has launched a co-ordinated range of services to help shipowners save fuel and reduce emissions. There are seven different elements to the services which can be adopted individually or as a complete package. The seven services are: auditing to ISO 14001 Environmental Management certification; auditing for ISO 50001 Energy Management Certification; development of the SEEMP (Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan); EEDI verification; Energy Saving and Energy Conservation Analysis…

Millennium Cell Inc., which designs and develops systems for the safe use of hydrogen fuel in energy applications, has teamed with Seaworthy Systems in a CCDOTT (Center for Commercial Development of Transportation Technologies) and California State University, Long Beach Foundation program. This program will demonstrate the benefits of using its fuel to power ships and facilities in ports. The project is designed to meet CCDOTT goals for zero emissions from fuel cells, and the contract award comes as many operators in U.S. ports are facing potential fines for being well in excess of Environmental Protection Agency air and water quality standards. "So there's a movement afoot right now in California to add regulation to reduce emission for all of the maritime fleet," said Rex E.