Reduced Greenhouse Gas News

Whether it is from international organizations or state government agencies, there is growing pressure on ferry operators to meet stringent goals to reduce the environmental toll from their operations.The California Air Resource Board’s Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation issued the most stringent of these policies, which requires all short-run ferries to achieve zero emission by January 1, 2026. But it’s not just California that wants this industry to clean up its act. The United…

Greek shipping company Neptune Lines announced the order of two next generation car carrier vessels, specially designed for its short sea trades. Fujian Mawei shipyard in China will build the 4,200 CEU DF PCTC vessels for scheduled delivery in 2026.The new vessels, under the Genesis Project, are the first two of a new series which reflects Neptune’s strategy to supplement its fleet over the next decade, increase relevant cargo capacity by 36% from current core fleet vessels, and reduce emissions to remain well ahead of global targets.

Tidewater Barge Lines, Inc will expand its regional barge service on the Columbia River after being awarded grant funding from the U.S. Department Maritime Administration (MARAD).The $4,168,759 from MARAD, combined with nearly $2 million in matching funds from Tidewater, will provide two new low and zero emission cranes that will enable the loading of additional solid waste containers on barges for shipment from southwest Washington to eastern Oregon.“This award will allow Tidewater…

Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Triumph Energy (Triumph), a marine technology company specializing in green technology and automation, have announced a new Joint Development Project (JDP) to ensure vessels are built and operated sustainably. The collaboration will see a new ShipRight procedure for vessels used within the offshore energy, decommissioning and renewable energy sectors.The new ShipRight Procedure will guarantee that vessels comply with relevant sustainability and ECO requirements…

A new study by GF Piping Systems and Foreship shows HVAC applications on passenger ships offer significant potential for improvement. The study, comparing a baseline steel piping system with pre-insulated polyethylene pipes in an air conditioning chilled water system revealed that plastic is more efficient in four areas: It decreases fuel consumption, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, lowers costs, and slightly improves EEXI and CII values.GF Piping Systems, the Swiss flow solutions provider…

The world’s first adaptive ferry transit conducted during normal service took place last week on a vessel fully loaded with passengers and vehicles, demonstrated fully automatic control from dock to dock, Kongsberg Maritime  announced. The landmark crossing, a key step forward in the integration of autonomous technology into everyday shipping operations, was made possible by collaboration between shipping company Bastø Fosen, KONGSBERG and the Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA).The…

Dry bulk carrier owner and operator Oldendorff Carriers has signed a research agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) to make its vessels more green and economical.Oldendorff, together with CBA and its campus collaborators including MIT's Sea Grant Program, will investigate disruptive improvements in ship design and propulsion to achieve the IMO 2030/50 requirements.The initial emphasis will be directed at improving hydrodynamic efficiency, which builds on work CBA has been doing with the aerospace and automotive industries. This looks beyond traditional naval architecture to a deeper integration of form and function.Anticipated research areas include morphing structures…

The international organization to promote Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS), Clean Shipping Alliance (CSA) 2020 has congratulated Danish ferry operator DFDS A/S for ten years of successful scrubber operation, with EGCS onboard the 37,939gt roro Ficaria Seaways achieving more than 50, 000 running hours since 2009.Ficaria Seaways, one of the first ro-ro vessels to be fitted with an Alfa Laval PureSOx system, operates inside the stringent European Sulfur Emission Control Area (SECA), on the Gothenburg – Immingham route.“The installation has prevented a substantial amount of sulfur emissions from entering the atmosphere,” said Poul Woodall…

Danfoss Editron, a company specializes in hybrid and electric powertrain systems for off-highway and marine markets, said that it has provided the hybrid electric drivetrain system powering a new ferry connecting the communities of Thyborøn and Agger in north west Denmark.The ferry, which was delivered by the country’s Søby Værft shipyard, was ordered to replace the previous one that had been running for over 40 years and reached the end of its operational lifetime.Like most ferries in Denmark, the Thyborøn-Agger service operates over a relatively short distance, with an approximate crossing time of just 12 minutes. Because of this short journey time…

Corvus Energy, the manufacturer of energy storage solutions for marine industry, has won an order from CCCC Shanghai Equipment Engineering (CCCCSEE) covering the supply of energy storage systems for battery-hybrid RTG (rubber-tired gantry) cranes.The order is for various retrofit and newbuild deliveries by CCCCSEE affiliate ZPMC in Chinese ports, said a press release from the Canada-based provider of purpose-engineered energy storage solutions for marine, oil & gas and port applicationsCorvus Energy, with primary operations in Vancouver and Bergen (Norway) has previously supplied Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for 48 RTG cranes through CCCCSEE. This is the first order booked by the Corvus Energy Asia office located in Singapore.The benefits of hybrid powered port cranes are substantial.

As the shipping industry is pushed to dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions courtesy of mandate from the International Maritime Organization, a pair of Japanese companies have embarked on a study of efficient shipboard power generation.Kobe Steel, Ltd. will conduct joint research with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. on a binary cycle power generation system currently under development. The binary cycle power generation system was installed on the coal carrier Corona Youthful.

ExxonMobil has started operations of a new unit at its Antwerp refinery in Belgium to convert heavy, higher-sulfur residual oils into high-value transportation fuels such as marine gasoil and diesel.The new 50,000 barrel-per-day unit expands the refinery’s capacity to meet demand for cleaner transportation fuels throughout northwest Europe. The company’s investment in the new coker will also help meet anticipated demand for lower-sulfur fuel oil to comply with new standards to be implemented by the International Maritime Organization in 2020.“Our investment in Antwerp strengthens ExxonMobil’s competitiveness and position as a leading European refiner by expanding the refinery’s product slate and increasing our ability to deliver larger quantities of cleaner…

NOAA presented awards to 13 global shipping firms for their commitment in helping prevent ship collisions with whales off the coast of California.The companies participated in a Voluntary Speed Reduction initiative by slowing their ships to speeds of 10 knots (about 11.5 mph) or lower while transiting vessel traffic lanes outside the Golden Gate during whale feeding season, from May through mid-November.The national marine sanctuaries of North-central California - Greater Farallones…

Port Metro Vancouver’s 2016 cruise season officially kicks off today with the arrival of the Star Princess at Canada Place. Vancouver expects to welcome approximately 830,000 passengers on 228 calls, reflecting a forecasted 3 percent increase in passenger volume over 2015. “2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Canada Place,” said Robin Silvester, President and Chief Executive Officer at Port Metro Vancouver. The results of a joint passenger survey by Port Metro Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver…

Brussels sets end-2016 deadline for CO2-cutting proposals by IMO. The shipping industry expects to be stung by a carbon levy as momentum building from climate talks in Paris starting this month makes a cut to its greenhouse gas emissions likely. Any tax - either a levy based on fuel use by diesel-driven ships or a market based mechanism - would add to rising costs for the industry, which transports 90 percent of world trade. A draft Paris text makes scant mention of reducing CO2 from marine bunker fuels. Yet ship industry sources say some form of taxation is expected to come in the wake of any deal at the Nov.30-Dec. 11 summit. "We do expect that sooner or later shipping will be regulated on CO2…

Corvus Energy announced that that it will deliver an additional 2.6 MWh battery system to German-Danish passenger ferry company Scandlines – operators of the world’s largest battery hybrid electric ferry fleet. Scandlines’ fleet of battery hybrid ferries currently include: the M/V Deutschland, M/V Schleswig-Holstein, M/V Prins Richard and M/V Prinsesse Benedikte, with the M/V Copenhagen and M/V Berlin under construction. Each vessel has between 1.5 MWh and 2.6 MWh of energy storage. Scandlines’ battery hybrid electric ferries provide an economic link between Denmark and Germany, with daily sailings on multiple routes between these countries.

Capital Ship Management Corporation is prioritizing a business strategy inspired by, and applying, the key principles and goals of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) Strategy for Sustainable Maritime Transport Systems. Capital is incorporating key 'imperatives' and 'goals', as defined by IMO in the company’s management systems across its operations. Capital has established a task force to implement specific actions, plans, processes and to develop systems addressing sustainability. Priority has been given to the promotion of a safety culture and environmental stewardship, as well as to the education, training and support of seafarers.

The first cruise ship of the 2015 season will depart Port Metro Vancouver this weekend. An exciting and increasingly popular cruise itinerary will run back-to-back trips between Vancouver and Hawaii for the first time, bringing an earlier-than-usual start to the 2015 Canada Place cruise season. Princess Cruise’s Grand Princess arrives in Vancouver this Sunday, March 22, for a round-trip sailing to the Hawaiian Islands. The ship will repeat the itinerary again on April 6. “We are very pleased to welcome the Grand Princess to Canada Place, commencing the 2015 cruise season and expanding on our already well-known Vancouver-Alaska cruise business,” said Robin Silvester, President and CEO, Port Metro Vancouver.

Corvus Energy and Scandlines announced today the completion of the commissioning for the Scandlines’ fleet of hybrid ferries: the M/V Deutschland, M/V Schleswig-Holstein and M/V Prins Richard. According to the companies, the vessels represent the largest fleet of hybrid ferries in operation today. Based on the success of Scandline’s first hybrid conversion, the MF Prinsesse Benedikte, the latest three vessels each use a 2.7MWh Energy Storage System (ESS) consisting of 399 Corvus Energy AT6500 advanced lithium polymer batteries integrated with Siemens drive systems.

Siemens Blue Drive PLUSC Low Voltage Propulsion Solution providing reliability, Safety, increased fuel efficiency, reduced greenhouse gas emissions (Methane, NOX and SOX) and reduced maintenance costs. Siemens Industry announces it was awarded a contract to equip Otto Candies (OC) Subsea Support and Construction Vessel (SSCV) for offshore Oil & Gas support, with its unique Blue Drive PLUSC Diesel Electric Propulsion (DEP) Solution. Candies Shipbuilding located in Houma, LA. will build the vessel. The total order value is more than $6 million.

One of the most effective and easiest fuel reduction operations is reducing the engine power by reducing the speed of a vessel. Out of the total operational costs of a vessel, fuel costs account for, by far, the highest proportion. When fuel prices soared, the technical experts of one of the world’s biggest shipping companies set about to solve the problem, and slowing down was the solution they devised. By 2009 significant fuel savings resulted from sailing its ships at 12 knots instead of 24, and ”Slow Steaming” officially became the standard operating procedure in their fleet.

Corvus Energy announced the completion of the three-month trial of the hybrid ferry MF Finnøy. The refit vessel used a 960V, 260kWh Energy Storage System (ESS) consisting of 40 Corvus Energy AT6500 advanced lithium polymer batteries. The ESS was integrated with the existing drive systems provided by Siemens AS, and powered by two 650kW diesel generators. MF Finnøy, built in 1999, has a capacity of 350 passengers and 110 cars. She runs on the 20-minute crossing between Lauvvik and Oanes in Norway and spends about 10 minutes in harbour on each side loading and off loading.

Corvus Energy, Siemens AS and Fjord1 have announced the award of the contract for the Fannefjord LNG hybrid ferry. The refit Fannefjord will use a 1,050V, 410kWh Energy Storage System (ESS) consisting of 63 Corvus Energy AT6500 advanced lithium polymer batteries. The ESS will be integrated with the existing Siemens drive systems and be powered by two LNG generators. The 123m Fannefjord, sister ship to the vessel Moldefjord (who won the 2010 Green Ship of the Year), has a capacity of 390 passengers and 125 cars or 12 road trailers and 55 cars.