Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions News

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…

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…

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…

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.

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, 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.

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.

On August 11, 2010, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood identified 18 marine corridors, eight projects, and six initiatives for further development as part of “America’s Marine Highway Program.”  In addition, the Maritime Administration made available $7m for which these projects will be able to compete through a Notice of Funding Availability. The Marine Highway Program was fully implemented in April 2010 through publication of a Final Rule in the Federal Register. The Secretary’s designations were made pursuant to the Final Rule…

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.

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.

A hybrid electric ferry using Corvus Energy's advanced lithium polymer battery solution was commissioned today in Copenhagen, Denmark by Scandline. The Princess Benedikte ferry refit represents the conversion of a former diesel electric ferry to a hybrid vessel and a major advance in green ferry transportation. Using 2.7MWh of Corvus’ industry-proven battery modules, the retrofitted ferry will provide enhanced technical reliability and efficiency, improve maintenance costs, consume less fuel…

Jotun released a statement welcoming action taken by the International Standards Organization to mobilize an expert group to start work on a common industry standard for measurement of changes in hull and propeller performance. Jotun, in cooperation with the Bellona Foundation (Bellona) and Standard Norway, has been successful in mobilizing shipping industry stakeholders in an effort to reach general agreement on a method for measuring changes in hull and propeller performance, the company said. By improving hull and propeller performance, the world fleet can reduce fuel cost by as much as $30 billion per year and achieve an estimated 0.3% reduction in manmade GHG emissions.

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.

Corvus Energy to provide world’s largest ever hybrid propulsion marine battery pack for a Scandline diesel-electric ferry conversion. Corvus will provide Scandline with a 2.7MWh power pack consisting of an AT6500 advanced lithium polymer battery system for a conversion in an existing diesel electric ferry that delivers significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions, improved maintenance costs and optimized engine performance. The ferry will be the first of its size and represents an early example of a change to greener transportation methods in the marine sector.