Sustainable Sources News

Like so many other industries in transportation, the marine industry is being challenged on multiple fronts—from a shortage of manpower and emerging digital technologies to sustainability requirements. In the face of these growing pressures, ship designers increasingly rely on digital transformation to stay competitive and deliver higher-quality products. Digital transformation offers many solutions across a ship’s lifecycle, from design and crew training to interconnectivity and automation…

The transportation of hydrogen, a key fuel of the energy transition in maritime, is another step closer to supporting projected market demands thanks to newly published industry-leading requirements from ABS.The ABS Requirements for Liquefied Hydrogen Carriers address safety and technical standards for vessels carrying liquefied hydrogen, expanding on the corresponding IMO Resolution MSC.420(97) that was adopted in November 2016. The ABS publication provides further support on criteria such as risk assessment…

Volvo Cars has announced that it is switching delivery of its production material to container ships using renewable biofuel.The company will use renewable fuel for inbound ocean container transport of production material destined for manufacturing plants based in Europe and the Americas, as well as all spare parts distribution made globally by ocean container transport.Volvo Cars says that it is the first global car maker to announce such a switch which will achieve an immediate reduction in fossil CO2 emissions from intercontinental ocean freight by 55,000 tonnes a year.

I will readily confess that 20 years ago I was not convinced that EV’s were the answer to sustainable energy. Instead, I had long been a fan of hydrogen. I was well aware that there were technical issues associated with hydrogen, but was equally aware that, for total sustainable energy, a transportable fuel is needed and hydrogen seemed to be the way to go.I envisioned hydrogen generation from sustainable sources (wind, solar, etc) and the use of hydrogen with fuel cells in cars, ships and with gas turbines in airplanes.

Proman Stena Bulk, the joint venture between tanker company Stena Bulk and methanol producer Proman, announced the successful completion of the first ever barge-to-ship methanol bunkering on the U.S. Gulf Coast.The JV tankers Stena Pro Marine and Stena Prosperous were refueled with methanol via barge while discharging clean petroleum products at a terminal in the Port of Houston in the first week of April.Stena Pro Marine was bunkered with 1,408MT of methanol, and Stena Prosperous was refueled with 1,203MT during the operation.

Malaysian oil and gas company Petronas has become the first energy company to produce LNG from two floating LNG facilities, after the LNG shipment was delivered by its floating LNG facility PFLNG DUA on Wednesday, March 24.The cargo was loaded onto the Seri Camar LNG Carrier operated by MISC Bhd for shipment to our LNG Buyer in Thailand. The PFLNG DUOA  is located at Block H Rotan gas field, around 140 kilometers offshore Sabah, Malaysia."This milestone confirms the viability…

One of the world’s first fully-electric ship-handling tugs was launched into the water at Song Cam Shipyard in Vietnam, on December 4. Damen is building the vessel, a 70 tonnes bollard pull RSD-E Tug 2513, for New Zealand’s Ports of Auckland, which aims to be a zero emissions organization by 2040.With its ambitious goal in mind, the organization approached Damen with the question – was a fully-electric, zero emissions tug a possibility?Damen, with its own goal to become the world’s most sustainable shipbuilder, said it was keen to take up the challenge.

“I think it is very early to project what will be the fuel of the future. I think that it will be much more clear in January 2020 (when the new IMO fuel rules enter force) and we see the direction of fuel costs.”To start, put in perspective the current pressure to reduce emissions in the maritime industry.It all really started at the beginning of the 1990s when the world started discussing that something needed to be done on exhaust gas emissions from marine vessels. We stayed in contact with various regulatory authorities, as we tried to be a part of the conversation in the creation of rules.

Around 360 cruise vessels are operating on the ocean today, transporting thousands of passengers to both new and established locations across the world. The Cruise Boom relishing the industry in recent years has driven growth and advancement with 93 new vessels now under construction showcasing the latest technology available today. Now, the rising popularity of remote and adventurous routes such as the Polar Regions and UNESCO heritage sights has raised concerns about the impacts on marine environments and coastlines. The stakeholders continue to wait for environmental legislation to be set that will determine the green strategies adopted by different operators. Here, we take a brief look at some of the most promising technology available to the cruise industry today.

Torqeedo has announced strategic agreements to integrate Sentinel Boat Monitors and WhisperPower smart power generation systems into its electric boat propulsion product offerings. The announcements were made in a press conference at the Dusseldorf International Boat Show Jan. 23. The Sentinel Boat Monitors are now fully integrated with Torqeedo’s Cruise, Travel and Ultralight electric propulsion systems. The Sentinel app allows remote monitoring of the vessel’s location and onboard systems, and provides automatic alerts of any malfunctions and alarms.

The Fundo Soberano de Angola (FSDEA) Angola’s sovereign wealth fund, today announced that it has committed to invest $180 million in a strategic deep sea port in Angola. The commitment is made as part of FSDEA’s $1.1 billion infrastructure fund. Commenting on the project, José Filomeno dos Santos, Chairman of the Board of Directors, FSDEA stated, “Investments in the industrial sector and infrastructure support trade in the sub-Saharan region have shown high rates of profitability and resistance to the risks associated with the countries on our continent. Allocating capital to maritime infrastructure and logistical and industrial support in Angola allows diversifying other investments in the international financial markets present in FSDEA’s portfolio.

The Society of Maritime Industries is the voice of the U.K. maritime engineering sector, and its Chief Executive John Murray is the very public and indelible face of the organization. SMI promotes and supports the interests of organizations with activities and interests in this sector both to its membership and the wider world. In total it is a trade association of more than 150 organizations across the maritime, offshore energy, subsea, naval and academic sectors, and the society has been busier than ever, as a number of drivers have buoyed the prospects of all matters maritime in the U.K.

The Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation published its final report on United States freight transportation, offering an assessment of its current condition with recommendations for strengthening nationwide infrastructure and U.S. economy. The panel, led by its Chairman, U.S. Rep John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) and Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), was founded by Full Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and Ranking Member Nick J. Rahall, II (D-W.Va.) in April 2013 to examine U.S. freight transportation, the role it plays on the nation’s economy and ways in which it may be improved, including financially, structurally and technologically. Direct the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of the Army and the Commandant of the U.S.

Siemens SISHIP LV drives and SINAMICS components to power customer’s environmentally friendly, next-generation fishing vessel, saving up to 30% in annual fuel and maintenance costs. Based in Seattle, Blue North Fisheries (BNF) operates five fishing boats called “freezer long liners” in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska and one smaller seiner in Alaska, Washington and Oregon. BNF’s largest vessel is 180-feet long with a crew of 23, while its smaller seiner is 58-feet long with a crew of six. Established in 1983, BNF has grown to approximately 150 employees.

The Seasteading Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to enabling the establishment of permanent communities on the ocean, recently held its third conference, at San Francisco’s Le Méridien Hotel. The Seasteading Institute has been the focal point of the seasteading movement, which aims to utilize the high seas to spur innovation within the government industry. Seasteading enthusiasts believe humanity would benefit from a new place to experiment with new societies, but since all of terra firma is claimed, they look to the ocean as the next frontier.

The maximum speed, 53 kt wave-piercing catamaran named as 'Ocean Supremacy' is designed to save an  average 4,000 tons of CO2 per year. Amazingly, if plugged in to a suitable shore connection it is claimed to be capable of feeding >200 Mwh's electricity to the national grid to offset an annual carbon neutral cruising range of 3,600nm at 18knts. The  Ocean Supremacy design incorporates a 9 MW solar hybrid propulsion system powered by a combination of sustainable sources of energy that integrate and exploit the availability of; solar, wind, wave and bio mass diesel power.

Designed by Sauter Carbon Offset and built by Ned Ship, the 66m Emax E-Volution is, according to the designer, a culmination of the best the yachting world, a vessel with a maximum speed of 28 knots and an unlimited "Zero Carbon" cruising range at 14 knots. Highlights of the design include. - 2MWs of ZF Hybrid Power supplied by MTU 2000 series Tier 4i engines, the cleanest marine diesel engines on the market. - An additional 3MWs of energy harnessed from sustainable sources is stored and employed as ballast in a lithium ion UPS.