Sustainable Transportation News

ABS and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are to collaborate on clean energy development in the maritime domain and decarbonization of maritime operations after signing a new memorandum of understanding (MOU).The agreement between the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and ABS is designed to leverage experience and capabilities from both organizations to support emissions reduction initiatives that benefit the maritime industry.“This new agreement allows…

This week at Singapore Maritime Week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is advancing ambitious decarbonization targets for the maritime transportation sector, both domestically and internationally.DOE is teaming with over 15 government and industry partners in Singapore to foster partnerships and collaborate on clean energy solutions aimed at achieving net zero-emissions in the maritime sector by 2050. Domestically, DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is joining with ABS to create opportunities for data and information sharing to strengthen U.S. shipping. The U.S.

A new environmentally friendly electric ferry service is planned to launch in Halifax, Canada.The province of Nova Scotia, along with the federal government and Halifax Regional Municipality, announced on March 4 a joint investment to build the Mill Cove Ferry Service, which will include five fully electric ferries, two terminals and a maintenance facility. All-electric propulsion, which slashes vessel emissions, noise and vibration, has been taking off in the ferry industry as the operational profile for these vessels—often including frequent…

Canadian shipping company Algoma Central Corporation on Thursday announced it has acquired two 18,894 dwt product tankers. Built in 2007, the sister ships were purchased to prepare for the coming replacement of two older vessels in the company’s Algoma Product Tankers fleet.“The vessels are high quality additions to our Product Tanker fleet,” said Gregg Ruhl, President and CEO of Algoma, “and mark an important step in our on-going fleet renewal journey, which is expanding to include renewal within our tanker fleet.

Swedish ferry company Stena Line's new ferry Stena Scandica arrived in the port of Nynäshamn in Sweden this morning when it completed its overnight maiden voyage from Ventspils, Latvia.Stena Scandica is the first of two new large and modern ferries on the route between Ventspils and Nynäshamn in Sweden this year. The vessel adds another 70%  more cabins and 30% more freight capacity compared to the existing vessels and offers an attractive alternative way to travel on the Baltic Sea…

Swedish shipowner Stena Bulk unveiled a prototype of its next-generation environmentally friendly product and chemical tanker, the IMOFlexMAX, engineered to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 25% compared to typical modern product tankers.The vessel, designed by naval architects at Stena Bulk's sister company Stena Teknik, is a further development of the company's IMOIIMAX design currently in operation, but with several notable additions. The vessels will be equipped with Flettner rotors and solar panels to harvest energy from wind and sunlight.

A new vessel being built to operate along the Rhône river in France will be the world's first push boat to run entirely on hydrogen fuel cells.The newbuild for the France-based Sogestran Group subsidiary Compagnie Fluviale de Transport (CFT) is due for delivery in 2021 and will feature a fuel cell based power and propulsion solution from ABB through its role in FLAGSHIPS, the EU-funded initiative to deploy commercially operated zero-emission vessels for inland and short sea operations.

Niagara Falls tour operator Maid of the Mist orders two new passenger vessels sailing on pure electric power, enabled by ABB’s technologyVisitors to the iconic Niagara Falls will soon be able to experience one of the USA’s top landmarks emission-free. Two new Maid of the Mist passenger vessels will be powered entirely by high-capacity battery packs, becoming the first all-electric vessels ever built in the US.The new vessels will benefit from ABB’s zero-emission technology when they start operating later this year…

The Government of Ontario has accepted Damen’s proposal to build two ferries with full electric propulsion. Damen is building a 68-meter Road Ferry 6819 and a 98-meter Road Ferry 9819 to operate in the Canadian waters of the Great Lakes. The vessels will be the first fully electric, non-cable vessels in Canada. As part of the tender process for the contract to build the ferries, Damen was required to identify future innovations and green technologies for sustainable power solutions. The Government of Ontario has accepted Damen’s electrification proposal.

Canadian transport minister Marc Garneau announced a five-year extension to the Government of Canada’s agreement with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation to manage, maintain and operate the Seaway. This extends the existing agreement until March 31, 2023, and will provide stability for the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation and the marine shipping industry. A vital artery between the Great Lakes and the lower St. Lawrence River, the St. Lawrence Seaway connects the heartland of North America to the world as an important, competitive and sustainable transportation corridor. The St. Lawrence Seaway consists of 15 locks and connecting canals or channels extending from Montreal to Lake Erie. Within the Great Lakes and St.

Mapping and shaping the growth of marine hybrid means many things to different stakeholders. The journey leads us all to the same place. If you follow the advancements in automotive design, the term or tag “hybrid” has come to define the alternative energy movement on our roads and highways. HEV autos have moved past Ford and GM in Detroit and into the hands of contemporary entrepreneurs and inventors the likes of Tesla’s Evan Musk or Dr. Victor Wouk. BMW, Ferrari, Bentley and…

Christopher A. Hart’s term as Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board concluded on schedule Wednesday and Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr will serve as the agency’s acting chairman. Hart will remain at the NTSB, applying his transportation safety expertise in the capacity of a board member. The NTSB has five board members, each nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve five-year terms. By statute, a board member is designated by the President as Chairman and another as Vice Chairman for two-year terms. The Chairmanship requires separate Senate confirmation.

Evergreen Line has received recognition for its excellent performance in a voluntary environmental and ecological protection program, which started on July 1 last year and ended on November 15. The initiative was aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions of vessels and avoiding whale collisions by encouraging slow sailing speeds in California's  Santa Barbara Channel region. The recognition ceremony took place on January 23, 2017. Vessels enrolled in this program were required to reduce speeds to 12 knots or less within 95 nautical miles of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This practice helps to minimize the emissions of greenhouse gases and thus reduce their influence on air quality within the port community.

Low energy prices, depressed day rates and slow growth of bunkering infrastructure has dampened progress for the marine industry’s ‘white knight’ of environmentally friendly fuels. LNG, nevertheless, is here to stay. Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is a clean fuel in abundant supply. The green advantages of LNG are well known: Class Society DNV-GL, a pioneer in the commercialization of LNG fueling for maritime applications, offers that use of LNG fuel provides “the complete removal of SOX and particle PM emissions and a reduction of NOX emission of up to 85 percent ...

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced it will provide more than $1 million to support the development of two new emission-reducing maritime solutions. The first is a liquefied natural gas (LNG) conversion demonstration project, and the second is modification of an on-board air pollution control device that will aid the U.S. maritime industry’s effort to decrease its environmental footprint. “The Department continues to fund innovative projects that support a steady shift towards cleaner and sustainable transportation options,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. Through a cooperative agreement, MARAD has provided $730,000 to Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities (PRCC) to convert a towboat engine from diesel to LNG.

The Maritime Transportation Research and Education Center, based at the University of Arkansas, has received a federal grant of $923,700, reports AP. The center, known as MarTREC, is a consortium of researchers focused on maritime and multimodal transportation research. It has received $3.7 million since 2013. The latest grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will support research and programs through September 2018. The Fayetteville-based center is part of a consortium of researchers from Arkansas, Jackson State University, Louisiana State University and the University of New Orleans. They focus on the development of sustainable infrastructure and emergency management systems for coastal and river valley communities.

Swedish ferry operator Stena Line has announced that it has converted the Stena Germanica to run on methanol, an industry first. The company spent $24 million on converting the ship to methanol. The ferry re-entered service on March 26, serving its route on the Baltic sea between Kiel, Germany, and Goteberg, Sweden. The 240m, 1,500-passenger, 2001-built ro-pax ship underwent conversion in Poland’s Remontowa shipyard. The project was performed in conjunction with engine builder Wärtsilä, the ports of Gothenburg and Kiel, and gas supplier Methanex.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology company, is proud to accompany Solar Impulse and its crew on the plane’s flight around the world powered only by energy from the sun. Solar Impulse, based in Switzerland, announced today it will begin its historic flight between late February and early March in Abu Dhabi. In 2014, ABB and Solar Impulse formed an innovation and technology alliance to advance a shared vision of reducing resource consumption and increasing the use of renewable energy. “Solar Impulse will inspire a new generation to embrace innovation and technology to solve the planet’s biggest challenges,” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer. Three ABB engineers have joined the Solar Impulse team where they are contributing expertise and passion.

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, spoke of the important role played by ports in the economic well-being of Canadians in a speech to the 55th annual general meeting and conference of the Association of Canadian Port Authorities, hosted by the Nanaimo Port Authority. Speaking to this year's conference theme of "Building partnerships," Minister Raitt said that the marine transportation system creates jobs and supports growth and prosperity for all Canadians while highlighting the importance of trade and collaboration with the United States on initiatives such as the Beyond the Border Action Plan. “Our government is convinced that by working together…

ABB is celebrating today its 125th anniversary in Finland. Founded in 1889 in Helsinki by entrepreneur and inventor Gottfrid Strömberg, ABB Finland is today an innovative automation and power technology company with more than 5,000 employees in 30 locations, with sales of 2.3 billion euros in 2013. “ABB Finland has been driving innovation in power and automation technologies for 125 years. Today, ABB Finland is one of our most dynamic and successful country organisations and we continue to invest substantially in innovation and production facilities” said ABB Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Spiesshofer. “I would like to thank our colleagues in ABB Finland for their long standing excellent results and confirm our strong commitment to grow together in the future,” Spiesshofer added.

Brian U. Stratton was appointed Director of the New York State Canal Corporation in April 2011, to oversee the operation and development of New York’s 524-mile Canal System, including the historic Erie Canal. The canal system, a historic system of waterways that dates back almost 200 years, was begun in 1817. Opened in its entirety in 1825, the Erie Canal is widely considered the engineering marvel of the 19th Century. But the canal system spans much more than the Erie Canal. It’s potential as an inland marine highway is undeniable.

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth around $55 million from Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), the leading power utility in United Arab Emirates (UAE), to build a substation that will integrate power from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum solar park. The order was awarded in the third quarter of 2014. The gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation will enhance transmission capacity, boost power supplies and strengthen the reliability of the grid. The 100 megawatt (MW) Phase II of the solar power plant in Seih Al Dahal, about 50 kilometers (km) south of Dubai, is scheduled to commence generation in 2017. The solar park is one of the biggest renewable energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Stena Line's ferry Stena Germanica will become the world's first ferry to use methanol as a fuel. The 240m, 1,500-passenger, 2001-built ro-pax ship will soon undergo conversions in Poland’s Remontowa shipyard. The aim of the exercise is to drastically cut exhaust emissions on the ship which operates between Gothenburg and Kiel. The conversion is with the aim of becoming the first ship of its type to run on methanol when completed soon. The project is being undertaken in conjunction with engine builder Wärtsilä, the ports of Gothenburg and Kiel and gas supplier Methanex. The six-week conversion, expected to cost around euro 22million, will get underway at Remontowa, and is being financially supported by the EU “Motorways of the Seas” initiative.