Environmental Technology News

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, will supply the cargo handling systems for additional two new very large LPG carrier vessels to be built at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea.The ships have been contracted by Norwegian ship owner Solvang. The order follows a similar one placed in 2023 for five vessels being built at the same yard for the same owner.The very large gas carriers (VLGCs) are of Panamax size and form the next generation of eco-vessels.

Korea Marine Transport Company Ship Management (KMTC SM) has reported annual fuel savings worth approximately $540,000 in total, after installing Accelleron’s digital engine optimization solution Tekomar XPERT on 12 Panamax vessels.Tekomar XPERT delivers engine optimization recommendations based on thermodynamic insights that aim to bring engines back to operating performance achieved at ‘new’ condition.The solution can be applied to any engine and turbocharger make. KMTC SM followed the advisory from Tekomar XPERT…

Bureau Veritas (BV) has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Wah Kwong Maritime Transport Holdings, a Hong Kong shipowner, for a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project onboard two of its vessels.Partnering in the project is Qiyao Environmental Technology, a subsidiary of Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute.The AiP follows a joint study which validated the technical feasibility of using CCS technology on existing vessels. Wah Kwong provided two vessels from its fleet for the study: a 53…

A first-of-its-kind ammonia-powered, zero-emission tugboat will be put to the test by Brooklyn, N.Y-based startup Amogy in late 2023.Having already successfully demonstrated its technology on an aerial drone, tractor and semi-truck, the ammonia power solutions company revealed in early March that it is retrofitting a scaled up 1-megawatt (MW) version of its ammonia-to-power system onto a tug at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. as a test run for its emissions-slashing power and propulsion technology in the commercial maritime sector.Once installed…

Ammonia power solutions company Amogy on Monday said it plans to unveil a first-of-its-kind ammonia-powered, zero-emission tugboat in late 2023.The Brooklyn, N.Y-based company revealed during CERAWeek 2023 that it is retrofitting a 1-megawatt version of its ammonia-to-power system onto a 1957-built tug at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. Amogy’s ammonia-to-power technology feeds liquid ammonia through its cracking modules integrated into a hybrid fuel cell system that provides zero-carbon power to the electric motors.Ammonia…

BIO-UV Group informs it has secured a contract to supply its BIO-SEA ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) for a pair of liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled super cruisers French shipyard Chantiers de l’Atlantique is building for Marriott International's luxury hotel group Ritz Carlton.When delivered in 2024 and 2025 respectively, the 46,000gt Ilma and Luminara will join the smaller Astander Shipyard-built Evrima – the first ever Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection vessel – which set sail earlier this year.“We are immensely proud to supply BIO-SEA systems to these prestigious vessels…

Offshore installation company DEME has agreed to acquire Eidesvik's DP3 offshore installation vessel ‘Viking Neptun’. "Representing a substantial investment, this move highlights DEME’s commitment to its customers, and supports the continued growth of the offshore wind industry. This latest addition to its vessel fleet also confirms DEME’s mission to build future-proof, sustainable and environmentally friendly operations," DEME said.The Viking Neptun currently has a turntable capable of handling 4,500 tonnes of cables below deck.

MSC Cruises on Monday took delivery of its new flagship, MSC Virtuosa, built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint Nazaire, France.The occasion was marked by a small and private ceremony held at the shipyard attended by MSC Cruises' executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago, his wife Alexa Aponte-Vago and their children, as well as representatives from MSC Cruises newbuilds team along with shipyard executives and workers.“The delivery of MSC Virtuosa at such a challenging time for our industry symbolizes how as a family company we continue to look at the longer term and build our future…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri announced Thursday it has floated out the new cruise ship MSC Seashore at its shipyard in Monfalcone. The vessel has been moved to a wet dock where interior outfitting work will continue until delivery to MSC Cruises in July 2021.MSC Seashore, which will be MSC Cruises’ longest ship at 339 metres and the largest and most innovative ever built in Italy, is the third of four vessels in MSC Cruises’ Seaside class, following MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview launched in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

MSC Cruises, a global cruise line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva, has held a steel-cutting ceremony for its first new-generation World-Class ship at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.The first of five liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered cruise ships on order, MSC Europa is the first LNG ship to be built in France.On the occasion of the cutting of the first steel ceremony held in Saint-Nazaire, MSC and Chantiers de l’Atlantique unveiled a groundbreaking R&D project named PACBOAT.The project focuses on the integration of a new fuel cell technology demonstrator onboard the first of four MSC Cruises’ World Class of vessels, due for delivery in 2022.

The data analytics duo Yxney Maritime and Grieg Connect are partnering with the Norwegian NOx Fund to develop a data-driven digital solution for automated NOx emissions reporting. Solstad Offshore and ferry operator Fjord1 will participate in the pilot phase of the project.The Norwegian NOx Fund records NOx emissions from all vessels operating in Norwegian waters and collects a fee for emissions per vessel. Calculating and reporting emissions has historically been a manual chore for shipowners…

A traditional maritime coin ceremony  took place at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, when the keel was laid for MSC Seashore. At the milestone event, MSC Cruises revealed details of the significantly transformed overall design and new features of the ship.MSC Seashore will be the Company’s longest ship – 339 meters – when she enters service in June 2021, the first of two enriched “Seaside Evo” Class ships with the latest available environmental technology, extended public spaces, more cabins and the highest ratio of outdoor space per guest of any ship in the company’s fleet.

The  American/British-owned German cruise line AIDA Cruises announced that it is planning the first practical trial of fuel cells (battery power) aboard an AIDA ship by 2021.The trial will take place in cooperation with Meyer Werft within the scope of the ‘Pa-X-ell 2’ project promoted by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.The German brand of Carnival Corporation said in a press note that it has been focusing for many years in research into and the use of alternative propulsion technologies and environmental technology together with its global partners.As part of its Green Cruising Strategy, for instance…

The private Norwegian transport and shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskap AS (DSD) has entered into an agreement to sell its ferry- and expressboat company Norled to a  private equity (PE) consortium owned jointly by the Nordic infrastructure fund CapMan Infra and the Canadian company CBRE Caledon Capital Management."In recent years, Norled has made significant improvements in many areas. The company has succeeded in combining good and stable operations with success in tender biddings and record-high financial results," said Ingvald Løyning, chairman of Norled.Ingvald added: "At the same time, Norled has undoubtedly consolidated and strengthened its pioneer role in the green shift in maritime industry: First…

NYK president Tadaaki Naito in his New Year’s speech required the employees to execute the medium-term management plan “Staying Ahead 2022 with Digitalization and Green” announced in March of last year.He chartered out  the three basic strategies in the medium-term management plan.Under the first step of “Optimizing the business portfolio,” the fundamental revision of the dry bulk business and success of the integrated container shipping line ONE have been set forth as the two key elements.In the dry bulk business, through the hard work of everyone involved and a favorable shift in the market situation, the business is showing steady improvement.

Newport Shipping Group has purchased 100 scrubbers from Chinese manufacturer Weihai Puyi Marine Environmental Technology Co, with options for an additional 100 units.Newport, which operates a network of 13 drydocks globally, said the bulk purchase aims to safeguard shipowners against any price hikes or production bottlenecks as demand for scrubbers is expected to increase ahead of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2020 sulphur cap deadline.Erol Sarikaya, Newport Shipping Chief Executive Officer…

Environmentally safe underwater ship hull coating helps DFDS fulfill its ecological goals.Last July the underwater hull of the roro vessel Magnolia Seaways was coated with Ecospeed in Gdansk, Poland. This non-toxic and easy washable coating system will keep the hull smooth for the service life of the vessel with minimal repair and no replacement. At the same time the rudder of the ship was treated with an Ecoshield coating which was designed specifically to protect underwater…

Cruise liner MSC Cruises has reached an agreement for an EUR 1.5 billion (USD 1.74 billion) financing for two new Seaside EVO class cruise ships.BNP Paribas, Unicredit and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti will provide EUR 1.5bn in financing for two Seaside EVO class passengerships. The financing syndicate of lenders also include SACE SIMEST, the Italian ECA, fully backing the credit line and stabilising the interest rate.The first ship is expected to be delivered in May 2021 and the second in February 2023. With the addition of these new ships, MSC Cruises now has plans in place for up to ten new ships to be built by 2026.The 339m long vessels…

Corvus Energy, manufacturer of energy storage systems for maritime applications, announced two production and R&D expansion plans underway in Canada and Norway. The new battery factories will be more modern and more automated than other similar factories, result in eight times the production capacity compared to today.First, the Corvus Energy factory in the Vancouver, Canada region will be expanded and upgraded to house a 200 MWh semi-automated battery production facility. A new product R&D, design and engineering facility will also be developed.

MSC Cruises has ordered a fifth Meraviglia class cruise ship at STX France. Due to be delivered in 2023, the vessel will be equipped with a new generation of dual-fuel engines designed to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).The agreement for the new Meraviglia-Plus vessel represents an additional investment of €900 million (approximately $1.06 billion).With today’s order, MSC will be adding 13 new ships through 2026.The announcement was made at a ceremony held at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard…

With just a few days to go until MSC Seaview comes into service, excitement is reaching an all-time high among cruise guests, travel agent partners, port officials and the broader industry. While a nearly 4000-strong team at the Fincantieri shipyard is working 24/7 around the clock to put the final touches and ready the ship for her inaugural season, MSC Cruises today revealed some of the key environment-friendly features on MSC Seaview, the third next-generation MSC Cruises ship to come into service in a matter of only 12 months. MSC Seaview will be one of the more innovative ships at sea, also when it comes to the environmental technology that she will feature.

The environmental ambitions of the politicians in Hordaland were very high when it came to cutting emissions from ferry operations. A tender for new ferries, supported by DNV GL, resulted in a record investment of 140 million euros in zero-emission technology. When ferries pass the stunning scenery of Norway’s Hordaland County today they leave a sizeable pollution and CO2 footprint behind. Hordaland’s 20-vessel ferry fleet has an average age of 29 years and emits as many noxious fumes as all the buses of the county combined. With the current contracts expiring between 2018 and 2020, this seemed to be a good starting point for a review of the entire fleet and the definition of new, low emission targets. And the ambition went high.

Today at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, MSC Cruises officially took delivery of its new flagship MSC Seaside, the second newly-built vessel to come into service for the cruise line in 2017. At the delivery ceremony, MSC Cruises and Fincantieri also signed firm orders for the construction of two Seaside EVO ships, a further evolution of the Seaside Class prototype, for a total investment of €1.8 billion. MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said, “MSC Seaside coming into service marks another key milestone in the history and future of our company…