Air Pollutants News

John F. Kennedy’s famous locution, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but you can do for your country” remains the rallying call for civic action and public leadership. The message remains foundational to the success of the United States, particularly as we head into an election year that once again appears to be filled with divisiveness and vitriol. That said, before we flip the calendar, it is important to set JFK’s message aside for a moment and reflect upon what our political leadership in Washington…

On May 5, 2023, the White House announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was “taking the next step to invest $3 billion in its Clean Ports Program to fund zero-emission port equipment and technology and to help ports develop climate action plans to reduce air pollutants, improve air quality and public health in neighboring communities, and advance environmental justice.” That “next step” was the issuance of a Request for Information to inform EPA of the availability…

A new electrically powered, autonomously operated ferry service is slated to launch in the Stockholm city center this spring.Norwegian shipping company Torghatten plans to have services in place this spring in Riddarfjärden, between two inner-city quays. The ferry that will operate on the crossing is an autonomously operated electric vessel that runs on batteries. It has been designed and built by the Bröderna Aa shipyard in Hyen, Norway and the autonomous operation system is provided by technology supplier Zeabuz in Trondheim…

International trade by sea has long been a key part of the world economy and approximately 90% of traded commodities is reliant on shipping. Once wind-propelled in the days of sail, the current generation of ships now heavily rely on fossil fuels. Fossil fuel propulsion contributes to global warming with carbon emissions approximating 940 MtCO2e per year and also has health implications for communities surrounding ports through the release of air pollutants. The environmental impact of fossil-fuelled engines is further compounded by their use in port infrastructure…

Most of the media coverage of offshore wind development in the United States focuses on the leases of the offshore areas where the wind turbines will be located. However, equally important is the landside dimension of these projects, including the manufacture, installation, maintenance and operation of the turbines. Several awards made in the last two rounds of funding under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) show how offshore wind now offers an additional direction of port development for which funding is available.

On January 13, two cruise ships plugged into the newly completed shore power expansion at the Port of San Diego cruise ship terminal for the first time – a doubling of the previous capacity.The Disney Wonder and the Insignia were able to simultaneously use shore power rather than running their diesel engines while at berth. Previously, only one cruise vessel could plug in.The recent addition of the new station along with the initial one installed in 2010 make it possible for the…

Bayonne Dry Dock & Repair Corp., a full-service ship repair yard located in the Port Jersey area of New York/New Jersey harbor, is the newest participant in Green Marine – a voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.To complete Green Marine’s certification, the Bayonne Dry Dock & Repair Corp. will assess its environmental performance based on the program’s applicable indicators, which address air pollutants and greenhouse gases, spill prevention, waste management, and community impacts. The annual certification process is rigorous and transparent, with the individual performance of each participant independently verified every two years.

Hydrogen is everywhere. You know that from high school chemistry. And you also know it from Marine News’ almost daily updates about H powered vessel projects around the world.As a fuel that could potentially replace fossil fuels, H is in the spotlight. Perhaps the brightest spotlight, at least in the U.S., is within the Department of Energy’s “Energy Earthshots” initiative.R&D on H was the first such Earthshot announced last year. DOE wants the “Hydrogen Shot” program to “accelerate…

Arcosa Marine Products, a manufacturer of barges used to transport cargo on U.S. inland waterways, is the newest participant in Green Marine – the largest voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry.Part of Dallas based Arcosa, Inc., Arcosa Marine Products manufactures dry cargo barges, including flat-deck and hopper barges for the transport of a range of products that include grain, coal, and aggregates. The company also manufactures tank barges that carry petroleum, fertilizer, ethanol, chemicals, and other liquid cargos.

CSL’s new diesel-electric self-unloading bulk carrier—the first of its kind on the Great Lakes—arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 27, following its maiden voyage from the Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China.The new purpose-built Nukumi will enter service in late April, transporting deicing salt from Windsor Salt’s Mines Seleine mine in the Magdalen Islands to stockpiles throughout Quebec and Eastern Canada.The 26,000 dwt ship is the first diesel-electric laker and the first single point loader to operate in Canada.Equipped with diesel-electric tier 3 engines and a unique hull design…

The first diesel-electric bulk carrier built to operate on the Great Lakes has set sail on its six-week maiden voyage from Chengxi Shipyard in Jiangyin, China to Halifax, Canada.Canada Steamship Lines' new 26,000 dwt self-unloader Nukumi is scheduled to enter service at the start of the 2022 navigation season. The purpose-designed vessel will be used to ship deicing salt from Windsor Salt’s Mines Seleine mine in the Magdalen Islands to stockpiles throughout Quebec and Eastern Canada.Equipped with diesel-electric tier 3 engines and a unique hull design…

WinGD and Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Engine Machinery Division (HHI-EMD) signed a joint development agreement to together develop engine solutions that further reduce GHG emissions from methane while improving engine efficiency and footprint for reduced costs. The signing ceremony was hosted by HHI-EMD President & Chief Operating Officer Kwang-hean An and joined by WinGD’s Vice President R&D, Dominik Schneiter and Global Director Sales, Volkmar Galke who travelled from their headquarters in Switzerland.The cooperation will aim to further enhance WinGD’s dual-fuel, low-pressure X-DF engines.

As International Maritime Organization (IMO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions requirements continue throughout the IMO Emission Control Areas (ECA), they are also forcing postponement of many new construction decisions as vessel owners and operators continue to tread cautiously along the path forward. The Marpol Annex VI program looked to correct emissions requirements while working with petroleum fuels. Technology developers continue best efforts to advance long-term solutions to reach the latest IMO zero emissions greenhouse gas (GHG) goals of 2050.

Climate change and reliable, clean, low emission fuels are the important factors for ship operators since January 1, 2020. Twelve months into the IMO2020 transition and the climate change debate is increasing as the primary discussion point on the world agenda – from industry events to the board rooms of the global corporations. Relative to this is the reliable supply of fuel since changing marine fuel represents a large investment that requires major changes to a typical ship that has a lifetime of approximately 30 years.

Marine shipping drives 90% of global trade, moving over 11 billion tonnes of containers, solid and liquid bulk cargo across the world’s seas annually. Almost all consumer products we buy — or the raw materials required to make them — arrive at Canadian ports via ship.Each year, Canadian port facilities handle about 340 million tonnes of goods, worth about $400 billion. Roughly 25% of Canadian exports and imports, by value, are transported by marine shipping.Despite their economic importance…

The world’s largest LNG-powered containership, the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé, has completed its first LNG bunkering with Total’s LNG bunker vessel, the Gas Agility, at the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The 23,000 TEU containership received around 17,300 m3 of LNG, making it the largest LNG bunkering operation to ever take place, both Total and CMA CGM said Monday.The bunkering operation was performed by the Gas Agility at the Rotterdam World Gateway terminal by means of a ship-to-ship transfer, while the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé carried out cargo operations simultaneously.

Canada’s premier nuclear science and technology laboratory is examining opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants from marine vessels in Canada.Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) said Monday it has been awarded a contract by Transport Canada to develop an assessment tool to examine clean technologies that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the release of other pollutants from vessels. Using what is known as CNL’s Marine-Zero FuelTM (MaZeFTM) Assessment Tool…

Over the past three years, P. Ravindran’s commute from his southern Indian village has been about more than getting to work - the SIM card seller sees his daily trip on India’s first solar-powered ferry as doing his bit for the green revolution.“I am proud to be a frequent traveler on the Aditya... I am being part of cleaning the Earth,” said Ravindran, who uses the boat most days to travel to the town of Vaikom on Lake Vembanad.The Aditya’s green credentials have attracted international…

French shipping giant CMA CGM is joining forces with Energy Observer within a project focusing on testing the potential of hydrogen as a marine fuel.Energy Observer, formerly a racing catamaran, is now an experimental platform for tomorrow’s energy sources. It is sailing round the world in order to speed up development of the innovative solutions for the environment.This partnership with CMA CGM deals with the development of cleaner and more sustainable energies to eliminate CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases and air pollutants. It aims to experiment, test and develop energy solutions based on hydrogen, solar, tidal and wind power.Hydrogen is a limitless energy source that generates up to 4 times more energy than coal, 3 times more than diesel.

Global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG), rose by 12.5% to hit 359 million tons last year, according to Royal Dutch Shell’s annual LNG Outlook report.According to the forecast by Shell,  LNG demand was expected to double by 2040 to 700 million tons, with natural gas set to play “a growing role in shaping a lower-carbon energy system.”Asia is expected to remain the dominant region in the decades to come, with South and South-east Asia generating more than half of the increased demand.Natural gas emits between 45 and 55% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and less than one-tenth of the air pollutants than coal when used to generate electricity.“The global LNG market continued to evolve in 2019 with demand increasing for LNG and natural gas in power and non-power sectors…

Taiwan accepted its first carbon neutral shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG). State-owned CPC Corporation, a natural gas, and gasoline company in Taiwan announced receipt of LNG cargo from Shell.Nature-based carbon credits have been used to compensate the full carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated – from exploring for and producing the natural gas, to use by the final consumer.The cargo, which was delivered at the Yung-An LNG Receiving Terminal, will provide enough carbon neutral LNG to power nearly 150,000 homes for a year.Credits used for this deal are purchased from Shell’s global portfolio of nature-based projects, including the Katingan Peatland Restoration and Conservation Project in Indonesia…

Merchant ships traditionally operate in the open sea at or near full speed. This is hard on the engine, hard on the ship and hard on the crew. Slowing down reduces wear on the engine, improves fuel efficiency, reduces harmful air emissions and improves safety by providing the bridge personnel additional time to evaluate developing situations. Some marine engines, though, are designed to operate at near full load. Thus, for these engines, slow steaming creates its own set of problems – not insurmountable…

Japanese shipping firm Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) has announced that it has concluded a ship management agreement with FueLNG Pte Ltd for a 7500 m3 LNG bunkering vessel (LBV).FueLNG will own and operate the vessel, as well as carry out all commercial operations, said K Line press statement.The partnership will combine K Line’s extensive ship management and LNG transportation experience with FueLNG’s LNG bunkering expertise, which includes more than 160 truck-to-ship LNG bunkering operations conducted to-date. This will provide a reliable, expedient and seamless bunkering process for FueLNG’s customers.The LBV is expected to commence LNG-bunkering service in Singapore…