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Environmental Research Consulting News

08 May 2017

EALs Rise Up on Deck

The next critical area of consideration for the use of Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants is on deck. What’s leaking into the water from your cranes and winches? Vessel fleets face an increasing number of environmentally-focused regulations, adding complexity to their operations and creating urgency around compliance. These regulatory requirements, however, do not offset an operator’s need for products that perform consistently well. With the right Environmentally Acceptable Lubricants (EALs)…

20 Apr 2016

Thordon Bearings Launches Oil Savings Calculator

Thordon Bearings has developed a bespoke modeling tool capable of calculating the amount of operational oil prevented from leaking into the world’s oceans with each installation of a seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing. To be launched officially on April 22 to coincide with Earth Day 2016, the world’s largest environmental movement, now in its 46th year, the Oil Savings Calculator shows that more than 60 million liters of oil pollution has been saved to date. “In our opinion the only acceptable propeller shaft stern tube oil leakage is zero.” said Terry McGowan, President & CEO Thordon Bearings. “Thanks to those vessels that have already installed seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings…

12 May 2015

Marine News Editor's Note

It is at times like this that bumper sticker humor comes in handy. One of my favorites has to be the infamous “God, please let me have another oil boom – I promise not to mess this one up” version that graced the bumpers of pickup trucks on the Gulf Coast in the late 1980’s. I lived through that cataclysmic event during my 14 years in Houston. It was in 1985 that the bottom had dropped out of oil, reaching a nadir of $12 per barrel. Using the time-honored Keefe family tradition of buying high and selling low, I eventually shed a primary residence and a three-unit rental property in the Bayou City during the worst of it. It is okay if you find yourself inclined to ask, “So what?” It’s a good question.

14 Jun 2011

Arctic Spill “Response Gap” Under the Microscope

Make no mistake about it: the Arctic is open for business. The cumulative environmental footprint of oil exploration outfits, merchant shipping, mining, eco-tourism and the cruise ship trades is thus far minor, but the potential for an exponential increase in commerce – especially if the climate trends now affecting the region continue – is seemingly limitless. For the maritime industry, the down side to this is as big as the most promising business opportunity to come along in decades. The utility of a Northern Sea Route that follows the Siberian coastline, producing impressive time and fuel savings, a reduced emissions footprint, and elimination of canal transit fees for shippers moving goods between Europe and Asia has already been proven.

10 Feb 2010

Environmental Intelligence in Shipping Seminar

Founding Chairman of NAMEPA (North American Marine Environment Protection Association Clay Maitland unveiled plans to debut NAMEPA’s 2010 Seminar Series in San Francisco on March 9 at the Marines Memorial Club. The title of the seminar is “Environmental Intelligence in Shipping”. The seminar will kick off at 0800 with coffee and registration and end with a luncheon featuring an address by VADM Jody Breckenridge, USCG Commander Pacific Area. “The purpose of NAMEPA’s Seminar Series is to bring together stakeholders in the marine community to discuss concerns and actions that address marine environment protection” stated Mr. Maitland. Kevin Krick, Director of Environmental Affairs Global for APL Ltd. will lead the proceedings with an overview of industry best practices.

09 Sep 2009

Shipwrecks: Cleaning Up from the Past

Marine salvage and subsea industry leaders gathered today on the MITAGS campus in Linthicum Heights, Md., to discuss the environmental, legal, financial and moral ramifications of the discovery and recovery of marine casualties, new and old, around the globe. Dubbed “Wrecks of the World: Hidden Risks of the Deep,” the conference -- which was sponsored by a long list of marine industry organizations including the American Salvage Association, the Marine Technology Society, NAMEPA and the International Salvage Association, among others – focused on a number of critical issues surrounding the discovery and mitigation of potential brewing ecological disasters.

19 Dec 2007

Hearing on Oil Spills from Non-Tank Vessels

On December 18, the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries & Coast Guard of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation conducted a hearing on Oil Spills from Non-Tank Vessels. Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) noted the success of OPA 90 in reducing spills from tank vessels, but noted that the incidence of spills from non-tank vessels have not declined as much, asking whether standards for these vessels should be strengthened. Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, US Coast Guard, discussed efforts to make fuel tanks on vessels less susceptible to damage and proposed increasing the limit of liability for damages caused by oil spills from non-tank vessels. Ms.