Greenhouse Gas Reductions News

As the IMO prepares for negotiations on regulations to support net-zero by 2050 at MEPC 81 in March, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has proposed a greenhouse gas pricing mechanism it calls the Green Balance Mechanism.The aim is to provide a new approach to greenhouse gas pricing which makes it possible to close the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, at the lowest possible overall cost:• Through the Green Balance Mechanism, fees are taken from fossil fuels and allocated to green fuels used…

Big data, advanced computers and AI are allowing vessel designers to prepare models that leave essentially nothing to chance.“Lastly, it may be of considerable importance to form from the draught a block model of the vessel from which a still more accurate judgment may be formed of the fitness and beauty of the body. And should any defect be discovered, farther alterations must still be made, till the draught and the model are perfectly approved of. These different alterations and repeated calculations may appear very tedious…

Viridis Bulk Carriers has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from the classification society DNV for its ammonia fuelled short sea bulk carrier design. The certificate was presented during the Nor-Shipping trade fair at the DNV stand.An Approval in Principle (AiP) is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible, and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized.As the maritime industry is looking to bend the carbon curve towards zero…

Engines manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Stena Teknik – Stena’s inhouse R&D division – and Proman – the world’s second largest methanol producer – regarding their mutual cooperation on a project to retrofit MAN 48/60 engines to make them capable of dual-fuel, diesel and methanol operation.The move comes as ship owners and operators explore alternative fuels such as methanol to help reduce their environmental impacts.

U.S. oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp were among the top buyers at a federal auction of oil leases in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday that generated more than $190 million - the highest since 2019.The auction was a boon for federal coffers, but a potential setback for the climate policies of U.S. President Joe Biden, whose administration tried to suspend federal lease sales to fight global warming before a court forced them to proceed.The United States was also…

UECC has emerged as a leader in regards to decarbonization, with an order earlier this year for its third LNG battery/hybrid Pure Car/Truck Carrier (PCTC). Glenn Edvardsen, CEO, discusses the strategy and the future for this Oslo-based ship owner.Glenn, to start, can you give a by-the-numbers overview of UECC?United European Car Carrier is a pan-European trading carrier, trading up to the Baltic, as far east as Turkey and down to north Africa. We operate about 18 vessels (of which) UECC-owns six, ranging from (a capacity of) 5,000 cars down to 1,000.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) on Friday announced the availability of $10,819,000 in grant funding for the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP), which aims to encourage the use of America’s 25,000 miles of navigable waterways."The America’s Marine Highway Program increases the use of environmentally sustainable practices to move freight across our transportation system.” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “These investments…

Bay State Wind, a 50/50 joint venture between Ørsted and Eversource, has submitted its proposal in response to Massachusetts’ second request for proposals (RFP) for offshore wind energy generation.Bay State Wind included proposals for a 400 MW and 800 MW project. According to the developer, the 800 MW project could generate enough renewable energy to power up to 500,000 Massachusetts homes.“Since day one our team has been focused on delivering cost-effective, renewable offshore wind energy to the Bay State,” said President of Ørsted North America and CEO of Ørsted U.S. Offshore Wind Thomas Brostrøm.“Our project will not only create jobs and provide local investment…

A who’s who list of maritime industry executives have signed on to voice their support for a zero-carbon future in shipping.The not-for-profit foundation the Global Maritime Forum brought together a group of 34 CEOs and industry leaders from across the global maritime sector to sign a call for action and lead the industry in a transition toward decarbonization.To achieve this, these leaders believe the maritime industry needs to accelerate both technological and business model innovation…

After an extensive national search, the Port of Seattle has promoted Elizabeth Leavitt to lead its work to protect and enhance the environment. The Senior Director for Environment and Sustainability is a newly created position leading a center of expertise that consolidates environmental, sustainability, and planning functions. Leavitt will report to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and will serve on the CEO’s Executive Leadership Team. “It is impressive that, within the large candidate pool, the Port’s own staff provided excellent people who rose to the top,” said Port COO Dave Soike. Leavitt has worked for the Port for more than 26 years, initially as a senior environmental program manager and, for the past seven years, as the director of aviation planning and environmental programs.

Continental Maritime of San Diego (CMSD), a ship repair subsidiary of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), has been awarded the Blue Sky Award by San Diego County’s Air Pollution Control District APCD for its initiatives targeting reduced air pollution. The APCD annually recognizes one small, one medium and one large business or organization for efforts toward improving air quality. CMSD was nominated by the Industrial Environmental Association in the medium-sized business category.

The Canadian province of Alberta, the biggest source of U.S. oil imports, announced the members of its climate change policy review panel on Friday, part of its pledge to implement new rules on greenhouse gas reductions. Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the panel would offer recommendations to the government by early November, ahead of a key United Nations climate change conference in Paris in December, but did not say when new GHG targets are likely to come into effect. The five members of the panel are University of Alberta energy economist Andrew Leach, former Suncor Energy executive Gord Lambert, Enbridge Inc executive Linda Coady, Pembina Institute board member Stephanie Cairns and Angela Adams, a Metis Fort McMurray school district trustee.

U.S. wildlife managers released on Thursday a draft plan for stemming the decline of polar bears threatened by melting Arctic sea ice linked to global warming, but the proposal hinges on reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that are far from assured. Under a plan to be officially submitted on Monday for public comment, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is urging cutbacks in carbon dioxide and other atmospheric pollutants generated by the burning of fossil fuels. The draft proposal does not quantify the extent of greenhouse gas reductions that the agency deems necessary to save polar bears from extinction. But the report says decreased carbon emissions constitute  "the single most important action for the recovery of polar bears." An estimated 20…

Ingram Barge Company received the Southeast Diesel Collaborative “Leadership Award” for its environmental sustainability efforts utilizing advanced clean diesel technology on towboats operating on the inland river system. Ingram was recognized as a private industry leader in the national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An award also went to Miami-Dade County, Florida, government in the “community leader” category. The awards were announced at the Collaborative’s sixth annual Partners Meeting involving the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other federal, state and local government agencies, non-profits, and industry organizations. Ingram is the largest inland marine transportation company in the U.S. moving nearly 100 million tons of cargo annually on our nation’s rivers.