Japan Plans Emission Rules

The Japanese transport ministry will develop fuel-efficiency standards for large ships over the next three years to cut carbon dioxide emissions, sources said. The standards will enable marine transportation companies to see the fuel economy of their ships, particularly large ones, before they are constructed. The ministry hopes the Japanese standards will eventually be upgraded to international standards. The transport ministry also expects shipbuilders to publicize the energy-conservation performances of their ships by using the standards. The finance ministry has been asked to allocate about 95 million yen in the fiscal 2008 budget for the project. The transport ministry will take into account various conditions, such as wind speed, wind direction and wave height when developing the indexes. Tests will be conducted using model ships and computer simulations. Results will be compared with fuel consumed by actual ships to adjust and improve accuracy. Source: IHT/Asahi