Clean Technologies News

Four leading maritime associations have jointly launched the Global Alliance for Maritime Electrification (GAME), a coalition of nonprofit organizations dedicated to accelerating the electrification of maritime transportation.The four founding members, IEMA – International Electric Marine Association, ZESTAs – Zero Emission Ship Technology Association, MBF – Maritime Battery Forum, and EOPSA – European Onshore Power Supply Association, collectively represent more than 250 member organizations around the world.

European Shipowners (ECSA) and Sea Europe have issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to include the maritime sector in the European Industrial Maritime Strategy as well as in the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP).“Both initiatives should ensure the international competitiveness of European shipping which is a prerequisite for a strong and competitive European maritime industrial cluster. Addressing the widening innovation gap in Europe is the only way to enhance the European industrial base.

This week, the European Commission presented its Clean Industrial Deal which aims to accelerate decarbonization while securing the future of manufacturing in Europe.It was generally well received by European shipowners and ports, and it was generally good news for the hydrogen industry.Blackridge Research & Consulting recently listed the top seven green hydrogen projects globally, noting that the EU is among the leaders with projects such as BrintØ Green Hydrogen Island in Denmark…

The European Commission has presented its Clean Industrial Deal which aims to accelerate decarbonization while securing the future of manufacturing in Europe.President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Europe is not only a continent of industrial innovation, but also a continent of industrial production. However, the demand for clean products has slowed down, and some investments have moved to other regions. We know that too many obstacles still stand in the way of our European companies from high energy prices to excessive regulatory burden.

The government of Canada has allocated $17.4 million to accelerate the development of the infrastructure at the Halifax Port Authority, most of which will go to the roll out of Halifax – Hamburg green shipping corridor.This investment is aimed at bolstering environmental sustainability and supply chain efficiency while actively supporting decarbonization efforts in the transportation sector and strengthening infrastructure resiliency.Up to $15.7 million will go for the development of the Halifax – Hamburg green shipping corridor, under the Green Shipping Corridor Program.

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today celebrated a record-breaking passenger count at Flynn Cruiseport Boston this year with just over 480,000 passengers, a 29 percent passenger increase over last year.Flynn Cruiseport welcomed a total 167 cruise ships this season –18 more ships and a 12 percent increase over 2023. The Authority also announced a $100 million investment in the Cruiseport, including $60 million for shore power, a significant step forward for sustainable maritime practices at the Port of Boston…

Air lubrication system company Silverstream Technologies has signed an MoU with Yiu Lian Dockyards (Shekou), one of the largest ship repair yards in China and part of China Merchants Group.The partnership aims to drive retrofit installations of the Silverstream® System.Yiu Lian Dockyards (Shekou) operates repair yards in Shekou, Shenzhen. The shipyard accepts all major vessel types but is well known as the leading repair yard in China for LNG carriers.The dockyard has serviced 734 vessels in the past three years from all segments, and so far in 2024 alone, it has dry-docked 28 LNG carriers.

Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to design and a equip a 10th hybrid chemical tanker for Danish operator Tärntank.The new Tärntank vessels will reduce carbon emissions using a combination of clean technologies.The wind-assist technology will be installed on the latest four vessels ordered, and this feature alone is expected to reduce emissions by up to 19%. The new vessels will have an Energy Efficiency Design Index close to 40% below the 2025 Phase 3 requirements.The 15…

Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, introduced Canada’s draft framework to cap pollution from the oil and gas sector on December 7. The aim is to reduce emissions and remain competitive in a shifting global market. “No sector of the economy should be allowed to emit unlimited pollution, not when we are all driving toward the same goal of net zero by 2050 to ward off the worst impacts of the climate crisis,” said the ministers in a statement.

Trade is a major cause of global warming. Think of all those goods travelling from far away on polluting ships – and raw materials and components whizzing across the world in complex supply chains.But the right trade policies can also do a lot to save the planet. The solution is to tax trade in carbon-intensive goods and get rid of tariffs on clean ones – while also subsidising green technologies and stopping aid to dirty ones. And to do all this fairly.Trade wasn’t prominent at COP27, the United Nations climate conference which just finished in Egypt.

The Biden administration on Thursday unveiled a plan to accelerate development of next-generation floating offshore wind farms by slashing the cost of the technology by 70% and setting a goal for it to power 5 million U.S. homes by 2035.The announcement was the latest in the White House's push to bolster the nation's fledgling offshore wind industry as part of its climate-change agenda.Wind turbines that float on the ocean's surface are an emerging technology necessary for projects off the coasts of California…

Auxiliary wind propulsion systems provider Norsepower Oy Ltd. announced a contract with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. Ltd. for delivery of single Rotor Sails onboard two newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, wind-assisted CO₂ carriers commissioned by the Northern Lights JV. Northern Lights JV is developing the transportation and storage component of Norway’s Longship project to decarbonize industrial emissions.The two liquified CO₂ carriers will be equipped with one 28x4m Norsepower Rotor Sail on each vessel.

ION Geophysical Corporation announced its climate-smart, digital platform, Marlin SmartPort, has successfully fulfilled its role to help monitor greenhouse gas emissions in the Data-Led Emissions Management (D-LEMA) project.The D-LEMA project is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) launched in March 2021, funded by the Department for Transport, and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC, the Department allocated more than £23 million…

Norsepower said it has been granted approval in principle for its Rotor Sail technology solution from classification society, RINA.The Norsepower Rotor Sail solution is a modernized version of the Flettner rotor – a spinning cylinder that uses the Magnus effect to harness wind energy to propel a ship, allowing the main engine to be throttled back to improve fuel efficiency and to obtain a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, without compromising the service speed. According to Norsepower…

Yara Marine Technologies is accepting applications for the second edition of its 3-month tailored startup accelerator program, Yara Marine X, a program that offers companies a opportunity to develop and pilot their innovative solutions while supported by Yara Marine.To apply for Yara Marine X, Click Here.“We are committed to enabling a clean transition to a decarbonized future. We are innovators at heart and always pursuing the improvements we need to make real sustainable change," said Thomas Koniordos, CEO of Yara Marine Technologies.

Despite transporting roughly 90% of the world’s cargo, the shipping industry has so far been underrepresented in the global decarbonization discussion. This rhetoric is however changing. For the first time in history, shipping was officially on the agenda at the UN climate change conference, COP26. Likewise, the recent United Nations General Assembly saw leaders from the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan place shipping at the top of a list of pledges, with plans to form a “Green…

At the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) on climate change, the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Montreal have signed a cooperation agreement to support the creation of the first green shipping corridor in the North Atlantic.Through this agreement, the two ports pledge to mobilize their respective public- and private-sector partners alike in the assessment, identification, development and adoption of shared or complementary solutions and infrastructures. Together, they intend…

Amazon.com Inc and IKEA are among commercial users of container shipping that will opt for zero-carbon marine fuels by 2040 in a new initiative aimed at speeding up decarbonization in the maritime sector, executives said on Tuesday.With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world's CO2 emissions and the sector is under growing scrutiny to become cleaner.The initiative, which was organized by the non-profit Aspen Institute and has nine signatories so far also including Unilever and Michelin…

Norway's oil and gas reserves have made it one of the world's wealthiest countries but its dreams for deep-sea discovery now center on something different.This time, Oslo is looking for a leading role in mining copper, zinc, and other metals found on the seabed and in hot demand in green technologies.Norway could license companies for deep-sea mining as early as 2023, its oil and energy ministry told Reuters, potentially placing it among the first countries to harvest seabed metals for electric vehicle batteries…

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…

UK-based Envoy Group has acquired a marine engineering company, Avantis Marine, to target carbon reduction and clean energy solutions for offshore markets.Avantis specializes in marine engineering with a focus on environmental performance and clean technologies for the shipping, oil and gas and passenger transport markets. The business is headquartered in the Marshall Islands, and operates from bases in the UK, Monaco, Dubai, Singapore and Miami. Iain MacGregor, CEO of Envoy, a 2019 spin-off from oilfield service company Global Energy Group…

Norwegian shipowners have laid out plans to make the country's fleet entirely climate neutral by 2050, surpassing the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) target to halve shipping emissions within the same timeframe.The Norwegian Shipowners' Association on Tuesday revealed its member shipping companies have adopted four goals to reduce their environmental footprint. Members will first cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 50% per transported unit by 2030, compared to 2008. From 2030, members will only order vessels with zero emission technology.

New Research Doubles Service Life Estimate of Marine Workboat Engines, Reveals Big Opportunities for Diesel Emissions Reductions.It turns out that commercial workboat engines are staying in service more than two times longer than predicted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according new research from the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). That says a lot for the quality of marine engines, but at the same it isn’t necessarily a good thing.