Energy Efficiency News

In January, Occidental Petroleum announced it had accomplished something no oil company had done before: It sold a shipload of crude that it said was 100% carbon-neutral.While the two-million-barrel cargo to India was destined to produce more than a million tons of planet-warming carbon over its lifecycle, from well to tailpipe, the Texas-based driller said it had completely offset that impact by purchasing carbon credits under a U.N.-sponsored program called CORSIA.Carbon credits…

Based in Shanghai, Krzysztof Kozdron – or “KK” as he’s known to many of his Chinese colleagues, clients and friends – is the Managing Director of Schulte Marine Concept (S.M.C.). As S.M.C. passes a milestone in ship construction project management, Kozdron shares his insights on shipbuilding and repair activities throughout Asia.Starting in 1973 to today, Schulte Marine Concept has managed 600 ship construction, repair & conversion projects, starting with its own vessels and evolving into a company today that manages the majority of its projects for third-party clients.

Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán has tapped ABB to supply all-electric power solutions for ten fast 40-meter urban passenger ferries transporting up to 540 passengers each across Lisbon’s Tagus river.The contract comes a week after Astilleros Gondan said it would start building a series of 10 fully electric passenger ferries for the Portuguese river passenger transport operator Transtejo.The ten new ferries will replace the existing fleet serving this route when they enter service between 2022 and 2024.In addition to energy storage…

NOAA and offshore wind development company Ørsted have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to share physical and biological data in Ørsted-leased waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction. NOAA, said the MOA is the first of its kind with an offshore wind developer and that it anticipates Ørsted’s data will fill gaps in ocean science areas, particularly in ocean mapping and observing, to help meet NOAA missions related to climate adaptation and mitigation, weather-readiness, healthy oceans, and resilient coastal communities and economies.

Australian oil and gas company Santos has signed a contract with FPSO supplier BW Offshore for the delivery of an FPSO for the Barossa gas field, located 300 kilometers offshore Darwin in Australia. The contract is subject to Final Investment Decision (FID) by Santos and its partners, with the FID expected in the coming weeks.The Lease and Operate contract has a firm period of 15 years, with 10 years of options. The firm period contract value is USD 4.6 billion. BW Offshore will be responsible for the engineering…

“We are working on technology that will not only advance green technologies used in the ocean but also protect Canada’s marine ecosystem for years to come,” says Mo AlGermozi, CEO of Graphite Innovation and Technologies (GIT).The company is partnering with marine services company Horizon Maritime Services and research group Mitacs for the $4.6 million Smart Protective Coatings Project, which aims to introduce new graphene-based protective coating products for vessels. Canada’s…

Russian oil and gas shipping giant Sovcomflot said Friday it had on March 15, together with Shell, "broke new ground," with the completion of the "first-ever Aframax tanker fuelling using LNG in the USA."Sovcomflot’s Gagarin Prospect tanker, on long-term charter to Shell, was en-route from Corpus Christi to Europe. It received 1,075 cubic metres of marine LNG from the Shell NA LNG LLC chartered Q-LNG 4000 outside the Port of Canaveral, Florida. "This represented the first ever ship-to-ship LNG fuelling of a large capacity Aframax tanker in the USA…

UAE shipyard Drydocks World said it will upgrade the lighting systems at its facilities, reducing total consumption of lighting power by 55%.The company said it has reached a deal with Etihad Energy Services, (Etihad ESCO), wholly-owned subsidiary by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), driving sustainable and energy efficient solutions in refrigeration, lighting and water sectors.The agreement includes the application of modern, smart, indoor and outdoor lighting solutions at Drydocks World facilities with 378 lighting units to be replaced at the smithery and pipes workshop…

Havyard Group's subsidiary Norwegian Electric Systems (NES) has won a contract to deliver energy design and smart control solution to Rem Offshore’s new vessel for the offshore wind service market. The contract was awarded by Green Yard Kleven who is building the vessel.According to NES, the vessel will be the first in this segment with a fully-integrated NES bridge system. Geir Larsen, CEO of Norwegian Electric Systems (NES), says offshore wind power represents an important sector for his company…

Haldor Topsoe and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping formalized their collaboration by signing a Partnership Agreement whereas Topsoe becomes an official partner to the Center, committing to a long-term strategic collaboration about the development of zero carbon technologies for the maritime industry.The collaboration will depart in the conversion of renewable resources - such as biomass and green electricity – to energy carriers and fuels. Topsoe is also…

Global demand for oil-based marine fuels is set to fall in the next three decades as stricter carbon emissions rules for the shipping industry kick in and alternative fuel use climbs, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said on Friday.The U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO) is set to formally adopt energy efficiency regulations in June that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of new and existing ships by 40% by 2030 compared with 2008 levels.By 2050 the IMO aims to reduce the…

WE Tech won additional orders in South Korea to supply its permanent magnet shaft generator solutions to four LPG Carriers to be built by Hyundai Mipo DockyardThe shaft generator solution comes with frequency drive technology and is designed to produce all required electrical power needed for the vessel over a wide main engine speed range, aimed to deliver substantial fuel savings and reduction of maintenance cost by reducing auxiliary generator operation. “Our solution is compact and fits perfectly to this type of gas carriers.

Norway-based Brødrene Aa said it has signed a shipbuilding contract with Attica Group, subject to clauses, for three AERO type high-speed catamaran passenger vessels.The three vessels will be 36 meters in length, carry 150 passengers and operate at a maximum speed of 34 knots. The light carbon fiber construction contributes to low fuel consumption and emissions, Brødrene Aa said, adding that the vessels will be equipped with solar panels that will generate the energy required for lighting and energy consumption of the accommodation areas…

Viking Line's flagship Viking Glory was floated out from its building dock at XSI Shipyard in Xiamen, China, on Tuesday.The new 222.6-meter, 63,800gt ro-pax vessel is due to enter service on the Stockholm-Åland-Turku route in early 2022. It will have capacity for 2,800 passengers in 922 cabins and freight capacity of 1,500 lane meters.The vessel was ordered in 2017 and was initially scheduled to enter service in 2020 following planned delivery at the end of 2020, but the COVID…

There is  increasing pressure for shipowners to sharpen their environmental performance, driven by an IMO target to halve greenhouse gas emissions from shipping by 2050, regional regulations and market pull from charterers, banks and investors.“This represents a whole new ball game for the industry. Optimization of ship operations has traditionally been dictated by the efficiency of delivery around the globe that has typically meant being able to sail at full speed, thereby burning more fuel, to minimize costs for the charterer.

The liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered, 185,000 GT cruise ship Costa Toscana was floated out to the outfitting pier at Meyer Turku shipyard on Friday. Due to harsh weather conditions, the filling of the dry dock started on Thursday.“As this is also the start of the final stage of shipbuilding, all the exciting colors, venues and features will start taking their final form. In the coming months she will be finalized at the pier and then tested and commissioned in the autumn for delivery…

When the maritime history books are written, 2020 will be viewed as a year of pivots, re-invention and new paradigms. By February 2020, concerns about marine fuel’s sulfur content quickly shifted to near-term disruptions induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-year, with demand recovering, the conversation turned to longer term questions surrounding the moves towards reduced maritime carbon emissions and alternative fuels. How will this all impact the current fleet?Perhaps the most extreme reaction to the shifting landscape is the ongoing “pivot” of Scorpio Bulk (NYSE: SALT)…

In the next decade, we’ll see more accelerated change in shipping fuels than we’ve seen in the last century. What does this heightened diversity mean for shipowners? They must be nimbler than ever – a shift that requires work. It means greening supply chains, bolstering energy efficiency, nurturing more partnerships, streamlining costs, and becoming adept at green finance (frequent change can be expensive to start with). All will help shipowners’ fuel portfolios adapt to the inevitable…

The head of global trade association Interferry reflects on the unprecedented challenges of 2020 and those ahead—but makes a case for cautious optimism.What a difference a year makes…In this column last January, I was hailing the worldwide ferry industry’s exceptional growth in 2019—marked by soaring tourist traffic and a host of newbuild orders—and eagerly anticipating further advances in 2020. None of us could have known that within a matter of weeks, all expectations were to…

Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) awarded a contract to BMT to provide consultancy services for the concept design of a new passenger ferry for the Gourock, Dunoon and Kilcreggan routes. The new ferry will be designed to replace the vessels currently operated on the routes by CalMac.The contract is part of the Gourock Harbor Infrastructure & Vessels Project, which is a partnership between Transport Scotland, CMAL, CalMac and Argyll and Bute Council. The project covers the redevelopment of Gourock Ferry Terminal and works to the harbor infrastructures at Dunoon and Kilcreggan…

Corvus Energy, an energy storage solutions provider for the offshore energy industry, has won a contract with Wärtsilä to deliver its Energy Storage Systems (ESS) for the offshore support vessel fleet operated by U.S.-based Harvey Gulf.According to Corvus, the orders follow the successful sea trial of Harvey Energy, the first-ever LNG-battery hybrid retrofit of a platform supply vessel (PSV) in the Americas. Harvey Gulf CEO, Shane Guidry has reported that clients and investors are increasingly demanding energy efficiency and emissions reduction.

Danish based Maersk Tankers has taken delivery 115,000 dwt tanker Maersk Sara from Chinese shipbuilder Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC).The LR2 vessel, second in a series of 10, is said to be 20% more fuel-efficient than similar vessels she will replace in the existing fleet and meets the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) phase 3 requirements applicable from 2025.Maersk Sara is equipped with deepwell cargo pumps – an installation that increases cargo carriage flexibility and can save up to 50% fuel at every discharge…

Seri Everest, the first in a series of three 98,000 cbm Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) built at Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SHI) and delivered to MISC Berhad on October 30, 2020. Seri Everest is the first from a series of six VLECs that MISC purchased in July 2020. As a second generation VLEC, Seri Everest is one of the largest vessels of its kind in the world.With the delivery of MISC’s first VLEC – Seri Everest, she has set a new benchmark in the ethane market. Seri Everest has the capacity of transporting ethane in large volumes over long distances…