Energy Efficient Technology News

Armada Technologies announced the close of its seed funding round, raising a total of $3.2 million, including contributions from both strategic partners and traditional financial investors to advance eco-friendly maritime solutions.Cool Company Management Ltd. (CoolCo) a strategic partner within the liquefied natural gas (LNG) space, is to part-fund Armada equipment that will be installed on its vessels with this seed round. Ecochlor, Inc. continues to provide investment and technical support to the company as its growth partner.

Government and private stakeholders have expressed their support for climate action in the Caribbean, with a focus on decarbonizing the shipping sector.According to International Maritime Organization (IMO),  during a regional workshop on Capacity Building for Climate Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry, held at the Chaguaramas Campus of The University of Trinidad and Tobago (1-3 July), Caribbean maritime sector committed to decarbonization.The workshop, the second for the region, was hosted by the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (MTCC) Caribbean - one of five regional centers established under the IMO-led, European Union-funded Global MTCC Network (GMN) project.Participants were updated on pilot projects completed by MTCC-Caribbean…

Yaskawa Environmental Energy / The Switch believes the global maritime industry is now on the threshold of a committed move towards renewable energy, with hydrogen as the potential acid test in the shift away from fossil fuels.“Renewables and alternative fuels are attracting increasing interest, driven by greater environmental awareness within society, tighter regulations and an industry-wide need to optimize energy use and manage costs,” comments Asbjørn Halsebakke, Product Manager of Marine Drives, Yaskawa Environmental Energy/The Switch Norway.

Singapore-headquartered vessel owner AET Tankers - a subsidiary of Malaysia's MISC Berhad - has named and welcomed four newbuild tankers into its fleet in two separate ceremonies at South Korean shipyards. At Samsung Heavy Industries, Geoje, South Korea on Wednesday, 24 January, AET named two 113,400 dwt Aframax tankers “Eagle Barcelona” and “Eagle Brisbane”. Two 157,512 dwt Suezmax twins, “Eagle San Francisco” and “Eagle San Jose”, were named two days later on Friday, 26 January, at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. All four vessels will join the AET fleet as part of an ongoing fleet rejuvenation programme and take up charter agreements with leading oil companies.

A UN conference has highlighted the importance of technology and innovation in ensuring sustainable transport for all. International Maritime Organization (IMO)  was present at the UN’s first ever Global Sustainable Transport Conference, held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan (26-27 November). Concluding the two-day conference with the so-called ‘Ashgabat Statement’, participants stressed the need to promote the integration of science, technology and innovation into sustainable transport systems by tapping into technological opportunities in the decades to come, in order to bring about fundamental, transformative changes to transport systems.

WE Tech Solutions (WE Tech), an energy efficiency solutions provider in the marine industry, and The Switch, a technology specialist of permanent magnet machines for advanced marine drive trains, have been chosen to deliver their permanent magnet shaft generator solution to Australian Toll Shipping for a series of two 12,000 dwt RORO vessels. The Sinotrans & CSC affiliated Jinling Shipyard in China will build the ships. Delivery of advanced equipment solution from WE Tech and The Switch will commence in August 2017.

WISTA UK, the Women in Shipping and Trade Association, isn't shy in hosting events that challenge its members to address the major issues affecting the shipping industry, and this was very much the case during the its most recent Forum. With the Paris hosting this week, The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 21 meeting, the Forum looked at the part the maritime sector plays in the climate change agenda. The subject of Thursday’s debate (26 November) was the divisive emissions problem, with the panel exploring potential solutions to curtail shipping’s emissions. Three different, highly informative speakers set the scene and challenged the audience to look at the issues from a number of perspectives.

Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation Ltd (Keppel T&T) officially opened its Almere Data Centre 2 today, its first greenfield data centre in Europe*. The opening of the facility was attended by Guest-of-Honour Prof. Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and Partner, Corporate Responsibility at EY. Also in attendance were Mr John Neary, Ambassador of Ireland to the Netherlands, Mr Ethan Chua, Deputy Chief of Mission & Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Mark Pol, Vice Mayor of the City of Almere for Finance, Economic Affairs and Municipal Real Estate and Mr Alexander Van Der Hooft, EVP Operations Business Market at KPN.

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC) has announced an order win for two 319,000 dwt VLCCs and five 72,000 dwt product tankers from Cosco Dalian, the tanker shipping arm of China Cosco Group. The financial details of contract were not disclosed. Market estimates show that the order could be worth a total of USD 500 million. The newbuildings will be designed to feature fuel saving and energy efficient technology, according to DSIC. The new orders placed by China Cosco followed the Chinese government’s recent announcement that the scrap-and-build policy’s deadline has been extended to 31 December 2017 from 31 December 2015. Currently Cosco Dalian operates a fleet of fifteen VLCCs…

The RT fully supports the adoption at IMO of mandatory Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships. It is convinced that the SEEMP will allow shipowners to better gauge their energy consumption and thereby enhance existing operational efficiency, since fuel is the single highest operational cost factor and this fact alone has already induced ship-owners to become more energy efficient. In the event that Market Based Measures (MBMs) are eventually introduced to shipping by IMO, these should apply globally and should completely address the nine principles adopted by IMO, it says.