Low Carbon Energy News

The Coastal Sustainability Alliance (CSA), an industry collaborative effort led by Kuok Maritime Group (KMG), has announced the start of construction of its first fully electric PXO-series tug (e-tug) and supply boat (e-supply boat) by PaxOcean Group.The zero-emissions vessels are among the first and largest local electric harbour craft designed for operation in Singapore’s coastal waters. They are targeted for deployment in 2025, ahead of the nation’s goal for all new coastal…

Maersk’s offshore vessel-charging venture Stillstrom has launched a collaborative study with EnBW and BP, the developers of the Morgan and Mona offshore wind farms, to assess the viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for service and crew transfer vessels for the two projects.The study will evaluate the operational, technical, and economic viability of integrating offshore charging solutions for Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs) into…

Lhyfe has won the call for proposals by Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port to develop a green hydrogen industrial production and distribution site in Montoir-de-Bretagne (Loire-Atlantique).This call for proposals, which was launched in November 2022, concerned the provision of land located at the heart of the port's industrial and logistics ecosystem, in Montoir-de-Bretagne, for a project to set up an industrial renewable hydrogen production facility.Nantes Saint-Nazaire Port has embarked on a path towards a new low-carbon economic model for its business…

Brazil's Petrobras will invest around $102 billion within the 2024-2028 period, the firm's new strategic plan showed on Thursday, representing a major boost in expected investments by the state-run oil company.The plan, the first released by the oil giant since CEO Jean Paul Prates took the helm of the company, includes investments in a range of different segments, with most of it going into oil exploration and production.The figure represents a 31% leap from the $78 billion Petrobras…

Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) and French renewable energy firm EDF Renewables have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the acceleration of the development of offshore wind and related business and to encourage developments in green hydrogen."With this MoU, both partners wish to collaborate and bring together their respective and complementary expertise and experience in offshore wind energy as well as in green hydrogen solutions…

Floating LNG solutions provider Höegh LNG and the Norwegian oil and gas firm Aker BP have entered a strategic partnership to develop a "fully comprehensive carbon transport and storage offering for industrial CO2 emitters in Northern Europe.""The agreement combines the companies’ respective strengths, expertise, and technologies to establish a strong value chain for CCS on the Norwegian Continental Shelf that includes gathering, transporting and securely injecting CO2 for permanent storage in subsea reservoirs…

The United States is offering up to $1.5 million to aid projects that demonstrate low carbon energy and technologies on board domestic commercial vessels.The Maritime Administration (MARAD) in June issued a request for proposals (RFP) under its Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance (META) program seeking single or multiple projects that demonstrate low carbon fuels or technology applications for propulsion or auxiliary systems used on vessels in the U.S. fleet. Applicants must be able to verify low carbon operations of the technology during the project demonstration…

After a bumper year for floating offshore wind farm tenders, the nascent industry is poised for explosive growth in the coming decade as countries strive to cut their carbon emissions. But it's unlikely to be all plain sailing. Rising costs and supply chain bottlenecks have hit some projects and without investment in infrastructure to launch the vast turbines and tow them to sea, hopes of harnessing the full power of the ocean's winds to hit climate targets could be dashed, industry experts say.

Singapore-based boat builder Strategic Marine has commissioned a study to compare the efficiency of traditional diesel-powered and hybrid-powered crew transfer vessels (CTV).The study, to be conducted by the Maritime Energy and Sustainable Development Centre of Excellence (MESD CoE) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), aims to help the company expand its knowledge and expertise of sustainable solutions for the sector.The commissioned study will assess the difference in energy and emissions profiles between company-built diesel-powered and hybrid-powered CTVs.

India has withdrawn trading licenses for oil tankers and bulk carriers that are more than 25 years old, its shipping regulator said, as the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter looks to cut emissions and reduce the average age of its fleet. The order also bans acquisition of such vessels that are more than two decades old. Under current guidelines, vessels that are less than 25 years old can be acquired without any technical clearance. "There is a need to modernize the Indian fleet…

The pace of global shipping activity is set to lose steam next year as economic turmoil, conflict in Ukraine and the impact of the pandemic weaken the outlook for trade, U.N. agency UNCTAD said on Tuesday. The world's largest investment banks expect global economic growth to slow further in 2023, following a year roiled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and soaring inflation.The slowdown is expected to impact shipping, which transports more than 80% of global trade, although tanker freight rates could stay high.

Classification society Korean Register (KR) and Ulsan Port Authority (UPA) have signed an MOU to support methanol-fueled ships and establish the South Korean port as a low-carbon, eco-friendly energy hub.The agreement was made in response to the low-carbon energy transition underway in the shipping and port industries. Methanol is a clean burning marine fuel which produces 99% less sulfur oxides (SOx), 80% less nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 25% less greenhouse gases compared to conventional…

Germany on Tuesday completed construction of its first floating terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven as it scrambles to secure more LNG and move away from Russian pipeline gas."The new LNG landing place is a big step towards a secure energy supply," said Lower Saxony economy minister Olaf Lies in a statement.A floating storage and regasification (FSRU) unit will be moored at a now expanded pier before the end of this year and enabled to regasify LNG arriving on special tankers…

The UK Government has granted Port of Aberdeen more than £200,000 in funding to accelerate the port’s drive to Net Zero by 2040.The ‘Port Zero’ feasibility study, which is part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition Round 2 (CMDC2), will analyse future port power demands, assess low carbon energy sources for equipment (e.g., cranes, tugs, pilot boats) and quayside infrastructure, and develop a roadmap to decarbonise port operations.The study – which is being delivered in partnership with Energy Systems Catapult…

Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are among the first countries to back a new initiative aiming to advance the production, export and import of low-carbon fuels for shipping.The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), along with the CEO-led Clean Energy Maritime Taskforce, unveiled the ‘Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative’ on Friday at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in Pittsburgh. The Initiative will be a convening platform for public and private senior-level stakeholders from the ports…

It’s amazing to consider that a commercial vessel in the Pacific Ocean, approaching the mouth of the Columbia River, can continue its eastward journey to finally tie up at the Port of Lewiston, in Lewiston, Idaho, America’s most inland West Coast port, 465 miles from the Pacific Ocean.The Columbia and Snake Rivers form that critical east-west waterway, an economic powerhouse regionally, nationally and internationally. According to the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA)…

With passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which contains US$370 billion for climate and energy programs, policy experts are forecasting a big expansion in clean electricity generation. One source that’s poised for growth is offshore wind power.Today the U.S. has just two operating offshore wind farms, off of Rhode Island and Virginia, with a combined generating capacity of 42 megawatts. For comparison, the new Traverse Wind Energy Center in Oklahoma has 356 turbines and a 998-megawatt generating capacity.

Hydrogen is everywhere. You know that from high school chemistry. And you also know it from Marine News’ almost daily updates about H powered vessel projects around the world.As a fuel that could potentially replace fossil fuels, H is in the spotlight. Perhaps the brightest spotlight, at least in the U.S., is within the Department of Energy’s “Energy Earthshots” initiative.R&D on H was the first such Earthshot announced last year. DOE wants the “Hydrogen Shot” program to “accelerate…

The European Commission has proposed adding shipping to the bloc's carbon market for the first time, in a move that is set to shake up the industry after years of avoiding pollution charges by the bloc.But already there is disagreement about how it will work given the complexities of the shipping industry and how fast it can decarbonize.Here is what is known so far about the process ahead.Why should shipping be included in the ETS?With about 90% of world trade transported by sea…

A report commissioned by Crown Estate Scotland has found that Scotland has good technical capability to support offshore wind port functions in some, but not all locations and that investments in port capacity will be required to meet the needs of the growing offshore wind industry.Arup, technical consultants tasked with producing the report on the Scottish ports' role in the offshore wind space, said there was a significant risk that existing port capacity will be insufficient to support the offshore wind build-out rates required in Scottish waters to meet the UK-wide net-zero target.

The U.S House of Representatives passed the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447) aiming to reform U.S. energy policy and authorize significant investment in the transition to greater use of low-carbon energy.The legislation, which addresses a wide range of energy topics and initiatives, includes an amendment by Congressman John Garamendi (D-Calif.) which would enforce Jones Act requirements for all offshore wind development, construction, production and servicing.The amendment clarifies that the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act…

ABS, Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding (HZS), and Wärtsilä have teamed to develop a flexible, future-ready, and modular concept for a future multi-fuel electric Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier (LNGC) vessel.The project will, partners say, apply various decarbonization technologies and solutions to the vessel design and operation models to investigate its performance against the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) up to at least 2050."The LNGC will be highly flexible…

The European cruise company, Costa Group, with its Costa Cruises and AIDA Cruises brands, which is part of Carnival Corporation, has created a dedicated decarbonization department within its Carnival Maritime unit based in Hamburg, Germany.The new department will be responsible for developing and implementing the strategy for achieving the decarbonization ambitions of the Costa and AIDA fleets by 2050. The effort will have a strong focus on research and development, energy management…