World's Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail, Bringing Concerns About Methane Emissions
The world's largest cruise ship is set for its maiden voyage on Saturday, but environmental groups are concerned that the liquefied natural gas-powered vessel - and other giant cruise liners to follow - will leak harmful methane into the atmosphere.Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas sets sail from Miami with capacity for 8,000 passengers across 20 decks, taking advantage of the surging popularity of cruises.The ship is built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which burns more cleanly than traditional marine fuel but poses greater risks for methane emissions.
COP28: US Cracking Down on Methane from Oil and Gas
The Biden administration on Saturday unveiled final rules aimed at cracking down on US oil and gas industry releases of methane, part of a global plan to rein in emissions that contribute to climate change.The rules, two years in the making, were announced by US officials at the United Nations COP28 climate change conference in Dubai. The US and other nations attending the summit are expected to detail how they will achieve a 150-country pledge made two years ago to slash methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.Methane tends to leak into the atmosphere undetected from drill sites…
COP28 Puts Spotlight on Methane Pledges
Delegates at this year's U.N. COP28 climate summit are anxious to boost the world's climate change agenda with concrete plans for clamping down on the second-most prominent greenhouse gas – methane.While more than 150 countries have promised since 2021 to slash their methane emissions 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 under the U.S.- and EU-led Global Methane Pledge, few have detailed how they will achieve this.What is needed now is to turn those pledges into urgent action – with financial…
Oxidation Catalyst Project Aims for 70% Methane Slip Reduction
MAN Energy Solutions has announced that it is developing an oxidation catalyst for four-stroke engines that will significantly reduce methane slip. Called ‘IMOKAT II’ and developed at MAN Energy Solutions’ headquarters in Augsburg, Germany, the research project is currently undergoing testing at the company’s Frederikshavn, Denmark facility.Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Climate Action, the new project will investigate the operational experience of a pre-turbo methane-oxidation catalyst…
EU Targets Upstream Methane Emissions from Imports
The European Council and Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on a regulation for tracking and reducing methane emissions in the energy sector.The regulation introduces new requirements for the oil, gas and coal sectors to measure, report and verify methane emissions, as well as put in place mitigation measures to avoid such emissions, including detecting and repairing methane leaks and limiting venting and flaring. It also puts forward global monitoring tools to ensure transparency on methane emissions from imports of oil…
Furetank and Wärtsilä Advance Engine Technology to Reduce Methane Slip
Wärtsilä and Swedish shipping company Furetank are co-developing and testing two technologies showing the potential to halve the methane slip.Running vessels on LNG or bio-LNG reduces emissions of CO2, NOx, SOx and harmful particles, but the downside is methane slip: the release of unburned gas fuel, not fully combusted in the engines.Although the fraction released is small, methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.Two technical solutions have been tested in Furetank’s Vinga series tankers.
MOL's Second LNG-Fueled Ferry Enters Service
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has announced that the second of Japan's first two LNG-fueled ferries, the Sunflower Murasaki, has entered service.The vessel is owned by MOL and operated by its group company Ferry Sunflower. The vessel is a sister ship to the Sunflower Kurenai, which began operation in January, and will sail the Osaka-Beppu route between Sunflower Ferry Terminal (Osaka) and Beppu International Tourist Port (Oita) as a replacement for the existing vessel Sunflower Cobalt.The 17…
Future Fuels: 275 Altenative Fuel Ships Ordered in 2022
The total number of ships with alternative fuels ordered in 2022 was 275 (excluding battery operated vessels), according to numbers released today from DNV viat its Alternative Fuels Insight report.In addition, more than 50 LPG carriers have been ordered with LPG dual fuel systems. Predictably, LNG led the way with 222 ships or 81 % of total orders. Seventy-four percent of these orders were for container vessels and Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs), while product tankers came in third representing 9 % of orders.
Japanese Group Sees Carbon Recycled Methane as Zero-emission Ship Fuel
Ship Carbon Recycling Working Group of Japan's Carbon Capture & Reuse Study Group has said that carbon recycled methane produced by methanation technology can be recognized as zero-emission ship fuel.Methanation has been described as a technology for synthesizing methane, the main component in natural gas, by causing a chemical reaction between hydrogen and CO2 in a reactor vessel filled with a catalyst.It uses emitted CO2 separated and captured from industrial facilities. As the CO2 generated when combusting synthesized methane is considered to be offset by the separated and captured CO2…
