Top Five Trends in Offshore Wind
As technologies mature and dramatic cost-cutting continues, the future is looking bright for offshore wind. Below are five trends to keep an eye on.Follow the LeaderOffshore wind’s established leader, Europe, will continue to show the way forward and build capacity. At the end of 2016, nearly 88 percent of the world’s offshore wind installations were located in European waters. In 2017, Europe saw a record 3,148 MW of net additional offshore wind capacity installed, with 560 new offshore wind turbines across 17 wind farms, according to WindEurope.
DNV GL Publishes New Classification Rule Set
DNV GL's new rules for classification of ships become publicly available online today following a development and review process involving 250 internal experts and more than 800 customers and maritime stakeholders. The result of the combined experience and expertise of two classification societies, the new rules are modern, easy to work with, industry-driven, efficient and ready for the future, DNV GL said. “This is an historic moment,” said Remi Eriksen, DNV GL Group President and CEO. “After such a thorough process it is very exciting to launch the new DNV GL classification rules.
NOAA: Air Pollution Plummets when Ships Shift Fuels
New clean fuel regulations in California and voluntary slowdowns by shipping companies substantially reduce air pollution caused by near-shore ships, according to a new NOAA-led study published online today in Environmental Science & Technology. The study examined a container ship operating under a 2009 California regulation requiring that ships switch to low-sulfur fuels as they approach the California coast, and also adhering to a voluntary state slowdown policy, intended to reduce pollution. The research team found that emissions of several health-damaging pollutants, including sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, dropped by as much as 90 percent.
MARAD Creates Inland Waterways Research Website
The United States Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration (MARAD) has announced the creation of the Inland Waterways Research Project Website, a comprehensive source of the most current inland waterway information available online today. This repository contains published studies, reports, and ongoing research results by leading experts. It also provides links to inland corporations, inland news source links, and other research links. The website address is www.marad.dot.gov/iwrp. "This website, the only of its kind, is an excellent resource for the inland waterways industry's most relevant information. Now, with great ease…
