Rocky Mountain News

With the signing by the France-based international lender to global shipping BNP Paribas and the Swiss multinational investment bank Credit Suisse, Signatories of the Poseidon Principles represent around $140 billion in loans to international shipping – about 30% of the total global ship finance portfolio.Poseidon Principles is a global framework for responsible ship finance which helps incentivize shipping’s decarbonization.They establish a common framework to quantitatively assess and disclose whether financial institutions’ lending portfolios are in line with climate goals set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized…

A group of leading banks will for the first time include efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions in their decision making when providing shipping company loans, executives said on Tuesday.International shipping accounts for 2.2% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization (IMO), has a long-term goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050.Working with non-profit organisations the Global Maritime Forum, the Rocky Mountain Institute and London University's UCL Energy Institute…

Eleven banks with a combined shipping finance portfolio of $100bn will for the first time integrate climate considerations into lending decisions to incentivize maritime shipping's decarbonization.Named 'the Poseidon Principles', the new rules are a global framework for assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of financial institutions' shipping portfolios, said joint press release from Rocky Mountain Institute, Global Maritime Forum and UCL Energy Institute.Founding Signatories include Citi, Societe Generale, DNB, ABN Amro, Amsterdam Trade Bank, Credit Agricole CIB, Danish Ship Finance, Danske Bank, DVB, ING and Nordea, and represent around 20% of the global ship finance portfolio."As banks…

IMO’s 2050 deadline to reduce GHG emissions 50% from 2008 levels has set off a gold rush to develop Zero Emissions SolutionsClimate change is the biggest issue facing [all aspects of] the maritime industry, said Kitak Lim, IMO secretary general, in an interview earlier this year with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. He predicted that shipping could experience as much change in the next 10 to 20 years as it has in the last 100 years, as the industry races to meet a number of challenges…

A who’s who list of maritime industry executives have signed on to voice their support for a zero-carbon future in shipping.The not-for-profit foundation the Global Maritime Forum brought together a group of 34 CEOs and industry leaders from across the global maritime sector to sign a call for action and lead the industry in a transition toward decarbonization.To achieve this, these leaders believe the maritime industry needs to accelerate both technological and business model innovation…

BP, Eni, ExxonMobil, Repsol, Shell, Statoil, Total and Wintershall have committed to further reduce methane emissions from the natural gas assets they operate around the world. The energy companies also agreed to encourage others across the natural gas value chain – from production to the final consumer – to do the same. The commitment was made as part of wider efforts by the global energy industry to ensure that natural gas continues to play a critical role in helping meet future energy demand while addressing climate change. Since natural gas consists mainly of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, its role in the transition to a low-carbon future will be influenced by the extent to which methane emissions are reduced.

Crude oil exports in the first half of 2017 increased by more than 300,000 barrels per day (b/d) from the first half of 2016, a 57% increase. Petroleum product exports grew over the same period as well. Crude oil and propane exports each reached record highs of 0.9 million b/d, and distillate exports reached a record of 1.3 million b/d. Although crude oil exports during the period grew, the growth rate in the first half of 2017 was lower than in the first halves 2013, 2014, and 2015 when exports increased at year-over-year rates of 88%, 134%, and 70%, respectively. Following the removal of restrictions on exporting U.S. crude oil in December of 2015, crude oil exports have been characterized by greater volatility.

Today, Carbon War Room (CWR) and UMAS released research that suggests climate transition pathways pose risks to the banks that hold $400 billion of global shipping debt. With the onset of climate policies as soon as 2023, there will be a need for significant capital investment to keep vessels competitive. Navigating Decarbonisation: An approach to evaluate shipping’s risks and opportunities associated with climate change mitigation policy lays out the first approach to climate stress-testing of shipping assets and proposes that enhanced due-diligence undertaken today by financiers, shipowners, and shareholders can help deliver long-term value and avoid losses by the mid-2020s.

Carbon War Room (CWR) announced today that a collaboration between Hammonia Reederei, a Hamburg-based shipowner, and New Orleans-based charterer Intermarine, has enabled the retrofit of three sister vessels with multiple efficiency technologies. Under expected operating conditions, each vessel is anticipated to see 25 percent fuel savings, to be shared between Hammonia and Intermarine. José María Figueres, Chairman of the Board, Carbon War Room commented “This deal proves the profitability of shipowners and charterers collaborating on multi-technology retrofits. CWR awarded Hammonia a $120,000 grant to retrofit the vessels Industrial Ruby, Industrial Royal, and Industrial Revolution.

Six leaders and influencers from across the shipping industry will join global NGO Carbon War Room’s (CWR’s) Shipping Operation Advisory Board. Their backgrounds span the shipowning, chartering, technical analysis, finance, and academic worlds. The board will lend extensive industry insight and support CWR’s mission to profitably decarbonise the international shipping industry. Galen Hon, Manager, Shipping Operation, Carbon War Room, commented: "We are thrilled to have gathered a group with so much knowledge and experience in shipping. Following UNFCCC in Paris, the industry has an obligation to find new and innovative ways to reduce carbon while remaining competitive.

The Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) released on August 11 forecasts that North Sea Brent crude oil prices will average $54 per barrel (b) in 2015 and $59/b in 2016, which is $6/b and $8/b lower than projected in last month’s STEO, respectively (Figure 1). The price decline reflects concerns about lower economic growth in emerging markets, expectations of higher oil exports from Iran, and continuing growth in global inventories. WTI prices are expected to average $5/b below Brent in both 2015 and 2016. EIA’s updated projection remains subject to significant uncertainties as the oil market moves toward balance. During this period of price discovery, oil prices could experience periods of heightened volatility.

Monico, Inc releases a new product, the Custom Protocol Converter - Cummins Version, for monitoring of Cummins Equipment. For more than four years, since the launch of the CDL Gateway, Monico has been known for its exclusive ability to remotely monitor and control Caterpillar engines and gensets. Across industrial sectors, the company is recognized as CAT engine communication experts. Recently, through extensive field development, Monico has become more involved the world of Cummins engines as well.

Coast Guard crews are overseeing the containment of product and pollution to minimize environmental impact from the fire at McCotters Marina in Washington, Jan. 7. Two thousand feet of boom was deployed to encircle the marina, and absorbent pads were placed within the boom where sheen was apparent. Eastern Environmental Management, a contracted cleanup company based from Rocky Mountain, N.C., is working to collect the absorbent pads and tighten up the boom. "We are focusing on mitigating the impact to the environment," said Lt. Shannon Scaff, incident management division chief of Coast Guard Sector North Carolina. Mariners must exercise caution while transiting around the boom positioned throughout Broad Creek.

Yesterday (April 27), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council co-hosted a conference on “U.S.-Saudi Relations and Global Energy Security.” At this conference, as he has stated recently in other venues, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Ali al-Naimi, stated that, “There is no general shortage of crude oil in today's market -- supplies are readily available.” The Saudi Arabian minister pointed to the “balkanized gasoline markets” and a shortage in U.S. refining capacity as reasons why gasoline prices are high in the United States. But the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy, Kyle McSlarrow, stated at the same conference that crude oil prices are “the driver” in the recent rise in gasoline prices.

HBH, Inc., Woodson Construction Company and the Kori Corporation were recently sold to Sunland Construction, Inc., of Eunice, LA. The three Louisiana based divisions were involved in transitional zone pipe lay and construction work, with the Kori Corp. being the manufacturing arm building undercarriages and assembling marsh buggies for their worldwide market. except real property at the Delcambre, and Lafayette facilities. Also excluded from the sale is the 1995 built 260 x 72-ft. pipelay / bury barge "BH-400", which remains available for sale. Sunland Construction, Inc. is a pipeline construction company serving the needs of major oil and gas companies throughout the Southeast, Central and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States.