IMO

New Age of Sail Looks to Slash Massive Maritime Carbon Emissions

If ocean shipping were a country, it would be the sixth-largest carbon emitter, releasing more CO2 annually than Germany. International shipping accounts for about 2.2% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.N. International Maritime Organization. But change is on the way. Wind, solar electric, and hydrogen-powered ships offer innovative low- or no-carbon alternatives to fossil fuel-powered cargo…



Embracing Eco Innovations as IMO 2030 Looms Large

Decarbonization remains the hot maritime topic this year as the clock ticks on reducing carbon intensity by 40 per cent. The need to comply with IMO 2030 is looming large for shipowners. Newbuild vessels are already expected to achieve compliance with the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). This initiative is designed to ensure newbuild vessels meet requisite levels of efficiency….



Reducing Methane Slip without compromising on Engine Performance

Swiss engine technology company WinGD is helping shipping companies to optimize engine combustion and reduce methane slip with a new intelligent dual fuel engine technology. Intelligent Control by Exhaust Recycling (iCER) is a new technology that has been brought to the market by engine specialists WinGD. The technology, which is integrated into the company’s new X-DF 2.0 engine design, recirculates…


Revolutionizing Rechargeable Sodium-Ion Batteries with ‘Doped’ Carbon Anodes

As the world becomes aware of the imminent environmental crisis, scientists have begun a search for sustainable energy sources. Rechargeable batteries like lithium-ion batteries are seeing a popularity surge, concurrent with production of ‘greener’ technologies such as electric propulsion ships (which are being developed to meet the environmental regulations by the International Maritime Organization) and other electric vehicles. But, lithium…


New ABB Emission Monitoring Solution Helps Maritime Industry Achieve Decarbonization

The launch of ABB’s CEMcaptain will help shipping comply with the sulphur emission regulations that were enforced in 2020. In January 2020, the low SOx and NOx emission limits in the International Maritime Organization regulations became effective worldwide. CEMcaptain is a powerful emissions monitoring system from ABB designed to help the maritime industry meet these new regulations and become more…


Propelling The Maritime Industry Into A Decarbonized Future

With increasing demands on owners and operators to improve efficiency while also preparing for decarbonization targets, the maritime industry is facing multiple challenges. While the development of alternative fuels is a critical element in the decarbonization journey, the need to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption is also a key part of this equation. Propulsion solutions are central to this…


Shipping Needs to Raise Its Cyber Game

The shipping industry is lagging behind other industrial sectors in the all-important field of cyber security. Ben Densham, Chief Technology Officer of Nettitude, the cyber security services provider of Lloyd’s Register, warns of a rising incidence in attacks, with ransomware and targeted cyber assaults both becoming more common. “As the pace of shipping’s digital transformation accelerates, the threat surface is…


Ships Risk Detention Over Cybersecurity

Ships that fail to comply with cybersecurity code of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) may face detention from 1-January-2021. This comes as the IMO identified the management of cybersecurity as a key aspect of safety as technology becomes essential in ship operations. The group has identified cybersecurity as a major risk to be addressed in safety management systems. The handling…


Digitalizing the Maritime Sector Set to Boost Competitiveness and Resilience of Global Trade

Joint report by the World Bank and IAPH to assist ports and maritime transport community accelerate digitalization and minimize ship-shore human interaction and COVID-19 risks. WASHINGTON, January 21, 2021—A new report was launched by the World Bank and the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) shows that better digital collaboration between private and public entities across the maritime supply…


Methanol as Marine Fuel

Very large fuel tankers run on heavy fuel oil (HFO) mainly because of its low price but HFO emits a  substantial amount of greenhouse gas (GHG). Cleaner ways of reducing emissions include shifting to alternative fuels like LNG, biogas, methanol, wind, hybrid-electric, fully electric, fuel cells, or by lowering speed. The Paris Agreement and agreements within the IMO mandate that…


New Poll: Majority of Americans Would Change Where They Shop to Support Cleaner Ships

A new poll conducted for Pacific Environment by Yale University, George Mason University, and Climate Nexus finds that nearly three-quarters (74%) of American voters would be more likely to shop at companies that use cleaner ways to ship their goods. The poll finds that 70% of American voters would continue to shop at these brands even if using clean ships…


Retrofit Highlights use of LPG as a Marine Fuel

The world’s first LPG-fuelled vessel has set sail. Powered with Wärtsilä’s customized and reliable Fuel Supply System, the vessel represents a major breakthrough in the search for new ways to reduce marine emissions. BW LPG, the world’s largest owner and operator of very large liquified petroleum gas (LPG) carriers, is approaching a major milestone in the retrofit of a number…


400,000 Seafarers Stuck at Sea as Crew Change Crisis Deepens

Some 400,000 seafarers from across the globe are now stranded on ships, continuing to work but unable to be relieved, in a deepening crew change crisis which threatens trade and maritime safety. During a high-level event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (24 September), Captain Hedi Marzougui, who was in command of a vessel between December 2019…


SHELL Sets Course for Net-Zero Emissions Shipping

Today, in a new report, Decarbonizing Shipping: Setting Shell’s Course, Shell highlights the important role that hydrogen and fuel cells could play in achieving a decarbonized shipping sector. Calling for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to adopt a clear trajectory to net-zero emissions by 2050, Shell outlines how it is contributing to accelerating the change needed in the industry to…


Market Expansion and Diversification Over The Past Decade: What’s Next for LNG?

Using Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a marine fuel is a sensible strategy amid tightening regulations, new economic realities and the development of the new zero carbon fuels of the future, says Panos Mitrou, Head of Gas, Lloyd’s Register (LR). Panos Mitrou, LR’s Global Gas Segment Manager, has been dealing with LNG as fuel for the past eight years. Over…


LNG Retrofits: The Time is Now

LNG as fuel has long been considered the industry’s last, best hope to meet the IMO’s ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030. So why aren’t we seeing more LNG retrofits on existing tonnage? In April 2018, MEPC 72 adopted resolution MEPC.304(72) on the Initial IMO Strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships. The IMO has…


New Navi-Port Technology to Revolutionize Port Operations

At ports around the world, anchored vessels sit in the distance, waiting for permission to dock, resulting in fuel waste, higher carbon emissions, and congestion. Is there a solution to this problem? In most cases, cargo ships arriving at port are assigned a docking space on a first-come-first-served basis. This method of port arrivals has, in effect, created a queueing…



Marine Lubricants Market to Brace Itself for Robust Growth

At a time when maritime transport has become the backbone of international trade, marine lubricants have gained significant traction. Given that around 80% of global trade by volume and more than 70% of global trade by value are handled by ports and undertaken at sea, developing and developed economies have upped their investments in marine lubricants. With the share of…


What is MGO?

The mega ships burn tons of fuel everyday to propel their engines and deliver their massive loads to different ports. Ship engines have been known to use low-grade fuel oil to lower the ship’s operating costs, since the share of fuel cost can reach between 30-50% of total operating costs of a ship. It is not a simple decision to…


World’s First Full Scale Ammonia Engine Test to Begin

The technology group Wärtsilä, with Knutsen OAS Shipping, Repsol, and Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre, will commence the world’s first long term, full-scale, testing of ammonia as a fuel in a marine four-stroke combustion engine. The testing is made possible by a 20 MNOK grant from the Norwegian Research Council through the DEMO 2000 program, a statement said. “This is a…


LNG as Marine Fuel: ABS Issues Guidance

The adoption of the ‘Initial International Maritime Organization (IMO) Strategy on Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions from Ships’ by IMO Resolution MEPC.304(72) in April 2018 demonstrates IMO’s commitment to support the Paris Agreement. The IMO strategy includes initial targets to reduce as compared to 2008 levels the average CO2 emissions per ‘transport work’ by at least 40% by 2030,…


Zero-Emission Shipping: What’s in it for Developing Countries?

Emissions from ships are heavy contributors to global climate change and local air pollution, putting pressure on the environment and humans. A new generation of bunker fuels, called zero-emission fuels, can help to address this challenge while also creating a major business opportunity in developing countries. Currently, ships contribute about 2-3% of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions —more than…