There has been over three years since the new requirements of MARPOL Annex VI, that impose a specific limit on the Sulphur content being used in ships fuel, came into force in the Special Emission Control Areas (SECAs).
Cutting NOx Emissions from Ships
March 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A new ICCT study confirms feasibility of implementing new IMO standards for NOx emissions from ships on schedule in 2016. The study is a survey of technical literature and industry reports to assess equipment costs, environmental side effects, urea and catalyst availability and disposal, and overall system costs of SCR in the marine sector.
ECSA Position Paper on CO2 MRV System
March 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
As an addition to the ECSA position paper issued in October 2013 on the European Commission proposal for a CO2 MRV system on maritime transport, ECSA issued a position paper urging the EU legislators to refrain from extending the scope to ships above 400 GT and from including NOx/others GHG emissions which would respectively result in unnecessary administrative burden on small ships and in impractical monitoring issues in the proposed EU Regulation.
Shipping the Final EU Climate Frontier
February 27, 2014 by 1 Comment
During the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change summit, it is worth remembering that there is one huge industry that has so far managed to evade any formalised efforts at emissions reductions. Every industry and transport sector in the European Union has greenhouse-gas emissions reduction measures in place, except for the shipping sector. The EU has established goals on the emissions reductions it wants to achieve from the sector, but seems to have no intention of enacting anything that will bring it anywhere near those goals, anytime soon.
GHG Emissions from Ships and The MRV Proposal
November 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Shipping is the only sector without an EU cap on emissions. In 2009, the EU committed to include shipping in its climate policy but instead the Commission proposed last year only to monitor CO2 emissions. While the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) proposal is a step in the right direction, it lacks ambition and will have little impact if left unchanged. It can be strengthened to create a MRV system that may not only be used for CO2, but also for SOx and NOx – harmful air pollutants. To actually reduce emissions, unreliable monitoring methods should be removed, and data transparency should be ensured. Finally, there should be a path for transition of MRV requirements into real emissions-reduction measures.
NOx Emissions from Shipping: Where Are We? What are the Perspectives?
November 6, 2013 by 1 Comment
At its 65th session, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) reached an agreement in principle to postpone the international NOx emissions limits for new ships from 2016 to 2021. This IMO decision needs to be confirmed by vote of all Parties to MARPOL Annex VI at the next MEPC meeting in April 2014. A confirmation of this decision in April 2014 would constitute a complete u-turn by the IMO on ship emission regulations and could seriously compromise the credibility of MARPOL Annex VI. The EU and its Members States, owning collectively the world’s largest merchant fleet, need to shoulder their responsibilities and help reverse the tide at the IMO on this issue. In addition, serious consideration of the problem of shipping NOx emissions should be given in the context of the 2013 EU Year of Air.
The Impact of International Shipping on European Air Quality
June 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Due to its dependence on fossil fuel combustion and the fact that it is one of the least regulated anthropogenic emission sources, emissions from the marine transport sector contribute significantly to air pollution and climate change. The European Environment Agency last March published a report on the impact of international shipping on European air quality. The main objective of the report was to provide a comprehensive review of recent literature and reports, taking into account expert knowledge, on the maritime transport sector. The report addresses the sector’s impact on air quality and climate forcing in Europe and the executive summary of the report is presented in this article.
LNG Fuel Bunkering in Australia
April 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The global sulphur cap of 0.5%, which the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will implement between 2020 and 2025 is expected to accelerate the adoption of LNG as fuel for shipping globally, provided that bunkering infrastructure is available. Corresponding developments for LNG bunkering and phasing-in of LNG fuelled ships have already started, although not in Australia.
IMO Work on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimate
April 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Work to update the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimate for international shipping moved forward during an Expert Workshop at IMO Headquarters during 26 February to 1 March 2013. A final study is expected to be delivered in 2014. The second IMO GHG Study 2009 had estimated that international shipping emitted 870 million tonnes, or about 2.7% of the global man-made emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2007.
Officer of the Watch 