Pick your Poison: NOAA Study Finds Less Air Pollution brings more Hurricanes
A new study from NOAA finds that reducing air pollution in North America & Europe brings more hurricanes; increased pollution in Asia reduces tropical cyclonesA NOAA study published in the journal Science Advances about four decades of tropical cyclones reveals the surprising result that reducing particulate air pollution in Europe and North America has contributed to an increase in the number of tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic basin and a decrease in the number of these storms in the Southern Hemisphere. The…
NYK Bulk Carrier Completes Another Run on Biofuel
NYK conducts third successful biofuel trial on ship carrying Tata Steel cargoThe bulk carrier Frontier Sky, which is owned by NYK and operated by Tata NYK Shipping Pte. Ltd., conducted a trial use of biofuel to transport cargo provided by Tata Steel Limited, the major steel manufacturer in India. According to the company, this is the third successful trial use of biofuel by an NYK vessel.In this test voyage, the vessel was fueled with biofuel by Toyota Tsusho Petroleum Pte. Ltd. at the port of Singapore on November 14 and a test voyage was conducted on a route to the port of Dhamra, India.
The Path to Zero: Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, TotalEnergies Study LCO2 Carrier
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has initiated a feasibility study with TotalEnergies for the development of a liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carrier, a key plank in the CO2 ecosystem as carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) attracts increasing attention worldwide. An LCO2 carrier would play a pivotal role in transporting CO2 from its emission sources to storage sites or facilities for utilization, and demand for these vessels is expected to increase in the future.Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is actively pursuing commercialization of LCO2 carriers…
Japanese Project Tests Ship-based CO2 Capture System
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding has been working in cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), to conduct test operations and measurements for a small scale demonstration plant of the “Marine-based CO2 Capture System”, in order to verify the equipment’s use. The equipment has now been installed on board the Corona Utility, a coal carrier for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. operated by “K” Line, at MHI’s Honmoku Plant at the Yokohama Dockyard & Machinery Works.This project is being conducted with support from the Maritime Bureau of Japan's Ministry of Land…
Back to the Drawing Board: Analyzing Social Impact of Sustainable Energy
The future could be bright for small island nations. Cheap sustainable energy is the core component of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.Engineers like making things, but rarely think of the social impact that flows from their creations. Today, while we are standing at the threshold of sustainable energy, we should take a moment to reflect on the social impact of sustainable energy. Access to sustainable energy puts us at the threshold of massive social change and, if we play our cards right, we all could win big.Since human nature and human psychology has not significantly changed in centuries…
Who Will Pay for the Energy Transition?
The transition from a fossil-fuel dominated energy system to one with zero emissions would require trillions of dollars of investment in new production, distribution and consumption equipment worldwide.New investments could support millions of new jobs in construction and manufacturing, but policymakers are struggling to decide whether to recover the costs from consumers or taxpayers.In most countries, the cost of providing energy commodities and services, including gas, electricity, other heating fuels, and road fuels…
When is a Cargo of Oil Certified "Carbon Neutral"? Ask Lundin Energy
Sweden's Lundin Energy has sold to Italian refiner Saras what it said is the world's first oil cargo certified as carbon neutral at the point of production, the two companies said on Monday.Oil companies are increasingly trying to market their products as cleaner in an effort to secure a future for the fossil fuel industry in a world where investors, activists and regulators are demanding action to halt climate change.While Lundin's crude from the Norwegian Edvard Grieg field was certified as carbon neutral from exploration…
US Axes Environmental Reviews of LNG Marine Transport
The U.S. Department of Energy on Thursday issued a rule to exclude environmental reviews for marine transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG), as the Trump administration unleashes last minute rules supporting the fossil fuel industry.The rule, which the Energy Department issued in a pre-publication notice in the Federal Register, frees LNG transport license applications from including environmental reviews that have been required under a bedrock environmental law, the National Environmental Policy Act.The requirement has only been on LNG shipments to countries with which the Washington does not have a free trade agreement…
Port Technology: 3 Ways Propane Equipment Boosts Productivity, Bottom Line
Propane port-side equipment offers superior performance, versatilityThe relationship between U.S. ports and America’s economic vitality is undeniably important. Martin Associates, a leading provider of economic and strategic assessments of the world’s transportation systems, analyzed the economic impact of U.S. seaports in a 2018 study, revealing just how critical port operations are. According to the firm’s 2018 National Economic Impact of the U.S. Coastal Port System report, the total economic value that U.S. coastal ports provide in terms of revenue to businesses…
Marine Scrubbers: Yara Marine Plots the Path Forward, Post-COVID-19
Yara Marine Technologies COO Ina Reksten and Research and Development Manager Shyam Bahadur Thapa reflect on the effects of the coronavirus crisis and share their vision for a future beyond the pandemic.2020 will go down in history as the year that changed everything for many industries, not least the marine exhaust gas cleaning segment. “The coronavirus turned our world upside down virtually overnight,” confirms Ina Reksten, Yara Marine Technologies COO. Driven by the impending IMO 2020 sulfur cap, the scrubber market…
Nel, Kvaerner Pact on Green Hydrogen
Norwegian renewable energy firm Nel ASA has entered into a strategic agreement with the compatriot engineering and construction services company Kværner to collaborate on green hydrogen projects and the standardization of solutions for large scale hydrogen production plants.In the agreement, the companies have identified a range of projects on which to collaborate on moving forward. Work has already been initiated in order to jointly develop a standardized 20 megawatt H2 production module, and will proceed to include…
ExxonMobil Calls for Tighter Methane Regulations
ExxonMobil on Tuesday called for tighter regulation of the greenhouse gas methane and offered up its own in-house rules as a model for companies and lawmakers worldwide.The largest U.S. oil company laid out the guidelines it follows - some of which have been rolled back by the Trump administration - at a time when the industry faces growing pressure from investors to reduce its environmental footprint.The move is a "clear rebuke" of the Trump administration said Ben Ratner, senior director at the Environmental Defense Fund.
Lukoil Aims to Be Net Zero CO2 Emitter by 2050
Vice president of Russian oil producer Lukoil, Leonid Fedun, said on Monday the company aimed to become a net zero carbon emitter by 2050."It is realistic to a reach zero carbon footprint" for us, he said at a presentation.(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin, writing by Maria Tsvetkova; editing by David Evans)
NYK Focuses on Ammonia as Marine Fuel
Japan-based shipping giant NYK has presented its concept for using ammonia as a marine fuel or zero-emission ships as part of the industry’s decarbonization drive.Ammonia does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) when it is heated and would thus be expected to contribute to the effort to address global warming.In addition, if CO2-free hydrogen is used, zero emissions are said to be achieved. NYK is thus considering the use of ammonia as marine fuel, one of the solutions for decarbonization.The NYK Group is making efforts to…
Global LNG Demand to Double by 2040: Shell
Global demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG), rose by 12.5% to hit 359 million tons last year, according to Royal Dutch Shell’s annual LNG Outlook report.According to the forecast by Shell, LNG demand was expected to double by 2040 to 700 million tons, with natural gas set to play “a growing role in shaping a lower-carbon energy system.”Asia is expected to remain the dominant region in the decades to come, with South and South-east Asia generating more than half of the increased demand.Natural gas emits between 45…
Kongsberg, Zero Join Forces for Renewables
International marine technology group Kongsberg Gruppen and Zero environmental foundation signed a three-year collaboration agreement.The main intentions of the collaboration are to create increased momentum in the shift to renewable and emission-free solutions.Together, we will work to make Norway an important global test arena for the development and realization of new zero-emission solutions for all types of ships, and to spread these solutions internationally.The collaboration will also work to develop electricity and hydrogen infrastructure for emissions-free shipping.
Kiel Intros Germany's Largest Shore Power System
The Port of Kiel commissioned Siemens to build Germany’s largest shore power system to date which is capable of supplying two ships simultaneously.With a power of 16 megavolt amperes (MVA), the Siharbor solution will supply two ships simultaneously with certified eco-power, for the first time. This will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 8,000 tons.The system is expected to go into test operation within the 2020 cruise ship season. Maritime shipping plays a special role in Kiel. The port is the point of departure for cruises and has ferry connections to the Baltic states and Scandinavia.
CMA CGM Joins Energy Observer in Hydrogen Project
French shipping giant CMA CGM is joining forces with Energy Observer within a project focusing on testing the potential of hydrogen as a marine fuel.Energy Observer, formerly a racing catamaran, is now an experimental platform for tomorrow’s energy sources. It is sailing round the world in order to speed up development of the innovative solutions for the environment.This partnership with CMA CGM deals with the development of cleaner and more sustainable energies to eliminate CO2 emissions, greenhouse gases and air pollutants.
Japan: Ocean Release for Fukushima Water
A panel of experts advising Japan's government on a disposal method for radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant on Friday recommended releasing it into the ocean, a move likely to alarm neighboring countries.The panel under the industry ministry came to the conclusion after narrowing the choice to either releasing the contaminated water into the Pacific Ocean or letting it evaporate - and opted for the former. Based on past practice it is likely the government will accept the recommendation.The build-up of contaminated water at Fukushima has been a sticking point in the clean-up…
LNG and Shipping Decarbonisation Target
Though liquefied natural gas (LNG) could help the shipping industry to reach its decarbonization target, it could wreck the climate, finds a study.According to a research by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), switching vessels to the LNG fuel would only serve to worsen shipping’s climate impact due to previously underestimated leakage of the climate super-pollutant methane.More and more ships, including container ships and cruise ships, are being built to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG), which…
