World Bunkering > News > Summer 2010 > MEPC stalls on CO2

The March meeting of IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) made little headway against entrenched positions on greenhouse gases (GHGs). An IMO statement, or possibly understatement, issued afterwards conceded that “more work needs to be done” before it can complete its consideration of the proposed mandatory application of technical and operational measures designed to regulate and reduce emissions of GHGs from international shipping”.

While MEPC was unable to make significant progress, a raft of new designs, initiatives, concepts and products has emerged from the industry in response to the perceived need to cut GHG, and specifically carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Slow steaming at IMO

Faced with major disagreements between opposing groups of administrations, the MEPC decided to set up a Working Group “to build on the significant progress that had been made during the meeting on technical and operational measures to increase the energy efficiency of ships”. The Working Group will report back to the Committee’s next session (MEPC 61) in September 2010.

The meeting was able to prepare draft text on mandatory requirements for the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new vessels and on the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships in operation, but there were still many unresolved details left to sort out.

Ferry industry association Interferry says concern over the impact of IMO’s proposed Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) on ro-ro cargo vessels has prompted its involvement in three submissions to MEPC. Interferry says that current proposals need refinement so that ro-ro vessels are not unfairly penalised for the specific power arrangements required in short sea as opposed to deep sea operations.

In the event, MEPC agreed on the basic concept that a vessel’s attained EEDI shall be equal or less (ie more efficient) than the required EEDI, and that the required EEDI shall be drawn up based on EEDI baselines and reduction rates yet to be agreed. There appears to be some some way still to go even to get agreement on the technical issue of EEDI.

As widely expected, little progress at all was made on so-called “market-based measures”. Shipping interests are broadly split between support for a levy or a trading system while many developing countries believe the Kyoto principle of “common but differentiated responsibility” should be applied. The Committee agreed to establish an Expert Group on the subject to undertake a feasibility study and impact assessment of the various proposals submitted for a market-based instrument for international maritime transport – again, reporting back to MEPC 61.

New containership concept

Meanwhile, in late March and early April, company after company announced new projects aimed at improving fuel efficiency, and cutting GHGs. Among them, Norwegian classification society Det Norske Veritas launched its new Quantum containership concept. DNV says the new design is based on both technical and market research by AXS Aplhaliner and Dynamar, and innovation, and is designed to transport more cargo while using less fuel and with a reduced environmental impact. Deciding on what it describes as a “baby post-panamax design”, DNV says Alphaliner concluded in its market research: “Ships in the 5,500 TEU region may become the new workhorse of this industry.”

DNV president Tor Svensen, says that for the future of the shipping industry in general and the containership segment in particular, uncertainties will remain a challenge while flexibility will be a key to success.

The new containership concept is designed to meet the perceived market needs. It has a design speed of 21 knots, but can operate efficiently at speeds between less than 10 knots and more than 22 knots. A beam of 42.5 metres gives it good stability while its novel 49.0-metre Widedeck design increases its container capacity. Among many innovations, the need for ballast water is minimised and LNG is introduced as part of the ship’s fuel.

Mr Svensen says: “Even if it would be possible to realise the Quantum within three to five years, this is a concept ship designed to stir up a debate about shipping innovation. All the aspects of the concept design are unlikely to appear in a single ship, but certain aspects will be taken further on a case by case basis. I am convinced of this,” says the president and chief operating officer of DNV. He refers to the automotive industry, which has long traditions of introducing new concepts as a lodestar for the future development of new cars.

He adds: “We all know that the shipping industry is facing tough times. But now is the time for innovation and a focus on new solutions. DNV has a strong technical and financial platform. This platform is to be used to solve problems we all are facing, especially the environmental challenges.”

MOL continues concept theories

At about the same time, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) revealed the concept for the third in its series of next-generation vessels, which it says will be technically practical in the near future and will cut CO2 emissions by 30% by increasing fuel efficiency. The latest design, the ISHIN-III , is for an environment-friendly, very large iron ore carrier that, MOL says, will play a key role in future resource transport.

MOL already operates the VLOC Brasil Maru which was named the Ship of the Year 2007 by The Japan Society of Naval Architects and Ocean Engineers for its energy-saving and safety features and high technical performance. The ISHIN-III design develops the characteristics of the Brasil Maru class.

Although the new design incorporates a large number of innovations, the most important are the use of waste heat recovery for propulsion and a new design of turbocharger which is highly efficient even at low revolutions. The waste heat energy recovery system enables a large amount of heat energy to be recovered from the large main engine’s exhaust gas, converted to electricity and used to provide additional propulsion power.

MOL is also looking at a variant of the ISHIN-III, the Wind Challenger Project, which uses wind power to reduce emissions by 50%. In a separate project, MOL says that, together with Akasaka Diesels, it has developed a diesel particulate filter (DPF) for vessels using marine heavy fuel oil which addresses what is increasingly being seen as a major area of concern: particulate matter (PM) in ships’ emissions. According to MOL, tests showed that the device removed more than 80% of PM from diesel emissions. A DPF was installed on the main engine of an MOL Group-operated coastal ferry, the Sunflower Kogane. MOL says: “This test marked the first successful use of a self-regenerating DPF on a large vessel using marine heavy fuel oil.” The 9,710 gt, 9,267 kw Sunflower Kogane is operated by MOL subsidiary Diamond Ferry Co.

The DPF includes filters made of silicon carbide ceramic fibres, which remove PM from the exhaust. An internal heating system automatically burns off accumulated PM in the filter to eliminate clogging. This is said to eliminate the need for cleaning by crew and allows the filter to be used continuously.

A trim solution

Finnish company Eniram Marine is tackling the problem from, literally, a different angle and has come up with a system that helps officers optimise the vessel trim at all times, minimising water resistance, decreasing fuel consumption, and reducing emissions. And it has clinched a deal with Royal Caribbean Cruises to deploy the Eniram Dynamic Trimming Assistant (DTA) on a total of six Royal Caribbean vessels, including Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship.

Eniram says that by bringing real-time data of the vessel attitude to ship’s officers in an easy-to-read graphic form, DTA facilitates faster and better informed decision-making and allows timely action in changing circumstances. The contract follows a demonstration on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas.

Cavitation concept tested

In late March, Swedish shipping group Stena rolled out a large vessel model as part of a SwKr50m ($6.9m) research project into the “air cushion” concept, intended to reduce fuel consumption and emissions of large tankers. The 15-metre prototype craft Stena Airmax is being used to investigate to what extent the air cushion reduces the friction between the hull and the water, thus also reducing fuel consumption and emissions of large tankers in the future. Following the “very good results” achieved in tests with small ship models, Stena Teknik says it has developed the 25-tonne model to undergo the same tests .

“The results of the tests carried out are very promising. Depending on the type of ship and speed, we expect energy savings of 20-30%. This will now be verified in tests with the newly built prototype Stena Airmax,” said Stena Bulk’s president and CEO Ulf Ryder. Yet another product intended to save fuel, and thus cut emissions, is Green Star’s Diesel Fuel Energizer (DFE) added to fuel tanks. US-based Green Star says it has results from trials carried out on an unidentified Greek cruise ship. It says tests were performed on two Caterpillar Ship Engines Model 3412 (rated at 720 H.P. each) and also on two Caterpillar Generator Sets Model 3306 (rated 240 H.P. each). The company says fuel consumption was cut by an average of 12%, and smoke emissions decreased to a point where smoke was no longer visible. Also noted was a reduction of engine noise and increased power and performance. Trials on more vessels have been scheduled.

And then of course there is Ecospec’s CSNOx system that could, almost, provide the silver bullet as far as dealing with both NOX and SOX and also a high proportion of CO2 emissions from ships. Company spokesperson Tany Tay told World Bunkering that the company hoped type approval could be completed by June. She said: “In the IMO type approval process, it is required to conduct tests at various gas loads from low to high. Each gas load point test needs to be performed at a steady condition and as such, the duration of each test usually takes more than one day. So far we have completed the first load point test at 50% gas load. For the subsequent tests, we need to obtain the exact sea route from the shipowner for logistics planning etc.”

Ecospec installed the system on board aframax tanker White Star, owned and operated by Tanker Pacific, in December 2009, with the first tests taking place in January this year. Tests were carried out over three cycles to ensure repeatability, and were verified by ABS and Singapore MPA. In the first load point verifications, at 50% gas load (equivalent to approximately 5 MW engine output), ABS confirmed the system removed 77% of CO2, 99% of SO2, and 66% of NOX.

While type approval has yet to be achieved, the Singapore-based company says it is in advanced negotiations with a number of shipping companies which plan to install the CSNOx scrubbing system.