Greenhouse Gas Emissions News

The ongoing impact of conflict in the Red Sea, spiraling freight rates and congestion across global ocean container supply chains resulted in record high carbon emissions from the ocean container shipping industry in Q3.The Xeneta and Marine Benchmark Carbon Emissions Index (CEI), which measures carbon emissions across Xeneta’s top 13 ocean container shipping trades, hit 107.9 points in Q3 – the highest on record and up 12.2% compared to a year ago before the Red Sea crisis.The CEI is based on Q1 2018…

Hurtigruten has released updated plans for its Sea Zero project, the zero-emission ship scheduled to debut in 2030.With the help of large batteries and sails, the ship will be able to sail entirely emission-free during normal operation, with energy consumption reduced by 40-50%.Hurtigruten initially announced its Sea Zero project in October 2022, and then unveiled its first set of renderings in summer 2023. This latest advancement was developed in the Norwegian city of Ålesund by Vard…

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) held its 82nd session from September 30 to October 4, 2024, with outcomes including the adoption of the Canadian Arctic and the Norwegian Sea as NOx, SOx and PM Emission Control Areas.The relevant MARPOL amendments will enter into force on March 1, 2026.DNV reports that for the Canadian Arctic:• The 0.10% fuel sulphur content requirement takes effect from March 1, 2027.• Tier III NOx requirements will apply to ships constructed (keel-laid) on or after 1 January 2025…

The IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC82) opened on Monday, and the Caribbean islands – Jamaican, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Barbados, Dominica, the Grenadines, Grenada, Trinidad & Tobago, St Kitts, St Lucia and St Vincent – are calling for participants to agree on a fuel levy as part of IMO’s mid-term measures for reducing GHG emissions.The states want a universal GHG levy on shipping emissions which ensures that all carbon emitters contribute proportionately.

Green Yard Kleven has completed the conversion of an 80-meter walk-to-work vessel into a cable lay and repair services vessel for NTT, one of the largest telecommunications companies in Asia.The ship was originally built as an MT6007 seismic vessel but was later converted into a walk-to-work vessel for offshore wind.The Vega II is now under contract for cable work in Asian waters. It will replace the 40+ year old ship Vega and join the fleet of cable ships belonging to NTT that…

The European Community Shipowners’ Association (ECSA) has released a position paper on a European Maritime Industrial Strategy as part of the new Clean Industrial Deal, saying that European shipping is a geopolitical asset for Europe and a cornerstone of the energy, food and supply chain security of the continent.European shipping controls 39.5% of the global tonnage. ECSA says that the European Maritime Industrial Strategy must be a core pillar of the upcoming Clean Industrial Deal…

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) Publications has released the second edition of Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: A Guide to International Regulatory Compliance.The guide addresses the full spectrum of issues related to maritime emissions, from current regulations to future projections. It pays particular attention to the needs of the tanker sector, for which the CII regulations are particularly complex.Key highlights of the second edition include:● A new chapter on the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)…

NYK has tested its Hz Navi system which can reduce the energy consumption of marine generators by lowering their frequency.Current generator frequencies are set so that onboard equipment such as pumps and motors, which operate in conjunction with the power supply frequency, can perform adequately even under the worst conditions. However, operating at the normal frequency during normal navigation consumes extra power. Therefore, NYK developed a system that can reduce fuel consumption by lowering the frequency to best match optimal specifications.With Hz Navi…

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), working with the governments of Bahamas and Liberia, is proposing a “feebate” (rewards) mechanism to ensure delivery of the IMO’s target to achieve net zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around 2050.At the heart of the proposal is a GHG Fee, charged to ships per tonne of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) emitted, combined with a “feebate” mechanism to incentivize the accelerated production and uptake of zero/near-zero GHG marine fuels…

OceanScore has opened a new office in Singapore that will enable it to better serve regional clients as the company sees rising Asian demand for its digital solutions geared towards efficient regulatory compliance with the EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime.The new locale in the Lion City marks the latest expansion by the Hamburg-based maritime technology firm, which also has offices in Poland and Madeira, Portugal.The office was formally opened on 30 July at a high-profile event attended by honorary guest Kenneth Lim…

Following positive response and encouraging conversations with IMO member nations and other stakeholders, the World Shipping Council (WSC) has further developed the Green Balance Mechanism, a regulatory measure designed to ensure that shipping meets its net-zero goal by 2050 in an efficient, just and equitable way.A detailed proposal, including design updates and regulatory text for the Green Balance Mechanism, has been submitted to support the timely development of effective…

Vessels in the passenger/cruise, container, RoPax, bulker and tanker segments will have significant cost exposure from the FuelEU Maritime regulation due to be implemented from January 1 next year, despite a relatively modest initial target of a 2% cut in GHG intensity, according to OceanScore.The Hamburg-based maritime technology firm’s data analytics team has calculated that shipping will rack up total FuelEU penalties of €1.345 billion in 2025 through analysis of the 13,000 vessels over 5,000gt trading within and into the EU/EEA that are subject to the regulation.

Wind assisted ship propulsion system company AYRO has introduced an expanded Wingsail portfolio designed to adapt to the cargo needs of ships of most types or size, and rebranded as OceanWings, with the announcement made at Posidonia 2024.The rebranding follows a successful design, manufacturing and commercialization phase over the past six years, bookended in 2023 by the launch and subsequent commercial operations of the Canopée RORO cargo ship, equipped with four fuel-saving OceanWings® Wingsails.The new product range ensures OceanWings are now available to most shipowners…

A collaboration between Metis, Kongsberg Digital, and Tankerska plovidba has significantly advanced the Croatian owner’s strategy of using real-time analytics to enhance fleet efficiency and reduce ship emissions.The 49,990dwt Tankerska ship Vukovar has been installed with an integrated Metis-Kongsberg package. The solution imports data acquired through Vessel Insight, Kongsberg Digital’s vessel-to-cloud infrastructure, into the advanced vessel and fleet performance analytics platform developed by Metis.Vessel Insight captures data from shipboard control systems and sensors…

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has released a report providing a techno-economic assessment of fuel cell applications for onboard auxiliary power for deepsea vessels.The reportindicates that it appears unrealistic to assume that fuel cells will compete with or entirely replace onboard internal combustion engines in the near future, even as fuel cells reach a high technological maturity level. This is due to the high initial costs currently associated…

Validation of voyage emissions data and contractual arrangements for allocation of EU ETS costs remain key challenges for Greek shipowners as they face an estimated total €335 million bill this year, potentially rising to €1bn once the regulation is fully implemented, according to OceanScore.Some 2,135 vessels owned or operated by around 400 Greek shipping companies are presently racking up liabilities under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) that will require them to surrender EU Allowances (EUAs) next year for GHG emissions incurred during 2024.Maritime data analytics firm OceanScore…

Daphne Technology has been selected by Trafigura for its first commercial deployment of PureMetrics™ emissions measuring system, scheduled for the summer of 2024.The system will be deployed aboard an LNG carrier chartered by Trafigura and managed by Latsco LNG LLC.PureMetrics directly measures and accurately reports real-time tonnes of GHG emissions to the environment, eliminating inaccurate reporting based on fuel consumption estimates. The system features a combination of an array of sensors…

Global industry leaders from North America, Asia and Europe have announced the formation of the North Pacific Green Corridor Consortium (NPGCC) whose members and partners will work together to decarbonize the value chain for commodities between North America and Asia.The NPGCC will apply its collective expertise to develop a corridor for the decarbonized transportation of multiple commodities, including agricultural products, metal concentrates and steelmaking coal.The members of the NPGCC are committed to establishing the consortium as a catalyst for decarbonization efforts…

Conflict in the Red Sea has brought massive carbon emissions increases in ocean freight container shipping, according to data just released by Xeneta.The Xeneta and Marine Benchmark Carbon Emissions Index (CEI), which measures carbon emissions per ton of cargo transported across the world’s top 13 trades, hit 107.4 points in Q1 2024 - the highest it has been since the index began in Q1 2018.For containers being shipped via ocean from the Far East to Mediterranean, the CEI reveals carbon emissions increased by 63% in Q1 2024 compared to Q4 2023.

Green Marine International is the newly formed corporation and governance structure overseeing the Green Marine and Green Marine Europe environmental certification programs, the maritime industry’s voluntary initiatives to advance environmental excellence beyond regulations globally.All Green Marine and Green Marine Europe participants are now Green Marine International members. Their respective certification requirements remain unchanged.“It’s truly a momentous time in Green Marine’s history with this unique certification program that started out in the Great Lakes and St.

A research project which brings together The Cambridge Centre for Advanced Research and Education in Singapore (CARES), Laskaridis Shipping and Metis will evaluate the real impacts of the fuels offered for shipping’s decarbonization.The IMO’s strategy for greenhouse gases aims at ships reaching net-zero GHG emissions by around 2050 and ensuring uptake of near-zero GHG fuels by 2030. However, reliable real-world data regarding the impact of different low-carbon fuels is elusive.The…

Spain-based Marflet Marine has signed a contract with bound4blue for the installation of four 22m eSAILs® on the 49,999dwt oil and chemical tanker Santiago I.The contract, with installation in mid-2025, makes Marflet the first Spanish merchant fleet owner to adopt a wind auxiliary power system. It marks a further landmark development for bound4blue’s fully autonomous suction sail eSAIL® technology, which has recently been selected by other companies including Eastern Pacific Shipping…

U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Venture Global LNG must refile emissions data for its Calcasieu Pass 2 plant construction permits, regulators said on Wednesday.The Alexandria, Virginia-based LNG developer had not included the impact of tanker and support vessel emissions in its recently revised filing, the Federal Energy Regulator Commission (FERC) said.Venture Global LNG has been pushing FERC for a decision on its planned construction of a 20 million metric tonnes per…