International Maritime Organization News

Container shipping companies like Maersk, CMA CGM and COSCO have ordered hundreds of new vessels in recent years meant to help their industry slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to meet rising demand from customers and regulators around the globe.Their order books, however, reflect uncertainty over which of a wide array of so-called green fuels will become the standard in the decades to come, and whether supplies will be cheap and abundant enough to keep their fleets in motion.Decarbonizing…

The COP29 climate talks in Azerbaijan aim to agree an annual finance target of $1 trillion or more a year to help poorer countries respond to global warming. Some see new taxes as one way to get there. The Global Solidarity Levies Task Force (GSLT), led by France, Barbados and Kenya, is exploring the issue. Below are excerpts from its latest report on the options being discussed -- as it pertains to shipping and fossil fuels -- and estimates about how much could be raised.SHIPPINGThe levy that could be closest to being agreed is for shipping…

Amazon.com and IKEA, in alliance with about three dozen other companies that depend on ocean freight, will invite shipping firms for the first time to bid on a contract in January to move their cargo on vessels powered by near-zero emissions e-fuels like e-methanol.The group known as the Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance wants to use the combined clout of its members, who have their own climate goals to meet, to create demand for e-fuels made with renewable electricity and carbon dioxide.

Wilson Sons will start building in 2025 a new range of three powerful tugboats with sustainable technology at its shipyard in Guarujá, São Paulo. It plans on renewing and modernizing its fleet of more than 80 tugboats, which operate along the Brazilian coast.The three vessels are ASD 2312 (23 x 12m) tugs with azimuth propulsion and 70 tons of bollard pull, and are capable of supporting 366-m super container ships on docking and undocking maneuvers in the country's main ports.The new tugs follow the IMO TIER III standard established by the International Maritime Organization…

Danish shipping group A.P.

Danish shipping group A.P. Moller - Maersk has entered into a long-term bio-methanol offtake agreement with LONGi Green Energy Technology for its dual-fuel methanol vessels.The agreement will contribute to lowering GHG emissions from Maersk’s growing fleet of dual-fuel methanol container vessels. LONGi will deliver bio-methanol produced at a facility in Xu Chang, Central China.With the addition of the LONGi volumes, Maersk is making progress in securing enough methanol for its owned dual-fuel methanol fleet of which seven vessels are already in operation.

The maritime industry's push toward decarbonization brings an unexpected benefit: the reduction of underwater radiated noise (URN). While the sector focuses intensively on emissions reduction and fuel efficiency, these same measures are quietly contributing to a healthier acoustic environment in our oceans. For ship owners and operators already investing in green technologies, addressing URN can be a natural extension of existing environmental initiatives, offering a dual benefit…

Ukraine has asked the International Maritime Organization to send a monitoring mission to ports in the southern Odesa region amid intensified Russian attacks, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday.In recent weeks, Russian troops have ramped up missile strikes on Ukraine's southern port infrastructure and damaged a total of four foreign-flagged civilian vessels since Oct. 6."Amid increased Russian terror, Ukraine has officially appealed to the International Maritime Organization to immediately send an international monitoring mission to the ports…

A.P. Moller - Maersk on Wednesday held a naming ceremony in the U.K.'s Port of Felixstowe for its latest dual-fuel methanol container vessel, Alexandra Maersk.The newbuild is the the sixth vessel in Maersk’s owned fleet that is capable of running on methanol fuel in its main and auxiliary engines, and the fifth ship in Maersk's series of 18 large dual-fuel methanol vessels scheduled for delivery in 2024 and 2025—each with more than 16,000 TEU capacity.The new ship Alexandra Maersk is named after Alexandra Mærsk-Møller (1868-1953) who was an older sister of Mr. A.P. Møller, the founder of A.P.

With new rules on Cyber Security coming down from the U.S. Coast Guard, Angeliki Zisimatou, Director Cybersecurity, ABS, is uniquely positioned to discuss maritime cyber security in the round, with insights on what she’s seen and heard from the draft rules, with advise on what it could mean for vessel owners.Cyber security and all that it entails is quickly climbing the priority ladder in maritime, as increasing dependance on connectivity is a double edge sword of promise and peril.While the level of cyber security preparedness varies widely across all industries…

BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have developed a guide which aims to help the shipping industry understand and reduce underwater radiated noise from ships and help the industry implement the underwater noise guidelines from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).The attention on underwater radiated noise from ships has significantly increased over the last few years and the demand for action has risen due to its effects on marine creatures and the environment.

Aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) has been used to extinguish fires aboard maritime vessels since its introduction in the 1960s. For decades, AFFF was the foam of choice due to its effectiveness and affordability. However, over the last 15 years, its use has come under increased scrutiny due to health concerns related to its fluorinated materials.In 2009, international restrictions were introduced when perfluorooctanoic sulfonic acid (PFOS), a per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS)…

A 67-year-old tugboat converted to run on Amogy's cleaner-burning ammonia-to-power technology has set sail for the first time in upstate New York.The 105-foot tug, originally built in 1957 and recently renamed NH3 Kraken, is the first vessel globally fitted with the innovative, carbon-free power system, developed by Amogy to reduce emissions from hard to abate sectors such as maritime.The conversion project was carried out at Feeney Shipyard in Kingston, N.Y. and involved a comprehensive overhaul of the tugboat's original diesel generators and electric motors…

The initial design for a new ammonia bunkering articulated tug-barge (ATB) has been granted approval in principle (AIP) from classification society the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).The partners behind the project, including ABS, A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S, Fleet Management Limited, Georgia Ports Authority, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS), Sumitomo Corporation and TOTE Services, came together in March 2023 and have been conducting a feasibility study on ship-to-ship bunkering of reduced emission ammonia along the U.S.

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) is collaborating with Amogy and RotoBoost in a study aimed at reducing emissions in the maritime industry. The joint development project (JDP) will assess the potential of advanced technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells, ammonia-to-power systems, and pre-combustion Carbon Dioxide Capture Storage (CCS) systems from technical, financial, and regulatory perspectives.This partnership marks a significant step toward evaluating how these…

Naval architecture and marine engineering firm BMT announced it has teamed up with Canadian ferry transportation company Greenline Marine to develop a new all-electric ferry design.The new 32-meter Greenline 150 Passenger Electric Ferry is equipped with the latest in electric propulsion technology and features an optimized hull form and propulsion system, with hull, propellers and rudders engineered to reduce the energy required for movement. This focus on efficiency directly…

Reaching the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) target of a 20% reduction in shipping emissions by 2030 will hinge on significant advancements in energy efficiency, according to DNV's latest Maritime Forecast to 2050. The report underscores the need for immediate action to enhance energy savings, especially as carbon-neutral fuels remain limited and costly.To meet the IMO’s decarbonization goal, the shipping industry will require between 7 and 48 million tonnes of carbon-neutral fuels by 2030.

The Alette Maersk was the first container vessel powered by low-carbon methanol fuel to cross the Pacific Ocean - a milestone in the shipping industry's effort to reduce its climate impact.But when the 1,148-foot (350-meter) vessel arrived at the Port of Los Angeles from China last week, there was nowhere in the U.S. to buy more of the green fuel, forcing it to rely heavily on petroleum-based maritime fuel for the return trip.At a day-long ship naming event on Tuesday, A.P. Moller…

A new study examined the climate effect of the mandated reduction of sulfur in ship exhaust emissions globally since 2020, and it suggests that the shipping regulation has reduced how much light is being reflected back into space, which has likely contributed towards the record warming over the last few years.International shipping, while invisible to most of us, has a large impact on climate and air quality. There are nearly 100,000 large ships within the global commercial fleet, accounting for over 90% of international trade.

Current shipping discussions at both foreign and domestic venues are overflowing with the single subject of emissions while a growing number of companies make their reach for a net zero target. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) tightens regulations to advance that reach, efforts to address climate change are coupled with a new understanding of the challenge at hand. Net zero will require a transition away from fossil fuels, followed by a movement to alternative fuels and at some time in the future a new zero technology turning the reach into a grasp.

As the international shipping industry continues to explore measures to conserve and protect underwater life, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is proposing the future monitoring of Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), which may lead to the establishment of thresholds combined with long-term monitoring requirements for certain regions.Underwater noise from ships can significantly impact marine life by disrupting communication, navigation, and feeding behaviors in various species.

Two large oil tankers were on fire on Friday after colliding near Singapore, the world's biggest refuelling port, with two crew members airlifted to hospital and others rescued from life rafts, authorities and one of the tanker operators said.Singapore is Asia's biggest oil-trading hub and the world's largest bunkering port. Its surrounding waters are vital trade waterways between Asia and Europe and the Middle East and among the busiest global sea lanes.The Singapore-flagged…

KR announced the successful installation of an onboard carbon capture system (OCCS) with purely domestic technology, and it will soon undergo internal verification testing.The project began in April 2023 as a collaborative effort with HMM, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and PANASIA. As a result of this collaboration, the system was installed on the 2,200 teu container ship, HMM Mongla. KR conducted the risk assessment and application of relevant regulations in this OCCS project.The OCCS applies a technology that captures…