Three Corsica Linea ferries will cut emissions and noise pollution when berthed in the Port of Marseille, France. The three — Paglia Orba, Jean Nicoli and Pascal Paoli — are being modified
JANUARY 21, 2019 — Shoreside power is an important element of Equinor’s plans to cut CO2 emissions from its Norwegian Continental Shelf logistics operations. This past Friday, January 18, supply base operator
APRIL 30, 2018 — While some pilotage services require pilot boats to spend considerable time at sea, others involve short trips, which means the boat is tied up at the dock. Vancouver,
OCTOBER 25, 2017 — Ferry giant Stena Line is now connecting up its two vessels M/S Skåne and M/S Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the electricity grid during calls at the Port of Trelleborg, Sweden.
AUGUST 21, 2017 — The Port of Los Angeles achieved record clean air gains while moving more cargo than ever, according to its 2016 Inventory of Air Emissions. The report also shows
JANUARY 25, 2017 — Norway’s Color Line and Ulstein Verft have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the construction of the largest plug-in hybrid vessel in the world. Designed by Fosen
JULY 6, 2016 — Though “inflexible restrictions remain a source of annoyance,” the LNG hybrid barge Hummel is continuing to “work perfectly,” supplying low-emission power to the cruise ship AIDAsol in the
FEBRUARY 16, 2016 — An alternative shoreside power solution for containerships developed by Hamburg based Becker Marine Systems is to receive funding support from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.
AEG’s Advanced Maritime Emission Control System (AMECS), essentially, takes a barge-mounted scrubber system to the ship. Unlike existing shore power options, it does not require retrofits to each vessel.
“AMECS is a game-changer in the fields of emission control and air quality. Multiple AMECS units can remove thousands of tons of pollutants each year,” said Ruben Garcia, President of AEG. “These mobile barge-mounted systems use patented technology to attach to the auxiliary exhaust stacks of nearly any vessel entering port – at-berth or at-anchor – eliminating the need for expensive ship retrofits, and providing the public with cleaner air.”
AMECS is approved for simultaneous emission capture from two exhaust stacks of a single ship, with independently verified test results proving 90% to 99% reduction of the particulate matter (PM), nitrous oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxides (SO2) found in diesel exhaust.
“CARB’s approval of AMECS as an alternative to the at-berth emissions reductions rule provides the flexibility our shipping lines need while protecting our environment and creating new jobs for our communities,” said representatives from the Port of Long Beach, a strong supporter of AMECS throughout its development.
In 2013, the Port of Long Beach provided about $2 million in seed money to help test the AMECS system.
“We’re thrilled any time we can find more tools to reduce emissions and continue to improve community health. That’s why we fund projects like the demonstration and testing of these new technologies, through our Technology Advancement Program,” said Board of Harbor Commissioners President Lori Ann Guzmán. “We’ve made a lot of progress in reducing air pollution, and we are nurturing new technologies like these to help us do even more.”
A floating energy plant, the LNG Hybrid Barge is designed to provide ships in port with clean power—an alternative to providing ship’s power by plugging into the city grid or producing electricity via generator sets or main engines. During winter season the LNG Hybrid Barge will be able to deliver heat to factories or to the central city heating system in addition to electricity.
BMS is the owner of the LNG Hybrid Barge and provides services to charter out the barge. BMS Managing Director Dirk Lehmann, says, “The LNG Hybrid Barge is the first flexible solution supplying clean LNG energy to cruise ships during summer season and providing the flexibility of generating electric energy and heat into a public grid system or industrial users during winter season. We see this advanced flexible solution as an opportunity for Rotterdam and other international ports.”
Primarily the LNG Hybrid Barge will support cruise ships moored in Rotterdam, traditionally key clients of KOTUG. KOTUG will move the LNG Hybrid Barge and will provide commercial, technical and operational management of the LNG Hybrid Barge.
KOTUG CEO Ard-Jan Kooren, says, “As a leading towage company and with our strong focus on innovative technical and environmental solutions, we strive for reducing our environmental footprint and encouraging our suppliers, clients, business partners and stakeholders to reduce their environmental impact. We are proud to be working with innovative partners like Becker Marine Systems and we look forward to making together a significant step in supporting our clients in a greener, safer and more efficient operation.”
This new, innovative concept and unique cooperation has also drawn significant attention from key players in the LNG market, like Cruiseport Rotterdam, Dutch National LNG Platform and Shell. Arjan Stavast, Shell’s Downstream LNG Business Development Manager for Europe says, “We see the LNG Hybrid Barge as a unique solution for the maritime industry. We will follow these developments closely as we do believe that the delivery of electricity through LNG is possible for (cruise) ships, factories and cities, while not having to invest heavily in additional electricity infrastructure.”
“We are delighted to learn about this initiative and are looking forward to welcome the LNG Hybrid Barge in Rotterdam,” says Mai Elmar, Executive Director of Cruise Port Rotterdam.
Gerrit van Tongeren, Chairman of the Dutch National LNG Platform, says the initiative “is another great and unique example of how (in their respective fields) leading maritime companies can work together in the entire LNG chain and together strive to get LNG introduced in the market and contribute to a cleaner and greener environment. We therefore follow and support this initiative and wish all parties good luck in achieving the objectives.”
