Royston Completes OSV Engine Overhaul
New work to overhaul engines on an offshore support vessel (OSV) operated by United Offshore Support (UOS), has been completed by Royston.Engineers undertook the 30,000 running hour service on the main propulsion engines onboard the GH Challenger, as part of an extensive refurbishment and maintenance program of critical power plants.The 2009-built, 80m length, 3000 tonne-vessel, which is part of a 11-strong fleet, currently operates in the Caribbean Sea, where it’s supporting…
The Global 0.50% Sulfur Cap: 30 months and counting down …
Industry frets about the coming deadline. Shipping desperately wants to be ready, but will global shore-based infrastructure and refining capacity match the demand that is sure to come? And … are regulators listening to industry’s concerns?In early June, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public workshop in Washington to help the agencies prepare for the January 1, 2020 deadline for worldwide implementation of very low sulfur marine…
All Eyes on 2020
The International Maritime Organization’s proposals to reduce sulfur levels in marine fuels to a maximum of 0.5 percent m/m (mass/mass) by 2020 may prove to be controversial, having met with various responses from major shipping organisations and other bodies. The decision to implement the proposals by 2020 was taken by IMO, the regulatory authority for international shipping, during its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) meeting, which was held in London, UK in October 2016, and represents a significant reduction from the 3.5 percent m/m global limit currently in place.
Suezmax Newbuilds Feature MAN Engines with EGR
Hyundai’s Ship Building Division (HHI-SBD) has finalized a contract for two Suezmax tankers for Turkish shipowner, Ditas Shipping. The 158,000-cubic-meter crude-oil tankers will each be powered by individual MAN B&W 6G70ME-C9.5 two-stroke main-engines that feature integrated Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) systems. While there are already IMO Tier III-compliant vessels with EGR systems in service, the Suezmax newbuildings will be the first vessels with keel-laying after January 1…
MAN Diesel and Turbo to Power Giant Crane Vessel
MAN Diesel & Turbo has signed a contract with Sembcorp Marine in Singapore to supply the dual-fuel propulsion system – including exhaust-gas after-treatment – for a New Semi-submersible Crane Vessel (NSCV) for Heerema Offshore Services. The scope of the contract – signed on 30 October, 2015 – provides for 12 × MAN 8L51/60DF four-stroke engines + 12 × MAN SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems. MAN Diesel & Turbo states that the total power output of the engines is some 96…
Preventing Loss of Propulsion After Fuel Switch to Low Sulfur Distillate Fuel
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) ANNEX VI Regulation 14 requires ships with Marine Compression-Ignition Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder use fuel with sulfur content less than 0.1%, after 01 January 2015 within the Baltic Sea area – as defined in Annex I of MARPOL, North Sea area – as defined in Annex V of MARPOL; within 200 miles of the North American area and when operating in the United States Caribbean Sea area – as defined in Appendix VII of Annex VI of MARPOL.
Fire Aboard RoRo Vessel Inbound to New York
A fire has broken out aboard the motor vessel Grey Shark at Homeport Pier in Staten Island, New York, Wednesday, The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) reported. The USCG, FDNY, NYPD and the ship’s owners are working together to extinguish the blaze that ignited Sunday aboard the 360-foot Panamanian-flagged roll-on/roll-off vessel. The fire has been contained by the onboard firefighting system but has continued to smolder since the initial ignition. Grey Shark departed New York for the Caribbean Sea on March 11 with 13 crewmembers aboard.
USCG Marine Safety Alert
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a marine safety alert today to remind vessel owners and operators to establish effective fuel oil changeover procedures during efforts to comply with MARPOL Annex VI emission regulations. The USCG said that several recent incidents of fuel leakages during changeovers prompted the alert. The USCG cited multiple unspecified incidents involving substantial machinery space fuel leakages that occurred while vessels were switching fuel oil to ultra low sulfur (ULS) fuel oil to ensure compliance with MARPOL Annex VI, Regulation 14.3.4.
Low Sulphur Fuel Requirements from 1 Jan
Ships trading in designated emission control areas will have to use on board fuel oil with a sulphur content of no more than 0.10% from 1 January 2015, against the limit of 1.00% in effect up until 31 December 2014. The stricter rules come into effect under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution form ships (MARPOL) Annex VI (Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from Ships), specifically under regulation 14, which covers emissions of Sulphur Oxides (SOx) and particulate matter from ships.
USCG, EPA Preparing for ECAs Enforcement
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon take action to ensure compliance with the forthcoming 0.10 percent fuel sulphur limits in the North American and U.S. Caribbean Sea Emmission Control Areas (ECAs), the USCG’s Maritime Commons said. “We will be coordinated in our efforts to ensure compliance with the new requirements effective January 1, 2015,” said Rear Adm. Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for Prevention Policy at U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters.
CMA CGM to Apply Low Sulfur Surcharge
CMA CGM said it will implement a low sulfur surcharge on all its trades in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) and for all cargos as of January 1, 2015. MARPOL Annex VI regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships assign Sulfur Oxides (SOx) Emission Control Areas (ECA) with more stringent controls on sulfur emissions. Stricter regulations covering the sulfur content of fuel oil will be strengthened by local regulators in the European Union, U.S. and Canada. First implemented in the Baltic Sea more than 10 years ago…
Shell Offers Complete Lubricant Lineup for ECA-bound Vessels
Today, Shell Marine Products (SMP) introduced Shell Alexia S3, its solution for large vessels with two-stroke engines entering into waters where the revised emission control area (ECA) regulations will come into force on January 1, 2015. Shell Alexia S3 will be available to customers from December 2014 in major ports across SMP’s network of more than 500 ports in more than 40 countries. SMP now offers a complete suite of lubricants for all types of engines. Shell Alexia S3 is the latest in SMP's Shell Alexia line of two-stroke engine oils…
Langh Ship Scrubber Receives Class Approval
Langh Ship received on July 17, 2014 final class approval from Germanischer Lloyd for its exhaust gas cleaning system on m/s Laura, a 1996-built a 6,500 DWT general cargo vessel equipped with a 6 MW main engine. “The technology had already been accepted earlier, but now the documentation is also finalized,” said Reino Verosaari, Senior Technical Adviser. Langh Ship is a shipping company that has developed its own closed loop scrubber. The system uses caustic soda to neutralize the SOx in the exhaust gas and cleans the process water so that it can be led to the sea.
Preparations Needed for 2015 Sulphur Regulations
With six months until the January 1, 2015 deadline, owners and operators urged to plan ahead to manage their ECA fuel needs. With exactly six months to go until the 2015 ECA regulations take effect on January 1 next year, marine fuel trading company Dynamic Oil Trading has called on ship owners and operators to prepare now to ensure that they can still meet their supply requirements for compliant products within Emission Control Areas (ECAs), and to work collaboratively with their fuel suppliers in order to minimize the impact on their operations and profitability.
DeltaLangh Brings Closed Loop Scrubber to the Market
Deltamarin Ltd. and Oy Langh Ship Ab have come together to offer a cost effective and reliable solution to the sulphur requirements with the scrubber that Langh Ship has developed. The new scrubber is delivered by a joint venture company DeltaLangh Ltd., and it can also be supplied on a turnkey basis. As the new sulphur directive in the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) comes into force in 2015, shipping companies are forced to choose a method to tackle the challenge. The new scrubber solution offered by DeltaLangh…
Wärtsilä Report Slew of Exhaust Gas Scrubber Orders
Wärtsilä inform that its Exhaust Gas Cleaning System has been selected for 10 new vessels being built by the shipbuilding division of Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI). Wärtsilä explain that the exhaust gas cleaning technology will enable these ships to fully comply with International Maritime Organization (IMO) and European Commission regulations governing sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions. In particular, the vessels will be able to use the Panama Canal and to operate in the United States Caribbean Sea Emissions Control Area, which includes the waters adjacent to Puerto Rico and the U.S.
IMO’s MEPC Meets for 66h Session
The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meets for its 66th session from 31 March to 4 April 2014, at IMO Headquarters in London. Items on the agenda include the consideration of proposed amendments to the MARPOL to make the audit scheme mandatory; the review of environmental provisions in the draft Polar Code and associated draft amendments to make the Code mandatory, and the implementation of energy-efficiency regulations and the Ballast Water Management and Ship Recycling Conventions.
Bunker Industry Supports 2015 Fuel Availability Review
The International Bunker Industry Association (IBIA) says it supports the UK government’s call for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to bring forward its review of the availability of 0.50% sulphur fuel. As more and more locations declare ECA requirements, the latest being Hong Kong this week, the greater the demand for low sulphur fuel. IBIA considers that the shipping industry needs some definitive dates to plan implementations on board; the same information is required for the refining industry and the bunker sector.