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NEW VENUE | NEW FORMAT | NEW IDEAS | NEW OPPORTUNITIES | NEW ERA

Here are a couple more views on what we can look forward to in 2019!

Angus Campbell, Corporate Director Energy Projects, Bernhard Schulte Ship Management
Shipping is certainly facing an interesting year, as we approach a cleaner and more efficient future. The path to IMO 2020 is finally becoming clear on fuel choice, but not yet on fuel price. As we enter 2019, increasing environmental concern over the use of open loop scrubbers in coastal waters is becoming evident. While attention is focused on sulphur, we are looking over the horizon at the reducing carbon footprint of shipping. This is forcing evaluation of the impact that will have on operational profiles and propulsion choices for new ships. I would characterise this as the internal decision process for our industry this year. However, the external decision process may be equally influential.

It is now crystal clear that shipping does not operate in a vacuum but is seen as an integral part of the global value chain. This industrial base is already deeply concerned about climate change and corporate responsibility. Consequently, shipping companies that identify with this trend are demonstrating empathy with their customer base in a beneficial way. There are numerous examples of major shipping companies planning how to transition towards a lower carbon future. There are certainly challenges to overcome, but the commercial advantage is also within reach for those bold enough to persevere! Complex issues that will not be completed in 2019, but I am sure that progress will be exciting.

And some of my thoughts:

Carleen Lyden Walker, Chief Evolution Officer of SHIPPINGInsight and Co-Founder & Executive Director of the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA)
Using my cloudy crystal ball, I see two important themes for BlueTech: movement towards zero carbon emissions and a need to specifically target how technology will enable the maritime industry to be safer and more efficient.  The only tech that will gain traction in the commercial world needs to demonstrate RELEVANCE, not just a transfer from terrestrial applications.  Shipping is being inundated with proposals— ocean tech will have to prove its “value add”.

Keep optimizing,

Carleen

• Interview with Colin Ross, Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine
• Alternative Fuels
• Automation
• Emissions
• Digitalization
• Wind Power
• SHIPPINGInsight Updates

Nanyang Technological University Evaluates Methanol Fuel

2019-01-07 – The Methanol Institute (MI) is backing a project at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) of Singapore which will be the first evaluation of methanol as a marine fuel in Asia. . . READ MORE

Investors Plan $2B Methanol Plant at Port of South Louisiana

2019-01-06 – On Friday, January 4, 2019, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and South Louisiana Methanol CEO Paul Moore announced the revival of a plan for a new $2.2 billion methanol complex – one of the largest in the world – to be built in the Port of South Louisiana district. . . READ MORE

Human Error ID’d in Mediterranean Ro-Ro’s Collision with Containership

2019-01-08 – The investigation into the collision involving a roll-on/roll-off vessel and a containership in the Mediterranean Sea last October identified human errors on a multitude of levels as the root cause of the accident. . . READ MORE

Upgrading from automated to autonomous shipping

2019-01-09 – Autonomous ship is a marine vessel with sensors, automated navigation, propulsion and auxiliary systems, with the necessary decision logic to follow mission plans, sense the environment, adjust mission execution according to the environment, and potentially operate without human intervention. The maritime industry benefits by autonomous vessels since the latter includes operational efficiency, human error reduction, emission reduction, increased safety, and operational cost reduction. . . READ MORE

China Bans Discharge from Open-Loop Scrubbers in Some Waters

2019-01-08 – For now, the ban applies only to wash water discharges in inland ECAs, port waters in domestic emission control areas, and in Bohai Bay, but a full ban on open-loop scrubbers could be adopted soon. . . READ MORE

IMO DCS: First reporting period of fuel oil consumption starts

2019-01-09 – The IMO fuel oil consumption data collection system (IMO DCS) became effective on 1 March 2018, requiring from ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above to submit to their Administration annual reports on fuel oil consumption. In accordance with the latest amendments to Chapter 4 of MARPOL Annex VI, from 1 January 2019, ships must collect fuel oil consumption data based on a methodology that must be included in the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP Part II). Namely, all procedures, systems and responsibilities should be outlined in a Data Collection Plan (DCP) included in SEEMP Part II. This would be the first reporting period effective until 31 December 2019. . . READ MORE

UK vehicle to raise $1 billion to hedge IMO’s 2020 regulations

2019-01-09 – Some major names in the shipping and oil industry aspire to raise $1 billion for a vehicle aimed at profiting from a clampdown on highly polluting marine fuels, pitching the investment vehicle as an insurance policy for shipowners or airlines against a spike in fuel costs, according to the Financial Times. . . READ MORE

Smart shipping drives change in the industry

2019-01-11 – Digitalization is a constant theme in shipping right now; smart technologies are already making a great impact on the industry. 2018 was an interesting year for shipping, with major developments in the field of digitalization and further steps toward the so-called smart shipping era. Thanks to increasingly digitalized solutions doors are being opened for efficient new approaches while several key technologies like big data, AI and virtual reality taking hold to benefit maritime industry as well. . . READ MORE

Rigid sails for modern ships – it’s unlikely to be all plain sailing

2019-01-15 – Recently there has been a relative surge in interest within the shipping sector regarding the use of sail-assisted or wind-assisted propulsion devices. Examples of these devices or technologies include kites, soft sails, rotor sails and rigid sails – and all of them have been fitted to ships in the past. Indeed the past use of rigid sails on Japanese ships in the 1980’s yielded very encouraging results with fuel savings of up to 30% being reported. Yet today very few powered ships are fitted with these technologies. This is despite the potential benefits that their utilization could provide in terms of reducing fuel consumption and airborne emissions including CO2. . . READ MORE