In this issue: Environment. Also inside: Climate change regulations, Effects of slow steaming, US Clean Water Act and Market outlook
Date: 12 June 2009
The environment in focus
First of all, I would like to introduce myself as the new Business Director for Bulk Carriers in DNV. I become humble when I think of the previous Business Directors for Bulk Carriers in whose footsteps I am following: Hans Viig, Ulf Freudendahl and Morten Løvstad.
Aegean Bulk: Improving energy use
Aegean Bulk was established in Athens in 2000 with a clear objective: ‘To provide the safe transportation of cargoes worldwide with respect to the environment’. The company has today a fleet of five bulk carriers and a newbuilding programme for another eight ships: four Kamsarmax vessels with STX and four geared Supramax bulk carriers with SPP. These ships will be delivered in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Cargo handling – Cargo hold cleaning
Cargo handling covers all the activities related to safe transferral, stowing, lashing and securing, taking into account the typical behaviour and characteristics of the different cargoes to be transported.
Climate change regulations – background and update
International shipping emitted an estimated 870 million tonnes of CO2 in 20071, which amounts to some 2.7% of the global CO2 emissions of 32 billion tonnes in 2007. To put this figure into perspective, if shipping was a country, it would rank amongst the world’s top ten CO2 emitters, ahead of countries such as the UK and Canada.
Nauticus Air and Nauticus Environment
The increased focus on the environment has created a need for the improved monitoring of environmental factors in ship operations. DNV offers help to companies that wish to improve their environmental performance monitoring.
Poor fuel quality and increased maintenance costs can tax savings from slow steaming
In ‘Petroleum and its Combustion in Diesel Engines’, published in 1955, John Lamb demonstrated remarkable foresight when he warned that “imperfect combustion in any type of internal-combustion engine is always accompanied by greater wear and tear of vital parts” and that “the cost to make good the damage done in a week might well exceed a year’s increase in the fuel bill due to running an engine under such conditions”.
Strange market upturn & Chinese iron ore enigma
Dry bulk freight rates have continued the upturn over the last two-three months. On 27 May, the Baltic Dry Index was almost 60% higher than at the end of February. Capesize spot rates had increased from a bottom level of just USD 2,300 per day in early December to almost USD 57,000. Other sizes have also seen considerable rate increases before some setbacks or flat developments in the last few days.
Support from DNV: Port State Control Tool Kit
Performance in port state inspections continues to offer a benchmark towards the quality of both a vessel, and the owner, which both have the charterers’ attention. With the oversupply of tonnage in the market, this becomes even more important for bulk carrier owners.
Thenamaris: Optimising the transport chain
Optimising the transport chain may be the only way for substantial reductions in the environmental footprint of the seaborne transportation system for the delivery of goods for the world, as it has currently evolved.
United States national pollutant discharge elimination system
Rumours and hear-say have wandered through the maritime world over the last year regarding new environmental regulations for ships calling on the United States. Clean Water Act, NPDES, EPA, VGP has been some of the keywords. Many have wondered about which kind of requirements will be set, what impact they will have on their fleet and when these regulations will come into force.