Greening the blue seas
As the world reels from the impact of global warming, industries have sat up and taken note of the need to play their part to help reduce carbon emissions. The shipping industry is no exception; being a transport mode that facilitates much of global trade and key to the offshore oil and gas industry, shipping is also feeling the pressure to clean up its act and take actions to contribute to a cleaner environment.
Several initiatives have been undertaken by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with the support of shipping industry players to "green" the industry. Technological innovation has led to the gradual development of ships, equipment and fuel which are more environmentally friendly. Although much work and more investments are needed for the industry to reduce its carbon emissions, efforts made thus far provide encouraging evidence of an industry which fully acknowledges its responsibility to protect the environment and adjust to a lower carbon future.
While the discourse on green shipping has centred mainly around the performance and operations of ships, the shipbuilding sector has quietly but surely making great strides in contributing to a cleaner environment. Investments and improvement in technologies, plus regulatory pressure and clients' requirements, have contributed to efforts to build "green ships" which reduce carbon emissions and use energy more optimally.
There is a growing trend to build eco-friendly ships in line with rising awareness to reduce green house gas emissions from vessels. Features such as gas-powered engines, new hull designs, materials that are more energy-efficient and "clean engine" characteristics are increasingly demanded by ship owners who are keen to play their part to reduce carbon emissions. Shipyards have stepped up to the plate by investing in the skills, technologies and processes required to produce such vessels. Shipyards are also giving greater focus on "green logistics" to reduce wastage and pollution along their supply chain.
Looking east : The Samurai solution to green shipping
The most notable trend in "green shipbuilding" is the increasing application of energy-efficient features in vessels. Much effort has been made by shipyards around the world to infuse energy-efficient features into ships to make them sail using less energy without compromising the need for speed and efficiency.
Leading the way is Japan, a nation known for its inventiveness in developing high-tech solutions and equipment. Japanese shipyards and ship machinery manufacturers have made significant headways to produce vessels and onboard equipment that meet high environmental standards and reduce carbon emissions.
As one of the leaders in "green shipbuilding", Japan has established a policy that aims to ensure that the shipbuilding industry is environmentally sound and sustainable. The thrusts of this policy are:
Rules setting limits on the fuel sulfur cap and requiring ships operating in designated areas in Japanese waters to use engines that meet the most advanced standards for nitrogen oxide emissions and sulphur content have also been put in introduced. Under a project called the Super Clean Marine Diesel Project introduced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Japan, a new technology with improved in-engine combustion feature has been developed.
These efforts have brought about the development of the revolutionary coastal ship, named Super Eco-Ship. This state-of-the-art ship has an electric propulsion system to reduce environmental impacts of nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, sulphur oxide, noise and vibration emission. It also features optimum hull form and a labour-power saving support system for navigation, mooring and loading. At present, several Super Eco-Ships are already in service and several others are under construction.
Super Eco-Ship
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Further testimony to its technological prowess, Japan is currently designing a ballast-free ship, in preparation for the implementation of the Ballast Water Convention that would go into force soon. This ship is designed not to replace ballast water at sea yet the ship is safe to operate without ballast water. With that, it is estimated that the ship can achieve more than six percent power saving.
Following the introduction of the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships 2009, which was adopted on May 15, 2009, Japan has drafted an accompanying guideline for ship recycling yard.
Japan is tasked to take interim measures including preparation of inventory for ships, establishing environmentally sound recycling practices, and providing assistance to developing countries to enhance the safety and environmentally sound operations of their yards.
Japan appears to believe that in order for its shipbuilding industry – which faces growing competition from yards in China and other nations – to continue to flourish, there is a need to create new demands for products and services offered by its shipyards.
Hence, efforts have been undertaken to identify new products and services, which include building ships for natural gas hydrate (NGH) transportation. NGH has been identified as a more environmentally friendly and cleaner form of energy for seaborne transportation compared with bunker fuel and even LNG.
NGH is a solid material, and is easier to transport compared with LNG and also emits less carbon dioxide. This is a smart move given that the demand for clean energy such as gas – and therefore demand for its transportation – is expected to increase but there is a lack of vessel supply to meet the demand.
The challenge ahead
While much progress has been made to create eco-friendly ships, more research and development is required to deliver vessels that can truly make a significant difference in carbon emissions from shipping while not compromising on the need to be practical, ensure optimal performance and cap costs.
While we have seen some impressive inventions, technologies and solutions in newbuildings in recent years, there is indeed much room for technological improvements by shipbuilders and equipment manufacturer to optimise energy utilisation of vessels.
Advances such as in the areas of ship design, propulsion and engine manufacturing, surface treatment and coating and heat recovery systems can contribute to improve the environmental performance of vessels. However, as ships grow bigger and are expected to operate in much harsher environment, they need to be equipped with the features and technologies that can enable them to perform to expectations but at the same time minimise their carbon emissions.
The pressure of delivering cleaner ships will continue to test the ingenuity, inventiveness and mettle of naval architects and engineers and shipbuilders worldwide in the years to come.
Nazery Khalid and Margaret Ang