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[Due to the increasing size of the archives, each topic page now contains only the prior 365 days of content. Access to older stories is now solely through the Monthly Archive pages or the site search function.]
Thordon Bearings Retrofitting Ocean-Going Vessels With Seawater-Lubricated Propeller Shaft Bearings To Reduce Stern-Tube Oil Pollution; Annual Leaks Estimated at About 2x Exxon Valdez Spill
October 29, 2009
by Jeff Curtis and Jack Rosebro
| Cross-section of COMPAC seawater-lubricated stern tube bearing system for ocean-going vessels. Source: Thordon Bearings Click to enlarge. |
At last week’s Ocean Innovation 2009 conference in Victoria, British Columbia, Craig Carter, Director of Marketing and Customer Service at Thordon Bearings detailed the company’s progress in the retrofitting of large ocean-going vessels with seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearings to reduce waterborne pollution.
At present, most commercial ocean-going ships use a propeller shaft that is supported by oil-lubricated bearings in the ship’s stern tube. Although the stern tube is typically fitted with forward and aft shaft seals, the seals are designed to expel contaminants by leaking aft into the sea or forward into the bilge. Aft seals are also commonly damaged by fishing net or rope that becomes entangled on the propeller shaft.
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Marine Ecosystems Capture Carbon Emissions Equal to Near 50% of Emissions of Global Transport; UN Agencies Propose Blue Carbon Fund for Their Support
October 16, 2009
| Carbon cycle. Credit: Riccardo Pravettoni, UNEP/GRID-Arendal. Click to enlarge. |
A “Blue Carbon” fund able to invest in the maintenance and rehabilitation of key marine ecosystems should be considered by governments to combat climate change, according to a new Rapid Response Report released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.
The report estimates that carbon emissions equal to half the annual emissions of the global transport sector are being captured and stored by marine ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses.
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DOE Selects Laboratory-led Projects for up to $11M to Support Development of Advanced Water Power Technologies
August 29, 2009
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected national laboratory-led projects for up to $11 million this year, as well as future years, subject to annual appropriations, under DOE’s competitive laboratory solicitation for the development of Advanced Water Power Technologies. (Earlier post.) These projects are intended to advance the science needed to accelerate the commercial viability, market acceptance, and environmental performance for both new marine and hydrokinetic technologies as well as technologies and methods to improve on the performance of conventional hydropower facilities.
Awards were made in four topic areas—two for each respective technology, marine and hydrokinetics and conventional hydropower:
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Converted Plug-In Hybrid Electric Terminal Tractor to be Tested at Port of Long Beach
August 12, 2009
A plug-in parallel hybrid electric terminal tractor used to move shipping containers and cargo within the port will be tested at a Port of Long Beach shipping terminal. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is coordinating the project among several ports and will also compile and analyze project data related to the tractor’s performance, including emissions, charging, diesel fuel reduction and other aspects.
US Hybrid Corporation performed the conversion which uses a 33 kWh Li-ion battery pack from GAIA. The truck is equipped with a 6.6 kW charger. EPRI expects the plug-in to have about 4 hours of electric operation, depending upon the duty cycle, said Andra Rogers, senior project manager of Electric Transportation at EPRI.
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Requiring Lower Sulfur Marine Fuels Could Reduce Emissions-Related Deaths by Up to 50% Annually By 2012
July 09, 2009
| Annual premature mortality for the No Control scenario compared to a “no shipping” case. Credit: ACS. Click to enlarge. |
Requiring ships to use marine fuel with 0.1% Sulfur (1,000 ppm) content within 200 nautical miles of coastal areas could reduce annual premature deaths resulting from emissions-related affects by around 43,500 by 2012—approximately 50% of the 87,000 deaths estimated to occur in a no control scenario (assuming 2.7% or 27,000 ppm S)—according to a new study by researchers from the US and Germany, led by Dr. James Winebrake at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
The study is published in the current issue of the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
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US EPA Proposes New Emissions Rules for Category 3 Marine Diesel Engines, Tighter Fuel Sulfur Restrictions; Harmonization with International Standards
July 01, 2009
As the next steps in a strategy to cut harmful emissions from ocean-going vessels, the US Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new engine emissions and fuel standards for large marine diesel engines on US-flagged ships that would harmonize with international standards.
The proposed rulemaking follows on a proposal last March by the United States and Canada to designate thousands of miles of the two countries’ coasts as an Emission Control Area (ECA). (Earlier post.) The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency, begins consideration of the ECA plan this month, which would result in more stringent standards for large ships operating within 200 nautical miles of the coasts of Canada and the United States.
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Study: Increasing CO2 and Decreasing O2 Will Result in Significant Expansion of Oceanic Dead Zones, With “Severe Effects” on Marine Animals
April 18, 2009
New calculations made by marine chemists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) suggest that low-oxygen “dead zones” in the ocean will expand significantly over the next century, with severe effects on marine animals.
Concentrations of carbon dioxide are increasing rapidly in the Earth’s atmosphere, primarily because of human activities. About one third of the carbon dioxide that humans produce by burning fossil fuels is being absorbed by the world’s oceans, gradually causing seawater to become more acidic. However, such ocean acidification is not the only way that carbon dioxide can harm marine animals.
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US and Canada Request IMO Create Emissions Control Area Around Coastlines
March 30, 2009
| Chart of the proposed North American Emission Control Area. Source: EPA Click to enlarge. |
The US and Canada have submitted a proposal to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the designation of an Emission Control area (ECA) around their coastlines in which stringent international emission controls would apply to ocean-going ships.
The proposed area of the ECA includes waters adjacent to the Pacific coast, the Atlantic/Gulf coast and the eight main Hawaiian Islands. The proposed ECA would extend 200 nautical miles (230 miles, 370 km) from the coastal baseline, except that it would not extend into marine areas subject to the sovereignty, sovereign rights, or jurisdiction of any State other than the United States or Canada.
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Commercial Shipping Emits Almost Half As Much Particulate Pollution as Total Released by World’s Cars
February 27, 2009
Globally, commercial ships emit almost half as much particulate matter pollutants into the air as the total amount released by the world’s cars, according to a new study led by NOAA and the University of Colorado at Boulder. Ship pollutants affect local air quality and the health of people living along coastlines. The findings appeared online 25 February in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Atmospheres, a publication of the American Geophysical Union (AGU).
The study is the first to provide a global estimate of maritime shipping’s total contribution to air particle pollution based on direct measurements of emissions. The authors estimate that globally, ships emit 0.9 teragrams, or about 2.2 million pounds, of particle pollution each year.
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Balqon Begins Production of Electric Port Drayage Trucks for San Pedro Ports
February 25, 2009
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| Balqon E30 rolls off the line. Click to enlarge. |
Balqon Corp. has begun production of all-electric, heavy-duty drayage trucks capable of hauling 30-ton shipping containers in and around the San Pedro Bay, California port complex. (Earlier post.)
An initiative of the Port of Los Angeles’s Clean Air Action Plan, the development and demonstration of the Balqon Nautilus E30 electric truck was co-funded by the Port and South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) at a total cost of $527,000. Designed specifically for short-haul or drayage operations, this heavy-duty truck can pull a 60,000-pound cargo container at a top speed of 40 mph, and has a range between 30 to 60 miles per battery charge.
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Study Finds Biodiesel Blends with Marine Fuel Can Improve Thermal Efficiency and Reduce CO Emissions; NOx and CO2 Emissions Increase
December 30, 2008
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| Brake thermal efficiency (top) and fuel consumption (bottom) of 100% biodiesel, 100% marine fuel, and three biodiesel-marine fuel blends. Click to enlarge. Adopted from Gökalp (2008), Credit: ACS |
Blending biodiesel with marine fuel can improve the brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of a diesel engine and reduce CO emissions, although it increases fuel consumption, according to a study by researchers at Sakarya University and Kocaeli University in Turkey. Use of biodiesel increased NOx emissions and slightly increased CO2 emissions (measuring actual CO2 out, not factoring in the renewable character of the fuel) in the study.
The results were among the findings of a larger study on the effects on emissions characteristics and first- and second-law efficiencies of pure soy biodiesel and three different biodiesel blends with standard No. 2 diesel and marine fuels in a diesel engine. A paper on the work was published online 24 December in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.
