UPDATE biz notes
HFO to remain dominant fuel
MaErsk suPPly
orders next generation cable layer Damen Galati shipyarD in Romania will construct a 138m x 27.5m cable layer for Maersk Supply Service, Copenhagen, Denmark, which has signed a seven-year charter agreement with leading IMR contractor DeepOcean for the custom-built vessel for transport and installation of high voltage cables. Based on Damen’s DOC 8500 design, the vessel will be delivered in 2016. The new cable layer will be 138m long and 27.5 m wide with 2,200m² deck. The 9,300 dwt vessel will be installed with a carousel able to hold 7,000 tonnes of cable. Designed to work in shallow water, the vessel’s custom-made construction makes it possible for it to lie on the seabed during low tide. DeepOcean UK CEO Tony Inglis says, “The versatile new vessel will be well suited for installation and burial projects using its 7,000tonne carousel from land-fall to deepwater and also in remote geographical locations.” Damen Shipyards describes the vessel
as a “semi-customized, modular” design, configured to accommodate up to 90 personnel. Damen Shipyards Group CEO René Berkvens says, “We really believe in the new design, a result of our continuous R&D efforts. Because of the flexibility of the concept, the customer can incorporate a large number of purpose-specific demands to suit his specific needs. This particular vessel has been adapted in close cooperation with our clients, drawing on the expertise of all three companies to create a state-of-the-art Offshore Construction Vessel.” Damen Shipyards Bergum’s Remko Bouma, who will be overseeing the vessel’s construction, calls the DOC 8500 “a flexible platform for both transport and installation work offshore.” He says, “Its bow and slender hull optimize sea keeping in rough seas and suppress slamming. The ship will run on either MGO or HFO and has DP2 capabilities in line with offshore market preferences.
research frOm llOyD’s reGister and University College London’s Energy Institute on the future energy mix in shipping indicates that, by 2030, in all scenarios heavy fuel oil remains the main fuel for deep sea shipping. LNG will develop a deep sea bunker market share of 11% and low sulfur heavy fuel oil (HFO) and hydrogen emerge as alternatives in certain scenarios. Under the most optimistic scenario for a more sustainable world, global greenhouse gas emissions from shipping decline from 2025 despite significant growth in shipping—requiring a reduction in fossil fuel dependency and the start of a transition to a zero carbon fuel such as hydrogen. Global Marine Fuel Trends 2030, released last month by Lloyd’s Register, provides insight into future fuel demand for the containership, bulk carrier/general cargo and tanker sectors— accounting for some 70% of the global shipping industry’s fuel demands.
IMO MEPC tO taCklE CO2 ship emissions monitoring
the imO Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) was expected to tackle the development of a global system of monitoring and reporting of CO 2 emissions from ships at its most recent session starting March 31. The move is supported by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) provided that the mechanism is simple to administer, is primarily based on fuel consumption and that the system itself will not be used for the development of a full blown “Market-Based Measure.” ICS set out its position at a seminar for members of the Consultative Shipping Group (CSG) of maritime administrations, 8 MARINE LOG April 2014
organized with the assistance of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association in Ålesund, Norway, last month. ICS supports the “three-phase” approach to the development of a global system proposed by the United States. In a statement, ICS Director External Relations, Simon Bennett said, “ICS believes that the question of whether IMO should eventually develop a mandatory system of energy indexing for existing ships – to which ICS is currently opposed – should be left open until after a mandatory CO2 emissions reporting system has been established, trialed, and the results evaluated.”
He added: “The priority of ICS is to assure the primacy of IMO as the industry’s global regulator. The successful development of a global system will require the support of all IMO Member States, including nations such as China. In order to make progress and discourage regional regulation, we think that the MEPC should initially focus on how information about emissions should be collected before launching into detailed discussions about efficiency indexing of ships, on which there is little global consensus. If they so wish, IMO Member States can always return to the question of ship indexing once a CO2 monitoring system has been established.”