REGULATION

Ensuring the safety of ships at sea has always been of paramount importance and industry initiatives to install inert gas system on oil and chemical tanks of less than 8,000 dwt have been welcomed by survival technology specialists such as Survitec

PUTTING

SAFETY FIRST

Amendments to the safety of life at sea convention SOLAS were introduced in 2016 which made the fitting of an inert gas system to newbuild tankers of 8,000dwt and above mandatory. Survitec says it has seen a number of IG installations to smaller vessels following recent industry calls for a revision of the rules to include all tanker sizes.

Bernt Ohrn, managing director for Survitec’s Maritime Protection brand says: “The amendments written into SOLAS II-2/4.5.5 and II-2/16.3.3 have gone a long way in preventing fatal explosions aboard larger oil and chemical carriers but we do recommend that operators of existing and smaller oil tankers not already covered by the SOLAS requirements should consider installing a system.

“If you are carrying a cargo with a flashpoint of 60°C or less, then you really should have an inert gas system onboard.”

Prior to 2016, only oil tankers of 20,000dwt were required to have an IG system installed, but the rules were revised after a spate of serious incidents, including 2004’s fatal explosion aboard the Bow Mariner.

A number of incidents involving vessels of smaller tonnage, however, led to calls for another revision to include all oil and chemical tankers, irrespective of size.

Referring to an inter-industry working group study published in 2017, Ohrn says the majority of reported incidents occurred during tank cleaning, venting or gas freeing. And in several cases, the tank atmosphere for non-inerted tanks had not been evaluated or was not being monitored.

“These incidents are avoidable, as reports show,” Ohrn says. “The installation of an inert gas system on tankers of all sizes that carry flammable cargoes is both technically and operationally feasible, yet only a small percentage of the global tanker fleet has installed technology designed to purge cargo spaces of hazardous vapour.”

An IG system is used to remove oxygen in a space with hydrocarbon vapours in cargo tanks to less than 8% by volume. Where tankers are not fitted with the system, flammable vapour is vented until outlet

concentrations are less than 30% of the lower flammable limit.

Ohrn says that given the mass and energy of an explosion at a shorebased terminal or port storage facility, a number of operators are making it compulsory for tankers to be inerted prior to entering the facility.

“I think the transportation side of the industry can learn from the ports and storage terminal side. When it comes to safety there should be no debate, no discussion. Safety comes first.”

BASKET OF MEASURES

Draft guidelines to support implementation of ship carbon intensity measures coming into effect in 2023 have been finalised by an International Maritime Organization (IMO) Working Group.

The 12th session of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 12) also discussed a number of concrete proposals for mid-term measures and associated impact assessments, in the context of IMO’s Work plan on the development mid-term greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measures.

The Working Group agreed to continue developing a “basket of candidate mid-term measures” – integrating both technical (for example, a GHG fuel standard and/or enhancement of IMO’s carbon intensity measures) and carbon pricing (for example, through a market-based measure) elements.

The ISWG-GHG 12 report will be considered by MEPC 78. The ISWGGHG 11 session report will also be submitted to MEPC 78, including an update on its work to develop marine fuel lifecycle GHG assessment guidelines, which would cover well-towake, including well-to-tank and tankto-wake emission values, and how to conduct future assessments of possible impacts on States of IMO’s basket of candidate mid-term measures.

The short-term measure to reduce carbon intensity was adopted as amendments to MARPOL Annex VI in June 2021 and includes the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI); annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII) rating and an enhanced Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). The new and updated guidelines will supplement (or replace) guidelines already adopted to support the implementation of the EEXI and CII regulations. These guidelines provide additional clarity to Administrations implementing the regulations and to the shipping industry.

The Working Group also finalised the following guidelines/guidance, for adoption/approval by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 78, 6 to 10 June 2022): » 2022 Guidelines for the development of a Ship Energy Efficiency

Management Plan (SEEMP) » Guidelines for the verification and company audits by the

Administration of Part III of the

Ship Energy Efficiency Management

Plan (SEEMP) » 2022 Guidelines for Administration verification of ship fuel oil consumption data and operational carbon intensity » 2022 Guidelines for the development and management of the IMO Ship

Fuel Oil Consumption Database » Guidance for the submission of data to the IMO data collection system from a State not Party to MARPOL

Annex VI » 2022 Guidelines on the method of calculation of the attained Energy

Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) » 2022 Guidelines on survey and certification of the attained Energy

Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) » Guidance on methods, procedures and verification of in-service performance measurements for

EEXI calculation » 2022 Interim Guidelines on

Correction Factors and Voyage

Adjustments for CII Calculations (CII

Guidelines, G5) » 2022 Guidelines on Operational

Carbon Intensity Indicators and the Calculation Methods (CII

Guidelines, G1) » 2022 Guidelines on the Reference

Lines for use with Operation Carbon

Intensity Indicators (CII Reference

Lines Guidelines, G2) » 2022 Guidelines on the Operational

Carbon Intensity Rating of Ships (CII

Rating Guidelines, G4)

The Working Group also discussed draft amendments to the Procedures for port State control, 2021 (resolution A.1155(32)), related to enforcement of the short-term GHG reduction measure by Port State Control authorities.

MEETING EEXI DEMANDS

The new regulatory framework (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index - EEXI) around CO2 emissions for existing shipping come into force in January 2023 and many shipowners are now considering how to meet these through either operational changes or technical alterations.

Windship Technology has published proprietary research that allows ship operators, owners and charterers the ability to easily see the positive, game-changing operational effect that installing just one 36m rig can have on their vessel going forward.

These regulations seek to measure the efficiency of ships through the amount of CO2 emitted per tonne per mile of freight carried in a year. Ships will be rated annually, from A, the highest performing, to E the lowest and the results will be recorded in the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). Ships rated D for three consecutive years or E for a single year need to develop an approved corrective action plan as part of the SEEMP.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has currently set a 2% reduction per year on Carbon Intensity Index (CII) requirements until 2025, at which point the reduction will need to increase to get towards the overall IMO CO2 reduction goals of 2050.

Wärtsilä has reported the results of its CII Insight tool, which has predicted that when CII comes into force, about 45% of the fleet is forecast to be in category D, with a further 16% in category E. It further predicts that, if nothing is done and assuming the IMO trajectory stays constant, by 2030, 81% of the bulker fleet, 57% of tankers and 80% of container ships will be in category E.

The most common approach to achieving compliance as of 2023 is to reduce the speed of the vessel through engine power limitation (EPL), which will reduce the amount of fuel per tonne per mile used, as ship resistance is proportional to the cube of the speed of the vessel. For some vessels this will be a short-term solution, for others the EPL

required maybe significant, potentially meaning the engine will be operating well outside of its ideal parameters.

Apart from operational changes such as EPL, owners can implement technical efficiency improvements, and it’s here where the obvious installation of Windship Technology’s patented, high-performing rigs are most efficient. The performance of the Windship 36m rig has been calculated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This performance data can then be combined with the EEXI wind matrix to enable the reduction in EEXI for a given vessel to be assessed.

Windship Technology has conducted this assessment for a range of vessel DWT (deadweight tonnage) to provide owners with a guide as to the powerful effect a single 36m rig could have on their ship. This technology can be used in conjunction with EPL if required to achieve compliance. A further benefit of this approach would be to consider adding a second rig, if in due course the CII required further reductions.

Clearly the final EEXI reduction will be dependent on actual ship performance characteristics, the firm says. However the graph provides a good indication of the potential.

AMMONIA PREPARED

Class society Bureau Veritas (BV) is supporting the classification and construction at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) in the Republic of Korea of two 40,000 cbm liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers that will be “Ammonia Prepared”. The HMD hull numbers are 8350 and 8351 and the first delivery will be in June 2023.

Ulrik Dan Frorup, chief commercial director, Bureau Veritas M&O, says: “It’s great to confirm this project for the first ships that will receive our ‘Ammonia Prepared’ notation. BV was among the first class societies to develop such classification rules for future installation/conversion of ammonia propulsion. The expertise that we have developed in risk methodology and our track record in LNG as a marine fuel has supported our ability to develop these rules for new low carbon fuels like ammonia. Ammonia presents specific safety issues related to its toxicity that have to be addressed. The industry leadership we have shown in multi-stakeholder hazard identification (HAZID) and hazard operations projects has supported the development of our rules and notations for ammonia as fuel.”

The new notation AmmoniaPrepared is applicable to newbuildings, and was developed to support shipowners, designers, shipyards and charterers. Ammonia-Prepared certifies that a ship has been designed and constructed to be converted at a later date to use ammonia as fuel.

The notation targets the spaces and structural components that will accommodate future ammonia fuel tanks, fuel handling equipment and ammonia vapour treatment installations. Ammonia-Prepared also covers specific requirements for the conversion of engines and boilers from using fuel oil, LNG or multiple fuels to ammonia.

Mark Etcheberry, general director at Geogas, says: “LPG carriers are frequently used to carry ammonia. From a technical point of view this makes the design suitable to be prepared to burn ammonia as a fuel. At Geogas, we are committed in our ESG objectives to promote greener propulsion technologies that are technically feasible. LPG, LNG and ammonia gas fuels support these objectives.”

Bureau Veritas has also developed new rules for ammonia-fuelled ships designed to be applied to newbuildings that will use ammonia as a fuel from delivery. BV Rule Note NR 671 for ammonia as fuel addresses the safety aspects of managing ammonia in storage tanks, fuel-piping systems and during bunkering.

NR 671 was published in its earliest form on July 1, 2021 along with the requirements for the Ammonia Prepared notation.

Geogas BV is supporting the classification and construction at HMD of two ‘ammonia prepared’ LPG carriers. © Geogas FUEL CELL NOTE

BV has also released a new rule note (NR 547) on fuel cell power systems on board ships. The rule note covers safety requirements for ships using any type of fuel cell technology, providing rules for the arrangement and installation of fuel cell power systems and the delivery of electrical energy.

Over the last few years, fuel cells have proved to have strong potential to help decarbonise the maritime industry. The technology, which is based on an electrochemical reaction like that in batteries, can run continuously without recharging as long as energy is provided.

Fuel cells can bring significant environmental benefits, eliminating NOx, SOx and particle emissions while reducing CO2 emissions compared with diesel engines. However, this technology comes with a number of challenges that must be addressed to ensure safety.

Bureau Veritas’ NR 547 outlines requirements on the design, construction and installation of fuel cells systems to ensure that the safety of the ship is maintained. The aim is to identify and mitigate risks to persons on board, the environment and the structural integrity of vessels. Fuel cell systems and ship design must limit the risk of explosions, the spread of toxic chemicals and fire outbreaks.

Among the requirements outlined by NR 547, maritime stakeholders developing and using fuel cells must carefully assess the risks associated with their design, from construction to installation and operation. Shipyards and equipment manufacturers have to meet specific safety requirements to earn certification for fuel cell systems.

Once fuel cells are integrated onboard, ship operators must safeguard crew and ensure proper handling of fuel cell equipment. An extensive range of risk assessments are required for the fuel cell additional service feature to be granted. These assessments include a Hazard Identification study of fuel cell spaces, a Hazard and Operability analysis study of the fuel cell power system, and a Failure Mode and Effect Critical Analysis of the fuel cell power installation (if used for essential services).

In addition to covering fuel cells using hydrogen, the new note rule addresses fuel cells technologies that are adapted to multiple alternative fuel types, each with their own risk profile. NR 547 is used in conjunction with several other rule notes to address other alternative fuels, including ammonia, methane, LPG, methanol and ethanol. For practical purposes, NR547 is therefore to be combined with other Bureau Veritas rule notes, including NR 670 for methanol and ethanol, NR 529 for methane, NI647 for LPG, and NR 671 for ammonia.

KEY COLLABORATION

Blockchain solutions technology company FuelTrust and the Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. IOMSR will use FuelTrust’s fuels and emissions digital technology to validate vessels for the flag’s Green Ship scheme and to collaborate on further projects to incentivise and enable emissions reductions.

The collaboration and cooperation agreement will enable shipowners and operators registered with the IOMSR to use FuelTrust’s Bunker Insights® product to predict, measure and authenticate their fleets’ emissions reductions.

Under this collaboration, IOMSR will accept FuelTrust’s AI-based validation of a vessel’s performance regarding its emissions and fuel quality programs. This will make vessels using Bunker Insights eligible for IOMSR’s green ship designation and benefit from discounts or offerings on their annual registration fee.

The Green Ship discount programme, which came into effect on 1 April 2022, is available to operators of cargo ships, commercial yachts or passenger ships that invest in biofuel, alternative fuels, wind, or shore-side energy technology. FuelTrust and IOMSR will collaborate further to explore methodologies for tracking emissions reductions from zero-carbon fuels, among other projects, to reduce GHG emissions.

“The agreement with Isle of Man Ship Registry creates significant opportunity for vessel owners,” says Darren Shelton, chief product officer of FuelTrust. “IOMSR recognises how advanced technologies such as ours can help its members reduce their carbon emissions, track fuel usage and monitor performance.

“The advent of low or zero-carbon fuels, each with their own supply chain, is making the bunkering market even more complex. Owners and operators need to demonstrate to charterers, shippers, insurers, financiers and regulators that they are purchasing fuel that delivers against decarbonisation targets.

“Digital technologies are required to ensure shipping companies have a validated analysis of their fuel profile and environmental impact.”

Cameron Mitchell, director of the Isle of Man Ship Registry, says: “As the world’s first flag state to reduce registration fees for ships deploying green technology, we want to support our members’ efforts by giving them access to the best technology for supporting fuel choice and to manage and monitor vessel emissions for regulatory compliance.

“Our collaboration with FuelTrust provides Isle of Man-registered ship operators and charterers the insights, expertise and transparency to assess the collective carbon output of their fleets and to manage compliance with emissions regulations.”

FuelTrust’s solutions use its AI Digital Chemist to simulate combustion on a molecular level to track fuel quality, energy, and emissions profiles. AI Digital Chemist combines the known characteristics of a fuel batch, with class data on the vessel engine, and data from the day logs to precisely establish what results when fuel is burned.

This gives a far more accurate picture than current emissions models and estimates, which don’t account for chemical interactions, source fuel data, or supply and delivery chain impacts. Many approaches require significant amounts of manual input, or the installation of costly, high-maintenance devices aboard vessels.

Darren Shelton, Chief Product Officer of FuelTrust (left) and Cameron Mitchell, Director of the Isle of Man Ship Registry (right) DATA STANDARD CALL

Industry working group Impact Today has released its new Vessel Reporting and Data Quality White Paper, which calls for the maritime sector to create a new data standard aimed at evolving noon reports into holistic vessel reports to support vessel and voyage optimisation, and therefore propel industry decarbonisation.

The paper is the result of months of collaboration between members of the working group, which was formed by

ZeroNorth in March 2021. The newly named Impact Today working group includes representatives from 14 organisations spanning ZeroNorth, EuroNav, FedNav, Cargill, Q88, Teekay Tankers, Maersk Tankers, Ultrabulk, and Siglar Carbon.

These representatives met across several workshops to define the types of vessel data that should be gathered daily from vessels, as the first step in improving ship data quality. Representatives also discussed how the industry can ensure this data is fit for purpose and can be validated on board, effectively transitioning noon reports from a checklist exercise into holistic vessel information repositories.

Evolving noon reports in this way will enable the industry to unlock better voyage and vessel optimisation outcomes, generating emissions reductions in the near-term.

To support change, Impact Today has created a framework for further development, which includes a method of standardising data to ensure it is fit for purpose and a definition of terms.

The framework also includes a method for onboard validation of vessel information spanning two levels; checks to ensure that data fits within reasonable minimums and maximums, and a method of verifying if that information makes sense within the scope of normal operations, such as power usage not exceeding power generation.

Noon reports are the most widely used form of data collection from vessels across the value chain today although sensor data is also utilised, and many companies such as Teekay Tankers are committed to digital flow meters. The call to action outlined by Impact Today as part of the White Paper includes conclusions on how onboard validation could benefit both vessel reports and sensor data.

Impact Today’s mission is to unlock immediate emissions reductions through partnerships and the creation of shared data standards. In the context of shipping’s decarbonisation pathway and the power of voyage optimisation to generate immediate change, improving data quality from vessel reporting is an obvious and relatively easy challenge for the sector to solve in the near term.

Noon reports have also historically been time-consuming for crews, and it is widely accepted that data quality improvements are needed. Improvements to noon reports as they currently exist, via a shared data standard, would generate time efficiencies across the supply chain, cutting down the requirement for crews to deliver multiple reports to different stakeholders.

A shared data standard would also come as an important statement of intent in the maturity and development of shipping’s data landscape, particularly as it relates to multilateral collaboration and partnerships to achieve decarbonisation goals.

Impact Today’s group of ship owners and operators, data specialists, emissions experts and optimisation organisations agreed that much of the data needed for vessel and voyage optimisation is already being gathered within noon reports, therefore the focus is on raising the quality. However, some essential data is missing when it comes to bunker and emissions optimisations and reporting, especially with new CII and EEXI regulations pending and as the industry is accelerating its green transition.

Speaking on the release of Impact Today’s Vessel Reporting and Data Quality white paper, Søren Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth, said: “Data quality is a critical factor in underpinning

Søren Meyer, CEO of ZeroNorth

The newly named Impact Today working group includes representatives from 14 organisations spanning ZeroNorth, EuroNav, FedNav, Cargill, Q88, Teekay Tankers, Maersk Tankers, Ultrabulk, and Siglar Carbon

voyage, vessel, bunker and emissions optimisations for vessels in the global fleet. To ensure reliable, useful output from digital platforms, it is critical that the data we collectively input is high-quality, standardised, and interoperable.

“What we have seen is that shipping currently faces a data challenge, with noon reports lacking the standardisation and sophistication needed to generate optimisation recommendations. The data landscape in our industry has changed, and reporting needs to as well. Increasing the quality of data so it is fit for purpose must, therefore, become a priority as we look ahead to decarbonisation.

“Together, Impact Today has defined the types of data that we believe are critical to unlocking better optimisation outcomes. This white paper we are launching today calls for a new industry standard to be created for vessel reporting that will benefit the commercial performance of vessels, inform sustainability decisions, and generate better outcomes for the entire marine value chain.

“We welcome wider industry participation and look forward to sharing more results as this vital work continues.” SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

A new programme to develop and implement a Sustainable Maritime Transport (SMART) system in the Caribbean has begun in a preparatory phase, aimed at supporting the small island developing states (SIDS) of the Caribbean region.

SIDS economies in the Caribbean are heavily dependent on the maritime sector. The long-term programme will aim to deliver safe, secure, efficient and reliable transport of goods across the region, while minimising pollution, maximizing energy efficiency and ensuring resource conservation.

The work plan recognizes that a Sustainable Maritime Transport (SMART) system should provide a seamless and reliable service in the most efficient manner. To achieve this, the complexity of the interrelation among various actors in the Maritime Transportation System of Caribbean SIDS should be recognized and taken into account in planning specific actions.

The development of the programme will acknowledge that a SMART System in the Caribbean region requires well-organised administrations that cooperate regionally and promote compliance with global standards, supported by institutions with relevant technical expertise.

This would start with the transposition and implementation of the international maritime conventions and regional codes through legal, policy and institutional reforms as well as through building the necessary capacity to implement and enforce these regulations.

The SMART System will also focus on co-ordinated support from the shore-side entities intrinsic to shipping, such as providers of aids to navigation, oceanographic, hydrographic and meteorological services, search and rescue services, incident and emergency responders, port facilities, trade facilitation measures, and cargo-handling and logistics systems – as well as a reliable supply of fuel for ships.

The need for a qualified and flexible work force will be an essential part of the SMART System. The programme will seek the collaboration of shoreside actors, from both industry and governments, for the protection and provision of care for seafarers, to ensure that the system’s social integrity does not become eroded and that qualified, professional seafarers have an attractive and healthy work environment.