Global News

Prices for compliant fuel look to be stabilising after initial volatility and, as of 20 January, only 10 cases of compliant fuel non-availability had been reported in the International Maritime Organization’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS).

The Tokyo and Paris Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on Port State Control (PSC) undertook an information campaign among owners and operators ahead of the implementation of the 0.50% sulphur cap and ships’ crew awareness of the regulation was said to be ‘high’.

The Athens-based company, which is seeking to develop a fleet of seven LNG bunker tankers to operate in global ports, has agreed terms with South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) for the construction of two 7,600 cubic metre (cbm) LNG bunker vessels.

The contract includes the provision of Babcock LGE’s ecoETHN technology which removes methane-rich boil-off gas from the fuel gas supply system for use as fuel for the main engine and auxiliary power generators.

Energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie says that 2020 may yet prove to be a strong one for refiners, but it has had a ‘bumpy’ start.

Wärtsilä is launching an LNG Bunkering & Supply System simulator which it believes will promote greater safety onboard LNG fuelled vessels by improving the level of training for operators of LNG systems.

A submission by Finland and Germany to the IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response (PPR) sub-committee includes the findings of a recent report which are said to ‘clearly indicate’ that new IMO 2020-compliant 0.50% sulphur fuel blends contain high aromatic compound levels, which can directly impact on black carbon (BC) emissions.

The shipbuilding group and its hybrid ship propulsion subsidiary, Fincantieri SI, will provide equipment and installations as part of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, which is aimed at building an experimental nuclear fusion reactor.

‘So, as you begin to set goals for your second term, we, on behalf of civil society, call on you to become a beacon for ambitious leadership on climate,’ says a group of NGOs, in an open letter to Kitack Lim.

A new study from UMAS and the Energy Transitions Commission for the Getting to Zero Coalition suggests that cutting shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050 (from a 2008 baseline) could require capital investment of around $1-1.4 trillion – full decarbonisation could push up the cost to as much as $1.9 trillion.