With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions. So far, the industry has avoided the EU’s system of pollution charges.

Under proposals announced in July 2021, shipping would be added to the European Union Emissions Trading System (ETS) from 2023 phased over a three-year period, a move designed to spur emissions cuts from the sector.

A study by environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E) said that the proposals, which will be negotiated in Brussels this year, exclude ships below 5,000 GT (gross tonnage), which include small offshore supply ships that service the oil and gas industries. Fishing and military vessels would also be exempt.

T&E said the loopholes would mean that some 25.8 million tonnes of CO2 would not fall under the ETS, meaning that roughly 20% of the 130 million tonnes emitted annually by shipping in the bloc would be excluded.

Jacob Armstrong, sustainable shipping officer at T&E, said the proposals were “based on arbitrary loopholes” and would let “too many heavily polluting vessels off the hook”.

“The EU must rethink its shipping laws,” he said.

A European Commission official said the 5,000 GT threshold aimed “to minimize administrative burden for companies”, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises, “without jeopardizing the objective to cover the vast majority of greenhouse gas emissions from the sector”.

Peter Liese, the European Parliament’s lead negotiator on the ETS reforms, told Reuters that he was looking at the issue raised by T&E ahead of negotiations on the policy.

The Commission official said its proposal was aligned with the emissions covered by an existing regulation on the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of emissions from maritime transport.

Ships above 5,000 GT accounted for around 55% of the vessels calling into EU ports and around 90% of the related emissions, the 2015 MRV regulation showed.

Ship owners will have to buy permits under the ETS when their ships pollute or face possible bans from EU ports.

Source: www.marinelink.com

Image: www.pexels.com

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World leaders at the recent COP26 Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, have called on industries including maritime, which accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, to help tackle climate change.

The task is huge, with alternative energy sources such as hydrogen still leaving a carbon footprint because of how they are produced, according to Tony In’t Hout, Director of SMT. However, the company claims to be playing its part by educating others about the shipping fuels revolution.

“The maritime industry plays a vital role in addressing the global climate change crisis, by supporting movement of world trade in the most environmentally friendly way possible,” said In’t Hout, who is also a specialist consultant to many shipping companies that plan to adopt alternative, greener fuels.

“Making companies around the globe aware of how to handle new power sources and cargos safely and effectively requires a new generation of highly skilled seafarers, which is where we come in. As experts in new fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen and ammonia, battery-powered technologies and everything from engineering to cargo handling of these products, we are the first port of call for any shipping company.”

In’t Hout said that with energy sources and fuel technology constantly evolving, seafarers need to understand how to operate passenger ships, ferries and car carriers loaded with battery operated vehicles that run on LNG or hydrogen.

“SMT plays a leading role, having been the first company to run courses on LNG and hydrogen awareness for shipping majors across all sectors including cruise, ferry, cargo, ship builders and salvage.”

Many seafarers working in the new fuels technology industry have been trained by SMT, according to Martin White, the company’s Chief Executive. “This gives them the knowledge and expertise to work safely on vessels carrying or powered by greener energy sources that will help shipping meet the mammoth goal of achieving zero emissions by 2025,” he said.

In recent months, SMT has launched the ‘Training and Competency for Alternative Fuels and Systems’ course to educate maritime workers and management. Candidates are taught what it means to leave a carbon footprint and about the safety precautions for working with new energy sources such as hydrogen.

“Another thing we teach is the dangers of using hydrogen,” said In’t Hout. “It has two molecules of water that will burn if the temperature goes above 2,400 degrees. When that happens, you get pure hydrogen which is highly flammable – a real threat to crew on a vessel if a fire breaks out. The reason being that a hydrogen fire will keep fueling itself, making it extremely difficult to put out.”

Source: www.marinelink.com

Image: www.pexel.com

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