Abatement of air pollution at an aegean island port utilizing shore side electricity and renewable energy

The air pollutant emissions of the ships at port represent a small percentage of the overall emissions from shipping however they are concentrated in a small area. In Mytilene, Lesvos, the port is located within the city limits, resulting in air pollution, congestion and noise, especially during the tourist season. The aim of this study is to estimate the quantities of particulate matter and CO₂ emitted by ships in the port of Mytilene and to explore the potential of shore side electricity to reduce the emissions. The emissions were estimated using the bottom–up methodology, based on the activity of the ships in the port (berthing, maneuvering). Simulation of renewable energy sources was made using Homer Energy microgrid simulation software. The results showed that between the 10th and 20th of August 2012, there were 40 calls of passenger ships, tankers and bulk carriers in the port of Mytilene, emitting 441 kg of PM₁₀ and 282 metric tonnes of CO2. About 63% of PM₁₀ and 77% of CO₂ were emitted at the berthing phase and the remaining during the maneuvering. These emissions could be reduced by providing electricity to the ships from a hybrid renewable energy system with wind turbines and photovoltaics, connected to the grid. Simulations showed that the total energy requirements of the ships in the port of Mytilene could be covered by four 1.5 MW wind turbines combined with a 5 MW photovoltaics. With this configuration, renewable energy will exceed the ships' electricity needs for most of the time in order not to increase the power station's load. The excess energy could be fed to the islands' grid, so a costly battery storage system is not necessary to handle the variations of alternative energy. In this way, a considerable reduction of the CO₂ and PM₁₀ emissions by the ships in the port occurs, providing a viable solution for a cleaner and healthier environment.     

Port selection factors by shipping lines: Different perspectives between trunk liners and feeder service providers

The objective is to identify the factors affecting shipping companies’ port choice based on a survey to a sample of shipping companies. Six factors were considered relatively important: local cargo volume; terminal handling charge; berth availability; port location; transshipment volume and feeder network. Exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses identified five port choice categories, i.e. advancement/convenience of port; physical/operational ability of port; operational condition of shipping lines; marketability; and port charge. A comparison between the main trunk and feeder service providers indicated that the former face more intense competition than the latter. Moreover, the main haul shipping lines are more sensitive to port cost factors.     

Compliance with international emission regulations: Reducing the air pollution from merchant vessels

In September 1997, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted an international convention protocol to reduce air pollution from ships, in order to achieve sustainable maritime development. This protocol has been approved by 15 member countries and will be enforced in May 2005. Pollutants emitted from ships, such as nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, sulfur oxides, etc. will be regulated by this convention through ship inspections and issuance of certificates. Ships belonging to maritime countries such as Taiwan, which sail around the world and berth in commercial ports, must obey this convention. This study has investigated possible strategies, which may be adopted by maritime countries to conform to this IMO convention in order to reduce the air pollution from ships. A sea-going ship must prepare EIAPP and IAPP certificates for inspection by port-state-control officials, when the ship is anchored at a maritime port. These port-state-control officials may also require the continuous detection and sampling of a ship's emissions, while it is berthed at the port. Legislative support is necessary for successful implementation of these safeguards. It is suggested, therefore, that the administration of both navigational and environmental protection, in maritime countries, cooperate in the revision of relevant federal laws, to implement the provisions of the MARPOL 73/78/97 convention; in this way, the air pollution from ships can be effectively controlled. Installation of advanced detection equipment can effectively detect any ships’ violations of air pollution regulations. The Harbor Affairs’ Bureau should also establish a database of air pollution inspections for ships berthed within their harbor, requiring that ships’ equipment comply with the requirements of the MARPOL convention, for the reduction of air pollution.     

Shipping casualties and loss of life in UK merchant shipping, UK second register and foreign flags used by UK shipping companies

UK shipping companies increasingly flagged out their ships from the 1970s to the late 1990s. This study used Lloyd's casualty records from 1970 to 2005 to investigate and compare shipping casualties and crew fatalities in UK shipping, UK second registers (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong and the Isle of Man) and six foreign flags (Bahamas, Belize, Cyprus, Malta, St. Vincent and Vanuatu) used frequently by UK shipping companies. The study also assessed how 12 shipping factors may affect ships foundering and crew fatalities. Shipping casualty and crew fatality rates fell over time in UK shipping, in UK second registers and in older flags of conveniences, rather than in newer flags of convenience such as Belize and St. Vincent. Cargo, trade and weather most strongly affected ships foundering and crew fatalities. The findings indicate that shipping casualties and crew fatalities should be monitored in new and rapidly expanding flags of convenience.     

Port waste reception facilities in UK ports Iwan Ball

The ability to comply fully with the discharge requirements set out in the MARPOL 73/78 Convention depends upon the availability of adequate facilities on land for the reception of shipgenerated waste. This paper considers ways of ensuring adequate provision of reception facilities, and discusses the approach taken by the UK to reduce the amount of pollution entering the marine environment from the deliberate discharge of waste from ships. Arguably, the most significant of the measures adopted by the UK is the requirement for all ports and harbours to prepare port waste management plans. Disincentives to the use of port waste reception facilities are examined, together with the benefits and shortcomings of various financing arrangements, and compulsory discharge of waste in ports. The paper concludes that the statutory approach to improving the provision and use of waste facilities should be supported by an appropriate awareness campaign to educate shipowners about the need to discharge waste legally to port reception facilities.     

A coming boom in commercial shipping? The potential for rapid growth of noise from commercial ships by 2030

Ocean noise levels are thought to be increasing as a result of major growth in global shipping activity, but data quantifying those changes are limited in space and time. As an alternative approach, this study examines the current and future maximum noise capacity of three segments of the global commercial shipping fleet: container ships, oil tankers, and bulk carriers. It shows that continued growth in the number of ships, the quantity of goods carried and the distances traveled could increase the maximum noise capacity of the global shipping fleet by up to a factor of 1.9 by 2030, with major growth in particular in the container and bulk carrier segments. Thus, in the absence of operational or manufacturing changes to such ships, the contribution of commercial shipping to ambient ocean noise levels can be expected to dramatically increase.     

The impact of cruise ship generated waste on home ports and ports of call: A study of Southampton

Cruise ships represent less than 1% of the global merchant fleet yet it has been estimated that they are responsible for 25% of all waste generated by merchant vessels. This volume of waste produces pressures on the environment, particularly with respect to ship-generated waste disposal at home ports and ports of call. Southampton, home port for both Cunard and P&O, and a port of call for Royal Caribbean Cruises, is the focus of this study. This paper investigates current waste management and disposal options for cruise ship generated waste and the associated impacts of this waste for ports. It is concluded that all cruise vessels should vigorously pursue a waste reduction strategy and for ports to provide adequate recycling, reduction and re-use facilities for cruise ship generated waste, optimising use of local facilities whenever possible.     

海上航船分布及其对海洋环境噪声的影响

当代水下目标探测向低频远程发展,海洋环境噪声的低频特性倍受关注,航船噪声是海洋中的主要低频噪声源。近几十年来,海上航运量迅速增长,导致海洋环境低频噪声大幅升高,增加了海洋环境的噪声污染。本文依据港口进出航船信息库和船舶自动识别技术数据库资料,分析历史航船分布数据,依据获得的某开阔海域航船分布规律,建立数值模型估计了航船噪声源对低频海洋环境噪声特征的影响。结果表明,日进、出港的航船数近似满足正态分布,近海开阔海域单位面积、单位时间内的航船数近似满足泊松分布;由于海上航船的影响,海洋环境噪声强度呈明显的水平非均匀分布状态。     

Slow steaming and a new dawn for wind propulsion: A multi-level analysis of two low carbon shipping transitions

The key enabler of international trade, shipping is heavily reliant on fossil fuels and responsible for approximately 2% of global carbon emissions. For the sector to reduce its emissions in line with climate change objectives, a wholesale transition is required from the current carbon intensive shipping system to one with a lower climatic impact. Drawing on the multi-level perspective from the socio-technical transitions literature, this paper focuses on two technological developments which could reduce the emissions from shipping – slow steaming and wind propulsion. Outlining the landscape changes which may hinder or support the incorporation of each of these innovations into the broader shipping regime the paper shows how slow steaming has been accommodated within this regime, in response to high oil prices and the economic downturn. In the longer term it concludes that additional policy measures may be required to ensure slow steaming persists should landscape pressures reduce. Oil prices, and the environmental agenda, are driving the development of wind propulsion, but more needs to be done to support those companies which seek to demonstrate and commercialise modern incarnations of the original pioneers of the seas.     

From reductionism to systems thinking: How the shipping sector can address sulphur regulation and tackle climate change

The shipping sector is required to reduce fuel sulphur content to 0.1% in Emission Control Areas by 2015 and to 0.5% globally by 2020. Although this is demanding, a greater challenge for all sectors is climate change. However, the three options to comply with sulphur regulation do little to address this challenge. With a deep-seated change to the type of fuel burnt in marine engines, this should be seen as an opportunity to explore co-benefits of sulphur and carbon reduction – instead of taking a short-sighted approach to the problem. It is argued here that the upcoming sulphur regulations should be postponed and instead, a co-ordinated suite of regulations should be implemented that tackles cumulative CO₂ emissions and localised SO_x emissions in chorus. This would ensure that less developed, yet more radical, step-change forms of propulsion such as wind, battery and biofuels are introduced from the outset – reducing the risks of infrastructure lock-in and preventing the lock-out of technologies that can meaningfully reduce absolute emissions from the sector.     

The stamp of neoliberalism on the UK tonnage tax and the implications for British seafaring

In 2000 the UK adopted a tonnage tax strategy on ships and related businesses as the main strategy for revitalising its declining shipping industry. In line with EU policy on shipping, UK registered shipping companies were offered fiscal incentives based on reduced corporation taxes while labour was offered support for training. Almost a decade since the introduction of the tax it is clear that the strategy has delivered for business but not for labour. This paper considers the nature and limits of state intervention per se in declining economic sectors in the context of globalisation and a neoliberal approach to governance. It concludes that the problem is often not state intervention but rather the form of intervention, namely one that panders to, and is constrained by, neoliberalism.     

Investigation of strategies to improve the recycling effectiveness of waste oil from fishing vessels

The marine ecological environment and fishery resources can be severely polluted or destroyed by waste oil from fishing vessels if they are emitted directly into the ocean without any proper pre-treatment process. International conventions such as MARPOL 73/78 regulate waste-oil emissions and require the installation of a waste oil–water separator only for ocean-going ships of over 400 gross tons. Hence, these international conventions are not applicable to most fishing ships due to their low gross tonnages. In addition, space on most fishing vessels is too limited to allow waste-oil storage tanks or a waste oil-water separator to comply with international maritime regulations. Because a significant amount of waste oil is produced by fishing vessels around the world every day, effective strategies or measures are needed to prevent this waste oil from polluting the marine environment. This study thus investigates strategies and measures for improving the effectiveness of waste-oil collection from fishing vessels. This study found that existing procedures for the collection and treatment of waste lubricating oil on land could be applied to the management of waste oil and bilge water from fishing vessels. Sufficient oil–water separators and storage facilities for the collection of waste oil should be placed at each fishing port and shipyard. Fishermen should then be required to deliver their waste oil to these storage facilities, from where it can be transported to legal recycling companies for further treatment. In addition, fishing harbor authorities should bear definitive responsibility for monitoring the illegal dumping of waste oil and for checking the waste-oil record books of fishing vessels. Each maritime country should enforce relevant laws and regulations to reduce the emission of waste oil from fishing vessels into the ocean.     

Political coordination costs in the Spanish port devolution process: A note

Spain’s port system was subjected to significant legislative reforms during the 1990s. Spanish Law 62/97 allowed regional governments to manage commercial ports, whereas the central government continued to control the main organisation in charge of the Spanish port system – the Spanish National Ports and Harbours Authority (SNPHA). This paper analyses the evolution of maritime traffic to measure the possible costs of political coordination between the SNPHA and the port authorities controlled by various political parties that rule regional governments. The findings point to coordination costs having a limited effect on the evolution of maritime traffic.     

Environmental issues with Australian ports

Ports and shipping operations are under increased environmental scrutiny in Australia, particularly as so many of Australia's ports and shipping routes are located in or near major environmentally sensitive areas. The environmental risks involved have been highlighted by the publicity given to shipping accidents. Environmental regulations over aspects of port operations, including ballast water management, dredge spoil and waste reception, are also becoming stricter. While port authorities have adopted stringent environmental guidelines, they remain concerned that the full impact of proposed new environmental regulations on maritime industry may not be fully understood. This paper discusses some of the issues involved with achieving a balance between environmental protection and the need to recognise the importance of seaborne trade to Australia and to maintain Australia's competitiveness in international trade.     

Maritime clusters: What can be learnt from the South West of England

The South West of England is a very extensive region, with constraints in terms of its transport network. It is imperative if the region is to optimise its economic development for transport services to fully utilise all transport modes, not least, short sea shipping. To achieve this objective will require, inter alia, investment in the region’s port infrastructure. The result of this study suggests that each South West port provides a hub to develop a small maritime cluster which provides some sort of platform for marine and maritime related activities or businesses to co-ordinate and communicate. In addition, the region is well placed geographically in relation to a number of other European Union countries, with which to develop seaborne trade links. If this can be supported both by the development of coastal shipping links between regional ports and the incremental capability of rail and road transport within the region, then substantial increased economic activity for the region could result. Moreover, it would be beneficial if the region’s ports could act as a maritime cluster, optimising the contribution each port can make. This in no way would preclude healthy competition between the ports.     

The environmental impacts of pollutants generated by routine shipping operations on ports

The environmental impacts generated by shipping operations have increasingly become an important research topic, where its pollutants often pose negative externalities to natural habitats and economic losses to coastal areas. While the environmental impact costs generated by shipping disasters, notably large scale accidental oil spills, have been widely studied, hitherto, works dedicated to the assessment of environmental impact costs of pollutants generated by routine shipping operations remain scarce due to their relatively implicit nature and thus delays of consequential risks. Hence, by proposing an economic model and calibrating it to Port of Rotterdam, this paper assesses the environmental impact costs generated by routine shipping operations on ports. By shedding light on this important, but under-researched, issue critical to the well-being of the global shipping industry, this paper provides a decent framework for further research in sustainable shipping and port management for future generations.     

Regulating GHG Emissions from shipping: Local,global, or polycentric approach?

Climate change has recently been a subject of increased attention in the shipping sector. Along with technical issues of GHG emissions reduction, a question of appropriate governance has been raised. The argument regarding the role of global, regional, and local policies in curbing shipping emissions is a part of a broader theoretical debate on forms of global governance. This paper examines the recent literature on polycentric climate governance and suggests principles for environmental regulation in shipping based on a polycentric approach.     

The role of port cities and transnational municipal networks in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on land and at sea from shipping – An assessment of the World Ports Climate Initiative

In 2008, 55 of the world's largest ports voluntarily adopted the World Ports Climate Declaration (WPCD) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours committed to long-term work on implementation through the World Ports Climate Initiative (WPCI). This article assesses the work of WPCI since 2008 and makes five recommendations that, if implemented, could support efforts to reduce the climate and environmental impacts of port operations and international shipping. In particular, as the impetus for the WPCD came from a port city – Rotterdam – and their engagement with a transnational municipal network – the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group – the paper considers the role of cities and transnational municipal networks in governance, and the potential for cities to play a more active and influential role in the maritime sector. The article presents an overview of literature on the role and function of transnational municipal networks, the background and development of the WPCD, analysis of the work of WPCI, and a discussion concerning the potential of cities and transnational municipal networks to support and add value to WPCI or similar initiatives in the maritime sector. This informs the conclusions and recommendations to marine policy-makers and port stakeholders.     

基于OMI的船舶排放控制区SO2减排效益分析

船舶尾气排放是造成海洋污染的主要排放源之一。自 2016 年设立船舶大气污染物排放控制区以来,船舶硫氧化物、氮氧化物和颗粒物排放显著减少。为了对环渤海湾水域排放控制区的大气 SO2 减排效果进行分析,选取了 Aura 卫星搭载的 OMI 传感器痕量数据产品 OMSO2 进行大气 SO2数据反演。选择 2017 年各月的 OMI Level-2 痕量数据,对大气边界层 SO2 柱量值进行提取,采用空间分析方法,对其时空变化进行分析,以监测排放控制区的减排效果。结果表明：春季和冬季 SO2 量值明显高于其他季节,年际变化比较明显,自 2016 年以来,SO2 柱总量峰值逐年降低,并且高值区域逐渐减少,证明排放控制区的设立对大气质量保护具有积极作用。     

Is the European shipping industry aware of corporate social responsibility? The case of the Greek-owned short sea shipping companies

This paper attempts to clarify the meaning of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of the European maritime sector and examines its application in the case of the Greek-owned short sea shipping companies. CSR is assessed in terms of a number of variables such as employees’ satisfaction, corporate productivity and efficiency, social welfare, awareness and social accountability of managers and directors, et al. Focus is given on the applicability of CSR to shipping companies of small and medium size. For this purpose a survey has been conducted. Based on the findings of the qualitative research performed, it is concluded that the application of CSR is restricted only to companies that either are subsidiaries of international conglomerates or owned by ship-owners personally aware of the corporate benefits derived from social responsible behaviour . Based on improved knowledge of managers’ and directors’ attitudes and views towards CSR solutions, the paper offers some ways forward for policy informing.