The shipping market may see a more positive year in 2019 amid changes in fleet size and shifts in demand for methanol, although ongoing political tensions, growing participation from Russia and looming regulatory change for 2020 could prompt an...
A team of researchers at the University of Calgary, Canada, developed a sponge for soaking up aquatic oil spills that is composed of magnetic boron nitride.
On October 29th, VSS EPE and EXXON MOBIL successfully conducted Oil Spill Response training and drill, at the area of Zygi, in Cyprus. The event took place in the context of the project that VSS EPE, a company of Polyecogroup based in...
Industry leaders and the non-profit Sustainable Shipping Initiative launched the Ship Recycling Transparency Initiative’s (SRTI) online platform, a tool for sharing information on ship recycling to drive responsible practice.
Singapore has joined the list of ports that will ban the use of open loop scrubbers in their waters. Exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) – more commonly referred to as scrubbers are an accepted equivalent measure in complying with the IMO...
As ballast water management regulations shift towards enforcement, shipowners are finding that the majority of ballast water treatment systems (BWTS) installed do not function properly.
Important tendencies of climate and environmental concerns change our sector and regulations at either IMO and EU level are getting stricter. At the same time, the increasingly more competitive shipping industry is looking for logistic...
The Oslo Port Authority purchased a small, portable Deeptrekker mini-ROV which gives the harbour authority a fish-eye view of the underwater ‘islands of trash’.
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 72) adopted on 13 April 2018 an initial strategy, a framework for its 173 member countries, which is likely to be a starting point for greenhouse...
MEPC 280(70) decided, after the assessment of fuel oil availability that the fuel oil standard (0.50% m/m) shall become effective on 1 January 2020. This means that outside the special areas, ships should use low sulphur fuels (max. 0.5%S) or...
MEPC 71 reached a highly anticipated compromise agreement on compliance dates for ballast water discharge and on implementation dates for the so-called D-2 discharge standard.
At least 27% of the energy consumed in the European Union by 2030, should come from renewable energy. One of the possibilities next to wind energy, sun panels, tidal energy etc. is the increased use of biofuels in mineral oils. (See the promotion...
Oil prices have increased by 72% from USD 31.48 to USD 54.06 per barrel over 2016. It might signal a shift in the economics of existing recycling programs meaning that some of our members receive a better price for their ‘dry oils’....
Many of our members continue to operate in challenging circumstances. Shipping is in a deep crisis. Overcapacity in the shipping sector is a fact, prices are weak putting shipping lines’ prices and profitability under severe pressure....
As oil prices have fallen drastically since 2014, cement kilns and blast furnaces are increasingly using purer virgin fuels and, as such, reduce demand for the so called “dry oil” or waste oil collected from ships such as bilgewater,...
Dear reader, please find attached a background article illustrating the difficult situation of oil recycling initiatives in the EU.
Mauro Palmiero, national president of ANSEP-UNITAM, the National Italian Association of companies carrying out environmental services in ports and harbours and the protection of the marine environment, passed away on June 22.
2014 was a transitional year. Although volumes in ports were picking up, the overall maritime business climate is still slacking. We noticed shipping lines have started to consolidate and/or collaborate to reduce costs and optimize their vessel...
Apart from the publication of the ship recycling regulation (cfr. further in this issue), 2013 saw little or no progress in European marine environmental legislation, even though EU-regulations concerning ship generated waste and cargo residues...
Our seas and oceans are increasingly becoming the waste dump of the planet. Plastics, mostly packaging waste, are the key component of marine litter. It floats in huge quantities on the sea surface before it sinks to the seabed or degrades into...
- Reduction of marine litter: let’s meet the targets
- Ship dismantling: yes to internationally balanced regulations