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Measuring emissions for compliance and efficiency

For anyone in shipping, the escalating demands of emissions reduction continue to permeate all operational areas. Large charterers / shippers such as Caterpillar, Volvo and Wal-Mart are now asking for emissions data as they scrutinise every element of their supply chains to maximise operational and environmental efficiencies. Indeed container giant Maersk Line has become the first shipping line to publish independently verified CO2 emissions data, vessel by vessel. However, this needs to be accurately assessed, and the days of measuring CO2 through a back of the envelope calculation based on the amount of bunker fuel purchased will not meet international standards for CO2 data collection in the medium to long-term. It would be considered wholly inadequate, for example, to have a power stations CO2 measurements based on the amount of fossil energy that was processed in the plant. Take a newbuild vessel built in 2015; it is probable that this vessel will have a minimum 25year working life, so an asset that will still be in service in 2040. The likelihood is that this vessels owners will, by 2015, have to comply with the recently IMO-mandated Energy Efficiency design Index (EEDI) and will use a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) as a means of maintaining the EEDI. Augmented by the likely subsequent implementation of a bunker levy or emissions trading scheme within Europe, the need for accurate CO2 data will be critical. Of course, emission monitoring is already a fact of life for shipping and IMO MARPOL Annex VIs regulations pertaining to SOx will soon make emissions monitoring an essential function. Sulphur content limits in the North Sea, English Channel, Baltic and US-Canadian Emission Control Areas (ECAs) will be reduced from 1.0% to just 0.1% in 2015, requiring more sophisticated monitoring systems, and most vessels in EU ports already need to comply with EC Regulation 2005/33/EC, which limits sulphur content to 0.1%. More ECAs are likely to be implemented soon. A US-Caribbean ECA has been approved and Japan is reported to be preparing an ECA application. Ultimately, there are only a few viable options enabling vessels to comply with SOx emissions regulations; use expensive distillates and low sulphur products, fit exhaust gas cleaning systems or pioneer clean fuels such as LNG. Whichever way, vessels in these areas will need to monitor their emissions to demonstrate compliance. The most effective method for measuring emissions is through in-situ monitoring using a Continuous Emissions Monitoring (CEM) system. This is accepted land-based practice in many critical emissions monitoring applications. The alternative is extractive sampling, where an exhaust gas sample needs to be physically extracted from the system and then analysed, requiring valuable space and often costly maintenance. In-situ emissions monitoring mounts directly onto the exhaust and is simply wired to a computer to control it, providing a continuous, real time measurement of the content of the exhaust gases. Field proven for use in aggressive environments that are hot, dirty and subject to vibration, these systems are accurate to a few ppm (parts per million) with gas species-specific ranges typically from 100->100,000ppm, depending on what requires measuring. In-situ is reliable and cheap to operate, with data available instantly and continuously, in the engine room or on the bridge. Such systems are also versatile enough to measure several gases. Kittiwakes Procal 2000 can analyse up to six different exhaust gases from medium and slow speed engines or boilers, including SO2, CO2 and NOx. A new study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) finds that cutting emissions other than carbon dioxide (CO2) - for example NOx - will assist in slowing climate change, producing a much greater benefit per kg than the equivalent CO2 reduction. In addition to SOx regulation compliance, Kittiwakes Procal 2000 analyser assists compliance with the NOx Technical Code 2008 and ISO 14001. Such is the accuracy and reliability of this CEMS, that in fact some major ship owners and operators believe that more

accurate measurement of NOx emissions enables tuning of the engine for continued compliance, meaning less bunker fuel could being burnt. This results in lower fuel costs and emissions output, such as CO2, and as Tier II and Tier III regulations begin to bite, it is likely that this debate will develop. Ultimately, you cant reduce emissions without measuring them first. And the better information you have, the better decisions you can take, not just in ensuring regulatory compliance and avoiding the costs of emission breaches, but also in maximising operational efficiency.

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