hipping is the most energy-efficient transport mode in relation to volume transported. Despite the fact that more than 90 percent of all global trade is shipped, shipping accounts for only about 2.7 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. This does not, however, detract from the necessity of making further improvements in a number of areas. The environmental impact of shipping can be divided into two main parts: the environmental impact caused by incidents and the environmental impact resulting from ship operation. The former includes oil spills due to e.g. collisions and groundings, while the latter includes e.g. emissions of sulphur oxides and nitric oxides from ships.
Environmental impact of accidents and other incidents
The largest risk associated with tanker shipping is, of course, the risk of an oil spill in conjunction with a grounding, collision or some other accident. However, with the global tanker fleet becoming increasingly modern and safe in recent years, the number of oil spills has decreased drastically. Apart from the shipping industry’s own improvement work, this trend is the result of increasingly tough demands from legislators and customers as well as other interest groups. Among other things, it became mandatory in 2010 for all vessels transporting oil to have a double hull. The regulations for the placement of the tanks have also been tightened up in order to reduce the damage in the event of an accident.
At the cutting edge when it comes to safety
For many years, Concordia Maritime has projected an image of itself as a quality shipping company with high demands on safety at every level. The possibility of accidents occurring can never be excluded. For this reason, substantial resources are invested every year in continuously developing vessels as well as training/ education and routines. The goal is to prevent the risk of accidents from arising and to minimise the damage if an accident should nevertheless occur. The company’s safety work is carried out on several different levels, partly at the design stage of the vessels themselves and their equipment and partly in the form of continuous work on identifying potential risks and dangerous elements in the work done.
Environmental impact of ship operation
The environmental impact of shipping is not, however, limited to oil spills in the event of an accident. Ship operation also has consequences for the environment. The environmental impact of tanker shipping consists mainly of emissions of hazardous substances related to fuel consumption and the impact on the marine environment when ballast tanks are emptied.
Emissions of hazardous substances and particles
One of shipping’s greatest challenges is to reduce the volume of emissions of sulphur and nitric oxides, greenhouse gases and other hazardous particles. The work on making improvements is being conducted on several different levels and covers both technical developments and research on new types of environmentally friendly fuels. Sulphur and nitrogen are difficult to remove after they have been emitted and the technical solutions available in the form of so-called sulphur scrubbers and SCR catalytic converters (Selective Catalytic Reduction) are costly to install. Consequently, the most effective way of protecting the environment is to burn bunker oil with a lower sulphur content. This oil is far more expensive and therefore agreements at the regional or global level are needed to ensure competitive neutrality. In 2008, the UN agency IMO (International Maritime Organization) decided to gradually lower the limits for emissions of both sulphur and nitric oxide. The most far-reaching reductions will be introduced in the so-called Emission Control Areas in the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. However, eventually global shipping will also have to adapt to bunker oil with a lower sulphur content than today.
Conflicting interests complicating the work
What is complicating the work is that different types of measures for improving the environment sometimes conflict with each other. By reducing the thermal efficiency of a ship’s engines, it would be possible to lower e.g. emissions of nitric oxides. At the same time, however, this would result in higher emissions of carbon dioxide. Consequently, in order to achieve the optimum effect, many different factors need to be taken into account.
Organisms in ballast water
The discharge of ballast water close to the coast is another type of environmental hazard. Every year, large volumes of ballast water are transported across the oceans. Organisms that are transported from one ecosystem to another cause great damage to the local environment. In some ports, the handling of ballast water is subject to special regulations, but so far there are no common international regulations. Technology for killing organisms in ballast water is being developed, but much remains to be done to be able to satisfy the capacity requirements of ships with large volumes of ballast water. One solution, until the technology functions, is thus to replace ballast water far out at sea instead of close to the coast. Organisms from the oceans cannot as a general rule survive close to the coast and vice versa.
Our work on reducing the environmental impact of ship operation
The P-MAX fleet’s largest contribution to a better environment is its high loading capacity. Despite the fact that these tankers can transport 30 percent more cargo than a comparable tanker, their fuel consumption is not appreciably higher. Continuous and comprehensive development work is being done with the aim of reducing emissions of sulphur and nitric oxides. One consequence of this is that so-called VTA turbines (Variable output Turbine Area) have been installed on four vessels in the fleet. The main advantage of this is that by angling the blades in the turbine, the turbine’s thermal efficiency can be adapted to the vessel’s speed, which reduces fuel consumption. In addition, the feasibility of using sulphur scrubbers and SCR technology to reduce emissions of sulphur and nitric oxides is also being studied.
Green Passport
In recent years, the shipping industry has taken measures to reduce the impact of ship recycling on the environment and humans. Today, tough environmental regulations apply to the whole chain, from ship design and construction to operation and recycling. For example, all the material on board must be classified and the whole scrapping process structured and certified. This is something we have been doing ever since the first P-MAX tanker was delivered in 2005. The Stena Paris was the first vessel to be certified in accordance with Det Norske Veritas’ “Green Passport”.
10 minutes training – everyday
Continuous risk identification is the most important part of the work on improving safety on board. Here, the crew’s participation is crucial. For example, on all our vessels, ten minutes are spent every day on studying how routines and movement patterns are adhered to. Reports are made according to a standardised model and risks identified are subsequently eliminated. The observations are gathered in reports, which are sent to all the vessels. Thus enabling continuous improvements to be made. In addition to this, dedicated safety meetings are held every month.
