It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Monday, July 05, 2021
Engineering Students Build World's First H2-Powered Hydrofoil Boat
A team of engineering students from TU Delft have succeeded in building and testing the world's first ever hydrofoiling hydrogen-powered boat. The "Hydro Motion" vessel is fitted with a hydrogen fuel cell, a fuel tank and three hydrofoils that lift the one-tonne trimaran more than a foot above the water when it reaches 12 knots.
With sea trials complete, the team will compete in the Yacht Club de Monaco's 8th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. The marquee electric- and hydrogen-powered race is sponsored by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, and it kicks off next week. The TU Delft team will be going for the win in the challenging long-distance race, where their boat's low drag and high efficiency will give it an edge.
The boat is operated by three pilots and reaches speeds of up to 22 knots. Its hydrogen gas fuel is stored under high pressure in an on-board tank. The fuel cell combines this hydrogen with oxygen from the air to generate electricity, which powers the motor.
Three sturdy hydrofoils are fitted to the bottom of the hull, like an America's Cup yacht. At the take-off speed of about 12 knots, they generate enough lift to raise the hull about 15 inches out of the water. This drastically reduces hull resistance and lowers the energy requirements for propulsion.
"We succeeded, we can say that with certainty. The entire boat has come out of the water. We are proud to announce with the team that we have made the world's first foiling hydrogen boat!" said Rick van Wilsem, the project's chief engineer.
From July 8-10, the student team will compete in the Open Sea Class of the challenge, facing off against four battery-electric speedboat manufacturers. Electric and hydrogen powered boats will compete in three events: maneuverability, sprint and - the most important race - the long-distance challenge.
The hydrogen boat has been optimized for this last element of the race, which involves sailing for six hours on the open sea without refueling. The team that covers the most distance is the winner, and if Hydro Motion can sustain her top speed over the entire course, she will travel about 130 nm. By comparison, the longest-range competitor in the field - the battery-electric powered Candela 7 - has a top range of 50 nm per charge.
The race can be followed through the website and the social media channels of the TU Delft Solar Boat Team. The team is now busy with the final preparations, including a full practice-run race simulation for all team members to prepare for their roles.
The 20-member team volunteered to put their studies aside for a full year to make the Hydro Motion project happen. Their mission is to inspire the maritime industry to pursue a green future, and they have assembled a giant list of sponsors who share that vision, including Damen, Port of Rotterdam, ABN AMRO, PWC, Boskalis, Cummins, Dassault Systemes, Huisman, ABB, IBM, Allianz, 3M, Panasonic and dozens more.
Previously, TU Delft's Solar Boat Team made solar boats, as the name implies. After 15 years, it took a significant step with the transition to hydrogen. With the help of alumni and dozens of partner companies, the students took on the new challenge. Its new focus is commercially useful: to power working vessels, the industry needs research on an electrical energy storage medium like hydrogen.
STX Shipyard Doubles Orderbook Before a Possible Privatization
South Korea’s struggling shipyard STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. announced that it has received a series of orders for new tankers that will effectively double the yard’s orderbook and provide two years of additional work. News of the orders comes as the Korean government is continuing efforts to privatize the financially troubled company.
STX reported a total of 12 orders for tankers to be built at the company’s remaining shipyard in Jinhae, approximately 250 miles southeast of Seoul. These contracts bring the yard’s orderbook to a total of 28 vessels with an option for two additional oil tankers. In the summer of 2020, STX reported that its orderbook was down to just seven ships.
The contracts range between two 10,000-ton petrochemical carriers, six 50,000-ton chemical tankers, and four 115,000-ton oil tankers with an option for two additional vessels, STX said. Deliveries range between the fourth quarter of 2022 and the end of 2023. They did not identify the value of the contracts nor the shipowners.
News of the orders was welcomed by the beleaguered shipyard. Once one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, STX had expanded into an international network before its financial troubles began. In 2013, they launched their first debt restructuring effort, but six years ago the company was forced to file for court receivership. In 2018, the Korean Development Bank (KDB), the yard’s main creditor, proposed court receivership for the yard but later accepted a self-rescue plan from STX that included an agreement with its union for a 75 percent cut in labor costs through voluntary retirement, outsourcing, and a reduction in employee benefits.
STX had employed 1,500 people in Korea in 2017, but through its downsizing efforts had reduced employment to just 500 people last year. Desperate to further lower costs, the yard had been placing workers on unpaid leave, which led to a strike in the spring of 2020 and a stop on all work in June 2020. The company was pursuing additional cost-cutting efforts when it was announced that KDB had begun an auction to sell the yard possibly to a private investment or turnaround firm.
Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported last November that the creditors had selected a consortium comprising local private equity fund KH Investment and United Asset Management Company (UAMCO), South Korea's biggest bad debt investor, to take control of the troubled shipbuilder. The closing of the transaction was expected at the end of 2020 but was delayed.
STX’s shareholders recently agreed to a reverse split of the company’s shares on a basis of 42 to 1 reports Yonhap as part of an effort to improve the yard’s financial strength. If the deal to sell the shipbuilder is finalized, STX Offshore announced that its operations will be renamed K Shipbuilding, but no timeline was announced for finalizing the terms of the sale.
Cadeler Spends $651M for Two of the Largest Wind Installation Vessels
The growing number of offshore wind power projects and an increase in the size of the projects and the turbines is building demand for a new generation of larger and more powerful installation vessels. Denmark’s Cadeler, an installation and services company backed by the BW Group, announced plans to invest $651 million to build two of the largest installation vessels, which when introduced will also give the company the largest installation fleet in service.
Cadeler finalized a contract for the construction of two wind turbine installation vessels with COSCO SHIPPING Heavy Industry Co. of China. The first X-class vessel will be ready by the third quarter of 2024 and has already been commissioned for its first project by Siemens Gamesa with the second vessel following in the first quarter of 2025. Each vessel is contracted at $325.5 million.
“Expansion of our fleet is an important strategic priority to ensure that we can meet the demand we are seeing from clients for greater installation capacity. By providing energy-efficient vessels with very advanced technical specifications and climate-friendly features, we are proud to be taking this step to meet the current and future demand of the industry,” said Mikkel Gleerup, CEO of Cadeler. “Offshore wind plays an increasingly important role in the green energy transition, and the installed offshore wind capacity is expected to grow substantially in the coming years across several regions. We are well-positioned to play a role in cost-competitive offshore wind power production by providing efficiency gains for turbine manufacturers and wind farm owners”.
The new X-class vessels are designed to operate at some of the most difficult sites around the globe. With a deck space of 5,600m2, a payload of over 17,600 tons, and a main crane capacity of above 2,000 tons at 53 meters, the two new hybrid vessels will be able to transport and install seven complete 15MW turbine sets per load or five sets of 20+ MW turbines. Cadeler highlights that this will cut down the number of trips needed for each project accelerating installation speed.
The vessels were also designed to minimized emissions and their minimized environmental impact with lower CO2 emissions and reducing the use of hazardous substances. Cadeler is requiring the ability to use biodegradable grease and oil.
Additionally, technological improvements are planned, including a shore power connection, fuel-efficient optimized size engines, as well as a battery pack with the capacity to reduce fuel consumption during crane operations and DP maneuvering. The state-of-the-art vessels also will include technology for the regeneration of power from the jacking system and cranes. The construction of both X-class vessels will start immediately at COSCO’s shipyard in Qidong.
The construction process will take three years, but even before the keel has been laid, the first X-class vessel has already been contracted for one of the largest offshore windfarms in the world, the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind power park in the North Sea, owned by RWE. The project will be located?on Dogger Bank approximately 120 miles from the?UK’s North East coast. For this project, Cadeler will assist Siemens Gamesa with the transport and installation of one hundred 14 MW wind turbines. The 14 MW turbines are expected to be the largest wind turbines in the world at the time of installation. The wind turbines will be approximately 825 feet tall, measured from sea level to the tip of the rotor blade, and will have a rotor diameter of nearly 730 feet
Novel Salmon-Treatment Vessel Cleans Up Fish Farm Operations
Chilean shipbuilder Asenav has delivered a novel vessel that is equipped to remove sea lice from farmed salmon without releasing pesticides into the marine environment.
The new service vessel Owurkan is the first in the world to use this specific technology for sea lice treatment. Sea lice are the largest operational problem for the farmed-salmon industry: in the confines of a salmon pen, an infestation can become so severe that it kills fish.
The Owurkan is the product of more than six years of research and development. The vessel's owner and operator, Salmoclinic, has developed a proprietary continuous bath process that allows the controlled use of any medicinal product authorized for application in fish, without affecting the environment. By means of a degradation process that removes residual organic compounds, the system prevents the medications from entering the sea.
"The objective of this vessel is to carry out specialized treatments through baths to salmon to control different diseases, and thereby reduce the use of pesticides or anti-parasites that are used massively today without adequate control regarding the environment," said Hans Kossmann, the founder of Salmoclinic. "This ship comes to change the concept of how to use the therapeutic agents in the control of diseases in salmon."
To carry out its mission, the vessel is also fitted with a large reverse osmosis plant to make up to 125 cubic meters per hour of fresh water (used for treating salmon for amoeba infestations). It has a helix treatment tank of 300 cubic meters in size and a continuous filtration system to remove lice from the bath.
The Owurkan will operate primarily in Chile's X and XI salmon-farming regions, depending upon where its services are needed most.
Norwegian Green Ammonia Plant Will Contribute to Decarbonizing Arctic
Aker Clean Hydrogen, Yara and Statkraft have also agreed to co-develop a green ammonia facility at Herøya, Norway
Following the news that the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee approved a ban on the transportation and use of heavy fuel oil in Arctic waters, joint venture partners Aker Clean Hydrogen and Varanger Kraft announced that they are exploring doubling the production capacities for their planned green ammonia and hydrogen production project. The companies are working on plans to build one of the first commercial production plants for green ammonia with production potentially starting in Northern Norway before the end of 2024.
The planned plant will be located north of the Arctic Circle in Berlevåg municipality. It would be well situated to become one of the first providers of alternate fuels to aid in the decarbonization of the arctic and according to Rolf Laupstad, mayor of Berlevåg, will help the area to become a center for green development.
The companies’ newly formed joint venture, Green Ammonia Berlevåg AS, reports that the project has successfully passed the feasibility study and concept phase. The project design is based on a 100 MW hydrogen plant, but the pre-facilitation of a potential future expansion to 200 MW is also being considered.
The green ammonia will be produced from water and renewable power supplied from Varanger Kraft's nearby wind farm on Raggovidda. The goal is to replace traditional fossil fuels for ships, rigs, and off-grid power stations.
“Our findings confirm that the Green Ammonia Berlevåg project is well-placed to realize green ammonia production at scale to decarbonize arctic shipping and off-grid power plants,” says Knut Nyborg, Chief Executive Officer of Aker Clean Hydrogen. “The project continues to move forward towards becoming one of the first production plants of green ammonia.”
They also announced that the Norwegian authorities recently extended the license deadline for Varanger Kraft to expand the wind power production capacity on the Raggovidda wind farm until 2026.
“This is great news for us and our partners. The extended license deadline gives Varanger Kraft the opportunity to expand the capacity of Raggovidda to 200 MW with an additional 103 MW of wind power which in turn will result in a higher supply of renewable power to the planned production plant in Berlevåg,” Christian Bue, CEO of Green Ammonia Berlevåg and Varanger Kraft Hydrogen.
A 2.5 MW hydrogen pilot facility is already in operation with power from the wind farm.
“We have just produced the first kilogram of clean hydrogen in Berlevåg, and we already see promising synergies,” said Bue.
North American Shipping Industry Forms Decarbonization Coalition
Recognizing that it will be critical for all segments of the maritime industry to work together to achieve the goals of reducing GHG emissions, a broad range of companies in the U.S. and Canada from all parts of the sector are forming a coalition to accelerate the industry’s pathway to net-zero emissions. Known as the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition, they are recruiting ship owners, builders, charterers, financiers, classification organizations, port authorities, government and non-government organizations for membership and participation in the initiatives.
“Blue Sky Maritime Coalition was born from the realization that the United States and Canada maritime operations are uniquely challenged by this goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions from maritime activities,” says David H. Cummins, Blue Sky Maritime Coalition President. “We believe that decarbonization is possible, but only if all stakeholders along this end-to-end value chain are willing to rally together to take advantage of the opportunities in this landscape and address these challenges through cross-sectoral collaboration.”
As a non-profit strategic alliance whose members represent all aspects of the maritime value chain in North America, Blue Sky will develop projects to achieve a commercially viable net-zero emissions waterborne logistics sector.
According to the founding board members, which include executives from Shell, Kirby Corp., Washington Maritime Blue, Marsoft, and Moran Towing, the maritime value chain is critical to the global economy. Everyone agrees that decarbonization is the key challenge the industry faces in the coming years, but within the sector, there are different types of challenges and entirely different value chain models, whether waterborne activities move products globally from one continent to another, or through thousands of miles of inland, Great Lakes and coastal waterways. Concentrated on regional waterborne transportation across North America, the coalition’s focus complements other organizations’ efforts targeting maritime decarbonization goals.
The coalition will focus on four broad areas, including technology, infrastructure, and fuels; regulatory policy and incentives; commercial and chartering finances; and measurement and operational efficiencies. The coalition will seek to facilitate collaboration among industry stakeholders both regionally and globally as well as identify, evaluate, encourage, and engage in commercial and technical pathways and projects that deliver significant near-term reductions in GHG emissions and lead to commercially viable net-zero emissions.
Membership is open to all stakeholder organizations who are willing to meet the membership obligations by actively participating in achieving the coalition’s stated objectives and comply with the organization’s collaborative and antitrust provisions.
Founding members of the coalition include ABS (American Bureau of Shipping), Bay Houston Towing Co., Caterpillar, Centerline Logistics, Chamber of Shipping of America, Citi, Crowley, Green Marine, Holland & Knight LLP, Kirby Corp., Lloyd’s Register, Marine Money, Marsoft Inc., MIT Sea Grant, Moran Towing, OSG, Port Houston, Purus Marine, Shell, The American Waterways Operators, The Water Institute of the Gulf, Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, Wärtsilä North American, Inc., and Washington Maritime Blue. Additionally, DNV, Matson, and Seaspan are Supporting Sponsors, and the Getting to Zero Coalition is a Knowledge Partner of the Coalition.
New Zealand Puts Seafarer Welfare Funding Into Law
The Port Chalmers Seafarers' Centre, second building from the left (Sailors' Society New Zealand)
In a historic move, the New Zealand government has updated its Maritime Transport Act 1994 to provide funding for seafarer welfare services, reflecting effective lobbying undertaken by the New Zealand Seafarer’s Welfare Board with support from Human Rights at Sea. The legislative amendment comes into force today.
“Today is a truly historic day for seafarers globally with a proven legislative route to long-term welfare service sustainability and financial security being applied through the maritime levy system," said HRAS CEO David Hammond. "The hard work undertaken by the New Zealand Seafarer’s Welfare Board has set a precedent that can now be mirrored by coastal states around the world to benefit all seafarers going forward. Human Rights at Sea is pleased to have been able to support this change.”
HRAS completed a study on New Zealand's welfare services and MLC compliance in April 2020, and it gave five key recommendations. The first and most important was a call for the New Zealand government to review funding for shore-based seafarers’ welfare facilities and services, which are required by the MLC.
The Seafarer’s Welfare Board (SWB) agreed, finding that charitable donations and volunteerism alone were not enough to meet the needs of the thousands of seafarers who call in New Zealand every year. “[The current situation] is not something we can sustain into the future. We desperately need the shipping companies, port authorities and all those who profit from the maritime sector to make some financial contribution to the care of crews coming ashore in New Zealand," concurred the board's chair, the Rev John McLister, following the publication of the report.
In October 2020, the New Zealand Government announced that it intended to amend the Maritime Transport Act and use the country's maritime levy to support seafarers’ wellbeing. Prior to the bill's passage, maritime levies under section 191 of the Maritime Transport Act were used for a range of shipping-related purposes, but they were not available to underwrite seafarer welfare services. On March 9, 2021, Transport Minister Michael Wood announced that the government was fulfilling its pre-election commitment. The minister later confirmed that "the government has made changes to the MTA which will remedy the situation and allow maritime levies to fund seafarer welfare services for the purposes of the MLC," effective July 1.
Figures obtained by HRAS suggest that the legislative amendment will affect 10 ports hosting a combined average of about 130,000 seafarers per year.
"In future, New Zealand's seafarer welfare support services will be financially reinforced, with every seafarer who visits the country being able to benefit from the investment into their working lives," HRAS said.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive
Study: In Nigeria, Illegal Fishing is Linked With Crime and Piracy
Boarding and inspection of a vessel suspected of involvement in illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea (USCG file image)
Like most countries in West Africa, Nigeria’s coastal waters contain diverse species of fish, which contribute to the food and economic security of its people.
Small-scale fishing operations contribute 80 percent of locally produced fish and support the livelihoods of 24 million Nigerians. 73 percent of those involved in fisheries in Nigeria are women.
The overall GDP contribution from fishing – small scale and industrial – was 0.84 percent in 2019 and 1.09 percent in 2020. The fisheries sector is therefore a route to socioeconomic development in Nigeria. But it also faces threats.
One of these is environmental pollution, primarily from the oil industry. Pollution degrades the maritime environment, destroys fish stocks and reduces the catch.
Another threat is illegal fishing, as our previous research has found. The first step is to understand the scale and complexity of illegal fishing and associated crime, and why it is happening.
Scale and costs
Recently, the Nigerian House of Representatives noted that the country loses $70 million each year to illegal fishing. This includes loss of licence fees, revenue from taxation and the value that could have been accrued from legitimate fishing by local vessels.
Other sources estimate the cost of illegal fishing in Nigeria as much higher, citing anywhere between $600 million and $800 million each year.
The variation in these figures reveals the difficulties in calculating the costs of clandestine activity. It’s also a result of budgetary neglect of the Nigerian Federal Fisheries Department. The department lacks the capacity to monitor, survey and control vessels operating in Nigeria.
Vessels from China, the European Union, and Belize are notable for illegally exploiting Nigerian waters.
Despite varying estimates, all sources agree that the economic losses caused by illegal fishing in Nigeria are high. But the figures alone paint a superficial picture of the true costs of illegal fishing. Illegal fishing does not occur in isolation.
Fisheries crime
Fisheries crime denotes a vast and diverse category of illegality and criminality that aids or accompanies illegal fishing. Such crimes can include corruption, customs fraud, human and drugs trafficking and piracy. Illegal fishing and fisheries crime also threaten human rights.
Our previous research found that illegal fishing was undermining people’s livelihoods. The lack of government support to address illegal fishing and protect livelihoods within fishing communities further pushes people into poverty. This makes them vulnerable to criminal networks.
Fisherfolks may end up participating in, and being victimized by, fisheries crime as a result. This is evidenced in increasing criminality through rising incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea throughout Nigeria’s coastal communities.
Maritime insecurity also has a gender dimension. Women in West African fisheries face unique challenges and risks such as poor access to capital, growing competition for access to depleting fish stocks, and policy exclusion.
Neglect and poor regulations
Despite the important contribution that fishing makes to the livelihoods of Nigerians, government neglects this sector. This is evident in the marginal budgetary allocation the sector receives yearly.
The Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Department of Nigeria’s Federal Fisheries Department is critical to managing Nigeria’s fisheries. Yet no budgetary allocation has been made to it in the last 15 years.
The Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Department lacks patrol vessels, and is therefore unable to monitor the activities of vessels operating in Nigeria. In 2017, the government announced plans to purchase patrol vessels, but it hasn’t done so yet.
The sector doesn’t receive enough funding to function effectively. Nigeria’s Fisheries Department operates within the country’s Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which was allocated less than two percent of the national budget in 2019.
Existing fisheries regulation is also inadequate. Nigeria’s fisheries are governed by the Sea Fisheries Act of 1992. These regulations are outdated and ill-equipped to address the current scale and severity of growing fisheries crime.
For example, in June 2020, a vessel, Hai Lu Feng 11, was fined ?3 million (under $7,300) for switching off its Vessel Monitoring System while in Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The Vessel Monitoring System is designed to provide estimates of fishing activity in near real time. Switching the system off suggests an intent to evade detection by the authorities. But this fine is tiny when considering the millions of dollars that illegal fishing costs the Nigerian economy each year.
Solutions to illegal fishing
Solving the problem of illegal fishing in Nigeria requires that the Federal Department of Fisheries is supported to operate effectively. As the agency charged to ensure the sustainable exploitation of Nigeria’s fisheries, it must be adequately funded.
Current fisheries regulations must also be updated to reflect the current realities and impacts of fisheries crime.
A holistic and collaborative approach is critical to addressing fisheries crime. A national maritime security strategy is needed to guide and facilitate inter-agency and regional cooperation. The strategy should include the establishment of an information-sharing platform.
The capture of the pirates that targeted Hai Lu Feng 11 vessel by the Nigeria navy was supported by the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea. This was through the regional online communications platform established under the West Africa Task Force.
This shows that cooperation between fisheries agencies and other maritime enforcement agencies is critical to stemming the tide of illegal fishing – and other crime at sea.
Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood is a Lecturer at University of St Andrews.
Sayra van den Berg Bhagwandas is a postdoctoral researcher at University of St Andrews.
This article appears courtesy of The Conversation and may be found in its original form here.
Nigeria Launches Deep Blue Campaign to Stop Regional Piracy
Nigeria has acquired $195 million in equipment to combat piracy (NIMSA)
Nigeria marked the official launch of its highly anticipated Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also known as the Deep Blue Project. The country’s leaders gathered to show off some of the $195 million of equipment that will be used in a coordinated effort with its primary objective of securing Nigerian waters along the Gulf of Guinea and the country’s oil infrastructure with a coordinated combination of land, sea, and air forces.
Leading up to the launch ceremonies, Nigeria’s Maritime Security Unit (MSU) of the Deep Blue Project, comprising personnel from the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police, and Department of State Services, conducted simulation exercises. Their goal was to demonstrate their preparedness for full deployment to fight the ongoing menace of piracy, mostly emerging from the Nigeria's Niger Delta region.
According to Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, “With the deployment of the assets of the Deep Blue Project, we are entering another level of national security designed for total spectrum maritime security and better domain awareness using some of the latest technology. This effort to secure our waters will give Nigerians more leverage to harness the enormous resources of our maritime environment and aid the drive towards economic diversification.”
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari lead the dedication ceremonies (NIMASA)
Security services have repeatedly warned recently of the increasing threats and dangers in the region from piracy. The Gulf of Guinea has seen the highest number of kidnappings and assaults on ships along with oil theft on land, robbery, and human and drug trafficking.
The Deep Blue Project is the first integrated maritime security strategy in West and Central Africa aimed at the ongoing threats of piracy and robbery. Among the assets that Nigeria will be deploying are 16 armored vehicles for coastal patrol, two special mission vessels, 17 fast interceptor boats, two special mission aircraft for surveillance of the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), three special mission helicopters for search and rescue operations, and four unmanned aerial vehicles. The Maritime Security Unit is made up of 600 specially trained troops.
Coordinating the efforts, the Nigerians have set up a central command and control center based in Lagos, which will also liaise with other regional security efforts. Nigeria also admits that prosecution of suspected criminals was a challenge in the past, but says that the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offenses (SPOMO) Act passed by its National Assembly will now provide legal backing for prosecution and punishment of offenders.
In addition to questions if Nigeria has the political will to truly confront piracy, security analysts have highlighted that the pirates are becoming more brazen and violent in their attacks. In January 2021, four armed assailants staged an attack on a box ship which was called the attack was well-coordinated and sophisticated that resulted in the death of one member of the crew and the abduction of 15 others. Recently, concerns have been raised that the pirates have been going after more targets including regional fishing vessels and operating further offshore, sometimes more than 200 nautical miles away from their camps in the Nigerian Delta.
While it is several years since plans for this initiative were first announced, the shipping industry welcomed the official launch of the program. In a joint statement from the leaders of shipping industry associations, the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERTANKO, INTERCARGO, and BIMCO as well as the Oil Companies International Marine Forum, they congratulated Nigeria expressing their hope that it “will seriously impact on the ability of pirate groups to prey on merchant shipping.”
In May, responding to growing concerns and increasing attacks in the region, a task force of stakeholders from across the shipping industry released the Gulf of Guinea declaration on the Suppression of Piracy. Since the release of the declaration three weeks ago, over 320 organizations across the maritime industry including flag state administrations, ship owners, charterers, and shipping associations, all signed on committing themselves to tangibly supporting anti-piracy law enforcement efforts, all aimed at finally bringing an end to the dangers of shipping in the Gulf of Guinea.
Port of Rotterdam Sees Potential to Import Green Hydrogen from Iceland
Geothermal power station, Iceland (Gretar Ivarsson / public domain)
Iceland's national electrical utility, Landsvirkjun, has partnered with the Port of Rotterdam to study the manufacture and export of green hydrogen from the energy-rich island nation to customers in Northern Europe. The early results suggest that the project could be technically feasible, financially viable and environmentally beneficial, the partners say.
The two companies mapped the components of the chain from renewable power generation and hydrogen production in Iceland and then shipping to the port of Rotterdam. They evaluated multiple hydrogen carriers (hydrogen-containing compounds) taking into account energy density, costs, demand and other factors.
The study found that an initial green hydrogen export project could be completed in the second half of this decade and could be scaled in the range of 200 to 500 MW of electrical power capacity. In the longer term, the potential CO2 reduction achieved by using the project's output could be in the range of millions of tons.
The energy supply would be a combination of renewable generation sources, including hydropower, geothermal and wind. The availability of multiple "green" power sources is a unique advantage for Iceland, and the partners say that it would lead to a competitive price for Icelandic hydrogen on the European market. The hydrogen would be produced through electrolysis and then either liquified or converted into a carrier for transport to Rotterdam, where it would be recovered for use at the port or in the hinterland.
The port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest port and energy hub, and it aims to become Europe's largest hydrogen import hub in the decades ahead. On a request from the Dutch government, the Port of Rotterdam Authority has identified high potential sources of imported hydrogen to meet Europe’s future demand, and Iceland was one of the strong contenders.
"We are very excited by the results of the study as well by the good chemistry between our two companies," said Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority. "Iceland always has been a frontrunner in renewable power production. This new green energy for Europe, distributed via Rotterdam’s terminals and hydrogen backbone, could further help decarbonize our industrial complex and our customers elsewhere in Europe."
The port has launched multiple hydrogen-related initiatives, both on its facilities and abroad. It is working with the German energy company Uniper on a plan to produce green hydrogen at its Maasvlakte port complex; it is exploring a hydrogen supply chain for German steelmakers Thyssenkrupp and HKM; it is a member of a global hydrogen value chain study consortium; it has helped launch a large-scale hydrogen-powered trucking initiative for Northern Europe; and it is supporting a project to facilitate hydrogen-powered inland shipping on the Rhine-Alpine corridor.
Steepest Decline in Cargo Volumes Since 2009 at Dutch Seaports
Throughput at seaports in the Netherlands experienced the steepest decline in 2020 since the 2009 financial crisis. While the impact of the coronavirus pandemic was apparent on shipping, the Dutch national statistical agency Statistics Netherlands (CBS) released a report seeking to quantify the impact on the seaports and trade including the Port of Rotterdam’s which is Europe’s busiest container port.
In 2020, the total volume of incoming and outgoing cargo shipments to and from Dutch seaports declined by more than eight percent to nearly 558 million tons. According to the statics, incoming shipments of dry and wet bulk were the hardest hit in 2020 with substantial declines in volumes. Container throughput, on the other hand, rose slightly in 2020.
Dutch seaports imported nearly three times as much cargo, 377 million tons, versus outbound cargo which was just over 507 million tons. Last year, the transshipment of unloaded goods, which made up 65.5 percent of total throughput, was 11.2 percent lower than in 2019. Outbound sea freight declined by nearly two percent.
By far, the largest declines came in the dry bulk segments, which were down 20 percent overall in 2020. The decline in German steel production contributed to a decline of more than a sixth in coal shipments and nearly a quarter in ores. The largest decline in coal shipments was from the United States, which was down by 38 percent year over year. Similarly, coal shipments from Russia dropped by more than 23 percent, contributing to a decline in cargo volumes from Russia of just over 13 percent. A sixth of all cargo arriving t Dutch seaports however came from Russia during 2020.
The decline in the volume of unloaded ores (down 22 percent) was largely on account of Brazil. The volume plummeted by 6 million tons (down 41.6 percent), while the total decline in incoming ore shipments stood at 7.5 million tons.
The decrease in liquid bulk volume was mainly caused by fewer shipments of petroleum products and crude oil. Fewer flights and less passenger traffic during the coronavirus crisis play a role in contributing to the decline in the throughput of fuel oil, gas oil, and diesel. Overall petroleum products were down nearly 15 percent while crude oil shipments were down more than eight percent.
While bulk goods recorded a sharp drop in throughput, container throughput increased slightly (.4 percent) in 2020. The total volume of incoming and outgoing container cargo amounted to 134 million tons. Outbound container cargo rose by 1.5 percent, while inbound cargo declined slightly for the year.
Like most of the world’s ports, the Dutch seaports saw a strong recovery in volumes in the second half of 2020. Inbound and outbound volumes were each down over one percent in the first half of the year. However, in the second half of 2020, the weight of unloaded container goods was more or less the same as one year previously, while the weight of the loaded cargo was four percent higher.
Almost 98 percent of the containers in the Netherlands are unloaded and loaded in the Port of Rotterdam. Rotterdam is Europe's largest container port with over 14.3 million TEUs, followed by Antwerp (12 million TEU) and Hamburg (8.5 million TEU). In 2020, the number of containers handled in the Port of Rotterdam fell by 3.1 percent while Hamburg experienced a larger decline (down 7.9 percent) while Antwerp recorded a small increase (1.4 percent).
Of the countries in the top 10 of cargo throughput, only inbound shipments from the United Kingdom increased relative to 2019 (2.6 percent). This is because 16.0 percent more crude oil was shipped from the UK.
