Battery recycling shatters the myth of electric-vehicle waste

Bloomberg News | April 24, 2024 |

Credit: Li-Cycle

Making a battery for an electric vehicle typically requires mining hundreds of pounds of hard-to-extract minerals. That’s put a spotlight on batteries’ heavy environmental toll, at least upfront.


But the latest advances in battery recycling, including by leading US battery recycler Redwood Materials, are shrinking EVs’ footprint.

Traditional methods of ripping materials out of the ground and refining them for battery backs requires enormous amounts of energy. As a result, the initial carbon footprint of an EV is higher than a comparable internal combustion engine vehicle. Those upfront emissions are paid back over time with the superior efficiency of electric motors, leading to a 70% reduction in total emissions over the average life of the vehicle.

In the US, it takes about 25,500 miles (41,000 kilometers) of driving for an EV to break even, according to a BloombergNEF analysis. That payback figure, however, assumes that every EV is made with newly mined lithium, nickel and cobalt — as if all the materials will end up in a landfill at the end of a vehicle’s life. But that’s not what’s happening. EV batteries are simply too valuable to toss out, and a new industry of recyclers is busy snatching them all up.

Though still in its infancy, EV recycling is already profitable and capable of recovering more than 95% of the key minerals. A new analysis by Stanford University researchers, which is still under peer review, found that Redwood Materials’ recycling process produces up to 80% fewer emissions than the traditional supply chain using CO2 belching refineries. That’s enough to shorten an average EV’s environmental breakeven time with an internal combustion vehicle to less than 15,000 miles. Every mile thereafter is a carbon win against the internal combustion engine.

Clean electricity matters

Fully assessing when an EV hits its breakeven point depends on the source of electricity used for battery manufacturing and charging the vehicle. Cleaner electricity means a shorter payback period, but even in regions that still get electricity from coal, EVs eventually win out.

The boom in renewable energy will make EVs even less polluting. Solar installations have set annual records worldwide for 22 consecutive years, and the pace appears to be accelerating, according to data from the International Energy Agency. By 2030, when the US grid is expected to get two thirds of its power from carbon-free sources, an EV built with recycled materials could break even on emissions in a matter of months.

The Stanford report found that recycling batteries used 79% less energy and resulted in 55% fewer CO2 emissions compared to traditional refining. Additional savings come from keeping the recycling supply chain local compared to the globe-circling refining process for freshly extracted minerals. Closing the loop brings the total CO2 savings to 80%.

The benefits of recycling are only just beginning to accrue, according to Will Tarpeh, an assistant professor of chemical engineering and one of the Stanford paper’s senior authors. That’s because EVs are still new, and only relatively small numbers are ready for the recycling heap.

Still, the world is already on track to recycle twice as much lithium-ion battery supply in 2024 as it manufactured in 2014. When considering the environmental toll of an EV, it’s increasingly important to measure the footprint of the materials going in and how it shrinks when some inevitably get a second life.

As recycling grows to rival traditional mining and refining operations, simplicity will become more central to battery design, said Tarpeh.

“Recycling is just catching up to the batteries that we’ve made,” Tarpeh said. “Not very many people are looking at recyclability when they develop battery chemistry, but I think that’s really starting to change.”

(By Tom Randall)

ESG Watch: Why climate change is leaving mining firms between a rock and a hard place

Reuters | April 23, 2024 | 

Stock image.

For most of us, when we think about mining and the environment, it tends to be about water and air pollution, disasters such as the fatal collapse of tailings dams, or the global warming consequences of coal mining.


But the extraction of metals such as copper, nickel and cobalt will be increasingly important as we urgently seek ways to cut emissions from other building blocks of the global economy such as steel, cement and aluminum.

By 2050, the World Bank forecasts that demand for the metals and minerals used to produce the clean energy technologies that will be needed to meet Paris Climate Agreement goals will increase by almost 500%.

New mines will bring increased risks to nature and biodiversity. Conservation group Re:wild warned recently, for example, that more than a third of Africa’s great apes are at risk because of the surge in demand for the minerals that are vital for green technologies.

At the same time, the sector is itself becoming more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including increased flooding, heatwaves, drought and increased competition for water. A McKinsey study found that 30%-50% of production for copper, gold, iron ore and zinc is in areas of high water stress, and those figures are predicted to rise.

“In Chile, 80% of copper production is already located in extremely high water-stressed and arid areas; by 2040, it will be 100%,” the consultancy says, adding that 40% of Russian iron ore production will suffer from extreme water stress by 2040.

Recently, mines from Brazil to Germany have had to shut down temporarily because of water shortages, costing their operators millions of dollars. Reducing the water intensity of mining operations will be crucial to improve the resilience of production assets. Extreme heat and sea level rise are other climate impacts the sector will have to address.

The industry also faces pressure to cut its own emissions as businesses across the world increasingly look at the carbon impact of their supply chains.

“Although metals are not yet priced on their CO2 footprint, that day could come,” McKinsey points out.

Coal, which currently accounts for about half of the global mining market, may be flying high at the moment, but demand, not just from power generation but also from steelmakers and cement producers, will recede as the pressure to decarbonize increases. Many mining companies face having to rebalance their portfolios to replace revenues from coal production.

The Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030 was launched in 2023 to address key systemic risks that challenge the mining sector’s ability to meet the demands of the low-carbon transition. As they scale up production of transition minerals, “they must do so responsibly and without harm to communities and the environment – or risk conflict and opposition from host communities that will in turn undermine the global climate transition,” it says.

The commission, backed by $13 trillion of assets under management, is chaired by Adam Matthews, who is also chief responsible investment officer of the Church of England Pensions Board. He says the commission’s focus areas include artisanal mining, child labour, the impact of automation and the future workforce, indigenous communities’ and First Nations’ rights, impacts on biodiversity, climate change, tailings dams, conflict reconciliation and corruption.

“To meet our climate targets, a lot of mines need to be expanded or developed from scratch in areas with a lot of complex dynamics,” Matthews says. “We need a global focus on what is needed for the transition, and where those assets are located, communities need to benefit.”

Energy analysts Wood Mackenzie say the switch to net zero “will require a total rethink of what the mining and metals space is, and where it needs to be”.

The industry will have to electrify its operations as much as possible, not just through the use of renewable electricity but also by replacing giant diesel-fuelled trucks with alternatives powered by batteries or fuel cells, or using LNG, hydrogen and e-fuels. There will also be opportunities to improve efficiency through the use of autonomous fleets, while artificial intelligence and machine learning should also streamline operations and identify opportunities to cut emissions.

Matthews, however, stresses that mining works on a multi-decadal time frame that often comes up against short-term investor horizons. “A lot of these things take a considerable amount of work, real engagement with communities and challenge business models that focus on shorter time frames than the industry actually works to,” he says.

While there are a number of initiatives to help operators to reduce their impacts, these are not always well developed or universally applied. “There is a complex landscape of standards and we need some consolidation,” Matthews points out. “And in some areas, there are no standards. There was no standard for tailings until recently, for example, but one is now being developed.”

Schneider Electric’s Materialize platform, which it launched in April with the Global Mining Guidelines group and Glencore, is an initiative that aims to bring mining and minerals groups together to cut emissions in the sector’s global supply chain.

“There is a multitude of different players across mining, minerals and metals, of different sizes and with different capabilities to be able to decarbonize,” says Rob Moffitt, president, mining, minerals and metals at Schneider Electric. “Materialize was formed to help those companies create a critical mass across the value chain.”

One area where the platform could have a significant effect is in increasing the use of renewable energy. “By combining the purchasing power of different companies, we can accelerate the deployment of clean energy through utility-scale PPAs (power-purchase agreements),” Moffitt says.

The platform will also be used to engage thousands of suppliers, share best practice and allow companies to track emissions from suppliers.

“There will be far more pressure on the supply of critical minerals in future,” he says. “If we are going to decarbonize, we really need these industries. But we need to work out how to produce these minerals in a more sustainable way.”

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, Mike Scott, a freelance writer for Reuters.)

E-haul trucks could result in major savings for miners but adoption is slow – report

Staff Writer | April 24, 2024 |

Caterpillar haul truck. (Image by Caterpillar).

A new report by IDTechEx states that investing in e-haul trucks could result in major savings for miners due to the replacement of diesel with cheaper electricity, as these vehicles have the most intensive duty cycles of any vehicle in a mine.


“A single 150-tonne haul truck can save over $5.5 million in energy costs alone,” the report reads. “This is widely applicable across all vehicle weights, with heavier trucks providing even greater upside, highlighting the potential savings that can be generated when an entire fleet of haul trucks is electrified.”

Yet, the document points out that miners worry about the size and cost of haul truck batteries, as well as about the fact that they will need multiple replacements within a 10-year window.

“The large batteries needed for electric haul trucks have perhaps been the largest technological and financial bottlenecks inhibiting their adoption, but they are now sufficiently developed and competitively priced for wider use. These batteries regularly exceed 1 MWh, with the largest ones approaching 2 MWh,” the report reads.

“IDTechEx has collated a database of all existing EV haul truck models, showing that current vehicle runtimes remain under six hours on a single charge. For a 150-tonne haul truck to operate for this duration, it will require a battery pack of over 1700 kWh and cost over $500,0000.”

(Graph by IDTechEx).

In the market analyst’s view, energy savings will comfortably exceed the added cost of a single battery. However, the firm’s experts forecast electric haul trucks will need an additional five battery replacements per vehicle on average, costing an extra $2.6 million.

“More cost factors also play into the total cost of ownership of electric haul trucks. On average, a 150-tonne truck will be able to save around $340,000 in maintenance costs in its lifetime. However, an electric driveline is needed for $70,000, plus the labour of retrofitting which IDTechEx estimates at $360,000.

While these are relevant and substantial costs, they pale in comparison to the amounts spent on diesel or batteries and are not the key determinants in haul truck economics,” the dossier notes.

The market researcher’s figures show that despite multiple battery replacements, total ownership costs are strongly in favour of electrification as mining companies will be able to save nearly $2.5 million per electrified haul truck, and trucks will break even on their added CAPEX in under three years.

The report also points out that given that the volumes of electric haul trucks are still so small, there is room for the cost of batteries to fall below the estimated $300/kWh.

(Graph by IDTechEx).
Not there yet

Despite electric haul trucks being cheaper to operate, more productive and environmentally friendlier than existing diesel trucks, IDTechEx’s file notes that haul truck electrification is still in its nascent stages.

“Only one or two electric haul trucks have been made per year, and only in 2023 did the total number of these vehicles tip into the double digits. The majority of these have been prototypes and testing models developed by the mining companies themselves and independent retrofitters instead of OEMs,” the report reads. “They repurpose existing diesel machines to install batteries or fuel cells for zero-emission operation. First Mode and WAE have been the two most active players in this area and are expanding their retrofitting capacities in the near term.”

According to the market researcher, more recently, major mining OEMs such as Caterpillar and Komatsu are seeking to develop and commercialize e-haul trucks, with Caterpillar building the 793 Electric prototype, currently in testing and with aims for commercialization by 2027, and Komatsu developing its 830E electric, aiming for production pre-2030.

“If electric haul trucks are so financially attractive, why are they not yet widespread? First and most importantly, batteries require size and endurance that are in line with the demands of haul truck duty cycles while still maintaining relative affordability.

This aspect has only recently been achievable from battery suppliers such as CATL, ABB, and Northvolt, and the industry is now expanding in response,” the dossier states. “Development of haul truck batteries is in its infancy – a wide range of designs and chemistries are currently being employed to meet performance demands, and there is yet to be an industry-wide consensus.”

For IDTechEx’s analysts, productivity is another sticking point in the adoption of electric haul trucks as currently, an electric truck can’t match the uptime of diesel.

“Where a diesel truck only needs 10 minutes a day to refuel, EVs need to be charged multiple times a day for two to three hours in total. Mining companies will not be willing to adopt a technology if it means sacrificing the productivity and output of their operations,” the report concludes.

European firms, banks must boost investment in critical minerals, official says

Reuters | April 23, 2024 |

The Mina do Barroso project is set to be one of Europe’s first significant producer of spodumene, a hard-rock form of lithium.

 (Image courtesy of ASMAA | YouTube.)

European firms such as automakers and financial institutions need to step up investment in critical minerals for the region to develop domestic sources of the key raw materials for the energy transition, the head of an EU-funded organisation said.


The European Union has launched an ambitious roadmap to accelerate production of minerals such as lithium and rare earths needed for electric vehicles (EVs) and wind turbines.

“There’s literally no equity being invested by financial institutions into the sector,” Bernd Schaefer, CEO of EIT RawMaterials, told Reuters.

“We also need more commitment from downstream players,” he said, referring to end users of the materials. “That has to change if we really want to move forward and act accordingly to what is stipulated in the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).”

EIT RawMaterials is helping to implement an EU plan to provide the critical raw materials needed to meet the bloc’s target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Under the CRMA, due to enter into force in coming months, the bloc has set 2030 targets for domestic production of minerals required for its green transition – 10% of annual needs mined, 25% recycled and 40% processed in Europe.

Demand for 34 raw materials including copper, nickel and rare earths is forecast to rise sharply. The European Commission has estimated that the EU will require 18 times more lithium in 2030 than in 2020 and fives times more cobalt.

Governments such as France, Germany and Italy have launched national investment funds which include support for critical mineral projects, but more needs to be done, Schaefer said.

The situation in Europe contrasts with the US, where the Inflation Reduction Act offers $369 billion in tax breaks over 10 years for the domestic production of electric vehicles, batteries, hydrogen or solar panels.

Schaefer noted that Germany’s Vacuumschmelze (VAC) is working with General Motors to build a North American factory to make rare earth permanent magnets.

The VAC/GM deal, which will help the automaker meet its EV growth ambitions, highlights the need to implement an EU action plan for permanent magnets proposed in 2021, Schaefer added.

“Up until now, the biggest Western-world magnet producer has been in Germany. In two years time, it is most likely to be in the US,” he said.

“Risk aversion in Europe is prevailing. I think European companies are on a learning curve and I’m hopeful and positive they will step up.”

Neo Performance Materials is building a rare earths permanent magnet factory in Estonia, which is due to launch output next year. The company already has a plant for separating rare earths in the country.

(By Eric Onstad; Editing by Jan Harvey and Mark Potter)

Five Eyes countries working to fight critical minerals dumping, Canada minister says

Reuters | April 23, 2024 | 

Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. Credit: Adobe Stock

Canada and its Five Eyes Alliance partners are working on put forward a response to tackle the price manipulation of critical metals, Canada’s Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said on Tuesday.


The US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have what is called the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network and the finance ministers from these countries met last Thursday for the spring session of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington.

Freeland said that she and her counterparts from the Five Eyes Alliance discussed last week on how these countries could “friendshore” their critical minerals supply chain to fight the dumping of critical minerals in the international market by large producing countries, such as China and Indonesia.

The World Economic Forum describes ‘friendshoring’ as a trade practice where supply chain networks are focused on countries that are regarded as political and economic allies.

Freeland said Canada and its allies believe that nickel and other rare earth minerals are intentionally flooded in the market with the purpose of driving Canadian and companies from allied countries out of business.

“Canada is actively working what we can do to discuss collective responses,” she said, adding that economic security needs to be part of national security. Freeland was addressing the media at the annual First Nations Major Projects Coalition conference in Toronto.

Canada has listed 31 metals as critical minerals, which are necessary towards future energy and technology transition.

Dumping is an anti-competitive trade practice in which a country exports certain products at a price lower than what is sold in its home country.

In March this year, Canada’s Natural Resource Minister Jonathan Wilkinson had echoed similar concerns regarding price manipulation and dumping of metals used in electric vehicles.

Canada as part of its effort to encourage investments in the critical metal and electric vehicle supply chain has offered investment tax credits in its recent annual budget that is set to attract interest from global car makers such as Honda.

Freeland said that while the US has the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation aimed at investments in clean energy that transformed the global investment landscape, Canada’s investment policy is the only one in the world that gives the US “a run for its money”.

(By Divya Rajagopal)

Eurasian Resources denies circumventing Congo subcontracting laws

Reuters | April 24, 2024 | 

Chambishi plant. Image by Eurasian Resources.

Kazakh miner Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has denied accusations it tried to bypass Democratic Republic of Congo’s subcontracting laws designed to boost local ownership in the mining sector, job creation, and benefits to the country’s economy.


In a statement published last week, Congo’s government accused ERG of passing off nine subcontracting companies as majority partners with “fictitious” shares in order to circumvent legislation requiring that Congolese shareholders own 50% of subcontracting shares.

The Regulatory Authority for Subcontracting in the Private Sector, a government body, said that more than $535 million in sales had wrongly gone to foreign-owned subcontractors in 2023.

It said it would “take appropriate measures followed by exemplary sanctions” against what it described as the “proven cases of fraud.”

The fraud has been discovered within ERG’s assets Metalkol, Comide, Frontier, Boss Mining and its subcontractors Rocada, Roche Solide, Standar Fiable, Technologies Global, Etalon SA, Surtek, Socom, Transversal and Vision, the regulator said.

On Wednesday, ERG responded to the accusations, stating that the subcontractors were not directly associated with it.

“ERG categorically denies any involvement in illicit activities,” the company said in a statement, adding that it has been exchanging information with the regulatory authority.

Luxembourg-Based ERG is owned jointly by 3 private shareholders and the government of Kazakhstan which has the remaining 40% stake.

The firm is addressing identified discrepancies in contracts with suppliers found ineligible under applicable laws, and actively seeking alternative suppliers, ERG said.

Congo state miner Gecamines said in February it had made an offer to buy three of ERG’s copper and cobalt assets in the country.

(By Ange Kasongo, Felix Njini, Sonia Rolley and Portia Crowe; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Elaine Hardcastle)

Ghana miners seek termination of Future Global Resources’ lease

Bloomberg News | April 24, 2024 |

Bogoso-Prestea underground gold mine in Ghana. Credit: Golden Star Resources.

Ghana Mine Workers Union is demanding the termination of the mining lease of Future Global Resources Ltd. because the company lacks the finances to invest and operate the Bogoso-Prestea gold mine it acquired more than three years ago.


The 15,000-member union is planning demonstrations Thursday and Friday in the capital, Accra, to urge the government to withdraw the license of the unit of UK-based Blue International Holdings, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, general secretary of the union, said in a phone interview.

“Since FGR took over the business in 2020 it hasn’t invested anything in the business and clearly it has brought the business to its knees,” Gbana said. “Since December mining activity has been at standstill after the state energy producer cut supply to the mine for nonpayment of bills,” he said.

Acting General Manager of Future Global Resources Ltd. Ken Allen did not respond to phone calls and text message Wednesday seeking comment.

The company owes millions of dollars to mainly local suppliers and vendors, and workers have virtually been out of work in the past four months, he said. The mine, which was producing 150,000 ounces of gold a year prior to acquisition, now struggles to turn out 60% of that, he said.

Blue International Holdings formed FGR in 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary to acquire high quality long-term mining assets in sub-Saharan Africa, according to its website. In October that year it took over the Bogoso-Prestea mine located in the Ashanti Region of Africa’s biggest gold producer for about $95 million.

“We take the view that the inability of FGR to invest into the business and thus the untold hardship that our members continue to go through, are what are accounting for our decision to embark on this demonstration,” Gbana said. “We want to bring to the attention of the government that FGR has not been able to comply with the dictates of the lease and for that matter the mining lease should be terminated so that the mine can be put on sale.”

Future Global Resources Ltd. owns 90% of the mine and the government of Ghana holds 10%. FGR bought the mine from Toronto-based Golden Star Resources Ltd., which was later acquired in 2022 by China’s Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining Co.

(By Moses Mozart Dzawu)

 

Two Dead, Six Injured in First Quarter at S. Asian Shipbreaking Yards

File image courtesy NGO Shipbreaking Platform

PUBLISHED APR 23, 2024 5:21 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Shipbreaking remains dirty and dangerous work, particularly in South Asia, the NGO Shipbreaking Platform reminded the industry in its latest update. While South Asian beaching yards pay far more per tonne for end-of-life tonnage, they have a certain ESH reputation from years of fatalities and injuries, which continued in recent months. 

In Pakistan, two workers were killed when an iron plate fell onto them at Dewan Shipbreaking, one of the many plots in Gadani. The local union reports that the workers were dismantling the bulker Catherine Bright when they were crushed, and claims that they were forced to work without proper safety measures in place. The union claims that the workers' bodies were quietly buried at night, without any post-mortem, in order to reduce liability exposure for the yard owner and labor contractor. 

"Pakistani authorities have failed to impose necessary measures to safeguard sustainable ship recycling practices. The killing of Qasim and Mustafa adds to a growing number of deaths that could have been avoided in Gadani, where fifteen vessels have been beached in the past year," said NGO Shipbreaking Platform in a statement. 

The quarter also saw at least six significant injuries, all in Bangladesh. Two security guards were injured in a fall in the engine room of Chinese-owned Hao 3. A worker in the Hong Kong Convention-compliant yard SN Corporation broke a leg aboard the Japanese-owned Sight, sold via a cash buyer. A torch operator injured his back in a fall aboard Chinese-owned Jin Hai Xi, and another two workers were hurt while dismantling the Malaysian-owned tanker Nautica. 

NGO Shipbreaking Platform has tallied a total of 449 deaths and 408 injuries at South Asian yards since 2009, or one casualty for every 10 ships broken. The NGO believes that injuries are widely underreported, and that the true count is likely higher. 

To deal with the aftermath of these accidents, the NGO sets up periodic healthcare and training events for injured workers, hoping to rehabilitate them for other trades where their disabilities will not prevent them from earning a living. The group is collecting donations for this mission, and the costs are relatively low at about $400 for a six-month vocational training for one worker.  

 

Polymeric Solutions Contributing to Maritime Decarbonization

Fender attached to eWolf during construction

PUBLISHED APR 24, 2024 12:32 PM BY BELZONA

 

A range of new technologies are emerging to help the maritime sector meet the challenges of decarbonization. Belzona, a designer and manufacturer of polymer repair composites and industrial protective coatings, recently participated in the effort to complete the United States’ first all-electric tugboat, the eWolf. The company provides unique solutions that make repairs possible supporting a circular economic business model that further mitigates carbon emissions.

Meeting the emerging international regulations and the International Maritime Organization’s aspirational goals for reducing carbon emissions will require a tripling of renewable energy capacity and a doubling of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. One of the fundamental ways in which the maritime sector can achieve these goals is through “scalable zero-emission fuels,” and other pioneering technologies. The eWolf, as the U.S.’s first zero-emission tug powered by electricity from its battery system, is a huge step forward in terms of decarbonization.

Launched in 2023, the 82-foot (25-meter) eWolf is leading the way in terms of mitigating the climate impact of the maritime sector. Over the first 10 years of its use, the operation of the new “eTug” will reduce 178 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx), 2.5 tons of diesel particulate matter, and 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), versus a conventional tugboat.

The eWolf is capable of speeds of up to 12 knots and will be powered by a 6.2 megawatt-hour main propulsion battery and two electric motors. The electricity comes from a charging station that is part of a microgrid facility, equipped with two energy storage containers. Battery modules in each container have a storage capacity of nearly 1.5 megawatt-hours.

 

eWolf's forward fender held together with come-alongs during the curing process

 

Bonding Solution Required for Front Fender

The front fender for the eWolf needed to be bonded together using a strong adhesive that would withstand pushing and pulling forces during the process of adhering the fender to the eTug. Having established confidence in Belzona technology from using their polymeric systems in previous applications, the customer chose Belzona once again for the application.

Following an inspection by Micah Heath, Technical Consultant at Belzona Distributorship, Belzona Alabama, the fast curing, one-part elastomeric primer, Belzona 2911 (Elastomer QD Conditioner), was specified. This conditioner is optimized for adhesion to a variety of substrates including rubber, as required for this particular application. For the bonding, the polyurethane resin, Belzona 2211, was specified. This flexible rubber repair material is optimized for applications where high build, durability, and elasticity are required.

“Once the required surface preparation was completed using grinding wheels and MBX Bristle Blaster, the conditioner, Belzona 2911 (Elastomer QD Conditioner), was applied,” explains Heath. “As soon as the conditioner was touch dry, Belzona 2211 was used to attach the plugs into the fender, and then attach the three-part fender together. The application team used a manual cable puller to apply the necessary pressure to ensure the various surfaces were sufficiently pressed together. Once completed, the application was left for 36 hours to cure, achieving an excellent mechanical bond.”

 

Fender plugs prior to attachment

Polyurethane resin, Belzona 2211, applied to prepared surface

 

Contributing to the Circular Economic Business Model

In addition to pioneering technology like the eTug, Belzona highlights that polymeric systems also play a key role in the decarbonization of the maritime sector. Belzona’s circular economic business model is grounded in the practice of repairing and improving damaged assets, rather than decommissioning and replacing them. Not only does this allow the asset owner to make considerable financial savings, but it also mitigates the carbon footprint incurred during the process of replacing damaged assets. In turn, this supports a net zero by 2050 pathway, in line with the Paris Agreement.

In addition, Belzona systems are manufactured according to the ISO 9001 quality management systems and are approved by classification societies from all around the world including Lloyd’s Register, American Bureau of Shipping, Bureau Veritas, RINA Services, DNV, China Classification Society, and the Korean Register of Shipping. 

 

This article is sponsored by Belzona. For more information, please visit: www.Belzona.com 
 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Philly Shipyard and HD Hyundai Sign MOU for Cooperation on US Shipbuilding

Philly Shipyard is one of the leading U.S. Jones Act shipbuilders (file photo)

PUBLISHED APR 24, 2024 12:38 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

South Korea’s HD Heavy Industries is continuing its push to expand its international military work with an announcement that it plans to explore a potential business relationship with Philly Shipyard, a U.S. shipbuilding that is a leader in building U.S. coastal trade vessels under the Jones Act. The companies confirmed that they entered into a memorandum of understanding for future cooperation on opportunities for U.S. government shipbuilding projects.

News of the agreement comes just weeks after U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro toured Korean shipyards and called for efforts to restore and expand U.S. shipbuilding capabilities. Del Toro this week speculated about the possibilities of international shipyards building modules sent to the U.S. for incorporation into construction projects. 

Philly Shipyard has a history of working with the Koreans. Between 2005 and 2017 they noted a cooperation with Hyundai on 22 commercial product tankers with HHI supporting design and procurement. Philly Shipyard later worked with the engineering and naval architecture division of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, DSEC, which is now part of Hanwha Ocean after the conglomerate acquired control of DSME in 2023.

The MOU with HHI was signed during a visit by the company’s executives to the Philly Shipyard on April 12. Speaking to the Korean media, the Hyundai executives said they had toured the yard and explored the opportunities for sharing their technology for construction and maintenance projects at the U.S. shipyard.

Philly Shipyard was founded in 1997 by a public-private partnership between U.S. Government agencies and the then Kvaerner Shipbuilding Division, which later became Norway’s Aker group which continues to own approximately 60 percent of Philly Shipyards. The company is also publicly traded on the Euronext Expand Oslo.

In announcing the agreement, Hyundai said it looked forward to the opportunities for cooperation for U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and government vessels. They noted since 2003, Philly Shipyards has built more than 50 percent of the large U.S. merchant vessels under the Jones Act, Currently, the yard is undertaking the project for the five new MARAD U.S. training ships, last year started construction on a rock installation vessel for Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, and has an order for three LNG-fueled containerships for Matson. The orderbook runs to 2027, and while most of the yard’s work is commercial ships, it has also undertaken maintenance projects for the U.S. government. 

“We will expand our presence in the global defense industry through our cooperation with the U.S. firm in the construction, maintenance, repair, and overhaul of naval and public vessels,” said Joo Won-ho, head of HD HHI’s naval and special ship business unit.

Last year it was reported that Philly Shipyard was in discussions with Hanwha Ocean over a possible acquisition. Hanwha confirmed to Korean analysts that it had explored the deal. This year, the company reported the launch of a U.S. subsidiary as it said it was exploring opportunities in the shipbuilding market.

Both Hyundai and Hanwha are moving aggressively to expand their international business. Hanwha recently approached Australian-based Austal about the possible acquisition. HD Hyundai recently announced strategic partnerships with U.S. defense contractor GE Aerospace to support efforts with developing propulsion systems as well as to cooperate in maintenance, repair, and overhaul projects, and in an effort to participate in the Royal Australian Navy frigate project. They also formed a partnership with L3 Harris Technologies, a global defense company, to win orders for the Canadian submarine project. Hyundai recently received an order to build four ships for Peru’s Navy and is competing for additional projects.