Climate Skeptics See Trump Opportunity to Reverse U.S. Policies

By Charles Kennedy - Nov 12, 2024





Organizations and activists skeptical of climate change have sent a memo to Trump’s transition team to call for gutting most of the science behind EPA’s regulations and reversing President Biden’s “anti-coal policies,” Bloomberg reports.

The groups include Illinois-based think tank Heartland Institute, Virginia-based Energy & Environment Legal Institute, and the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, which runs a website that promotes climate change skepticism.

Donald Trump’s win in last week’s presidential election “is a tremendous opportunity” to reverse most of President Biden’s climate and environmental protection policies, James Taylor, the president of the Heartland Institute, told Bloomberg.

“Donald Trump has demonstrated during his first four years in office that he will not be misled by the climate crisis myth,” Taylor said.

The groups are urging the president-elect to support coal for electricity production and gut the science behind the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rules on pollution.

They are also seeking “delisting” of areas designated by the current administration for offshore wind, and preventing the U.S. grid from becoming too reliant on “variable” wind and solar power generation as a matter of national security.

Trump himself has vowed to scrap offshore wind, on day one.

“They destroy everything, they’re horrible, the most expensive energy there is. They ruin the environment, they kill the birds, they kill the whales,” Trump said on the campaign trail.

Climate skeptics are also urging Trump to repeal the so-called “endangerment finding” of the EPA, which found that rising emissions endanger public health and which underpins many EPA regulations.

Another Trump pullout from the 2015 Paris climate agreement should be accompanied by a Senate vote to prevent a future president from rejoining, the organizations say.

Yet, one of the top U.S. oil companies, ExxonMobil, has just warned President-elect Trump it would be a bad idea to leave the Paris Agreement, saying it would create uncertainty for the business world.

“I don’t think the stops and starts are the right thing for businesses,” Exxon’s CEO Darren Woods told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. “It is extremely inefficient. It creates a lot of uncertainty.”

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

Trump picks former congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the EPA

Bloomberg News | November 11, 2024

Lee Zeldin. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

President-elect Donald Trump has selected former New York congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, placing the Long Island Republican in charge of his plans to boost energy production and curb regulations.


If confirmed by the Senate, Zeldin would take the lead of an agency whose air, water, chemical and biofuel regulations touch nearly every sector of the US economy — from mammoth oil refineries to family farms.

“He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet,” Trump said in a statement.

The EPA will play a direct role in Trump’s pledges to speed the construction of gas-fired power plants and curb President Joe Biden-era regulations that reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from the electric and transportation sectors.

Zeldin would take office with a sweeping mandate to roll back several rules targeting power plant pollution. The measures are seen as hastening the closure of coal-fired power plants, even as US demand for electricity soars to serve data centers, factories and other needs. The agency pulled a similar maneuver during Trump’s first term in office, easing former President Barack Obama’s sweeping Clean Power Plan and replacing it with more lenient pollution targets.

Zeldin, in a social media post, said he would work to “restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.”

Zeldin is a former Republican Congressman who represented the eastern end of New York’s Long Island from 2015 through 2023, after spending four years in the New York State Senate. He’s a Jewish army veteran, who ran for governor of New York in 2022 but lost by six points to incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul.

His record on the environment is mixed. In 2018, he joined a bipartisan delegation of New York lawmakers including Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, to call on then-Interior Department Secretary Ryan Zinke to oppose drilling off the coast of Long Island.

The League of Conservation Voters has given Zeldin a lifetime score of only 14% for routinely voting against environmental legislation while in Congress. In his final year in office, in 2022, his score was only 5%.

Praise, criticism

“It’s going to be great with someone with a fresh perspective coming to institute major reforms,” Mandy Gunasekara, who served as chief of staff at the agency during Trump’s first term, said in an interview. “If Lee Zeldin can turn around the Republican party across New York, he’s absolutely the man to turn around the EPA.”

Environmentalists blasted the choice on Monday. Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, said the decision to name “an unqualified, anti-American worker who opposes efforts to safeguard our clean air and water lays bare Donald Trump’s intentions to, once again, sell our health, our communities, our jobs and our future out to corporate polluters.”

Trump has made clear he wants to see the EPA rewrite tailpipe pollution standards set under Biden for model years 2027-2032 that are so strict they effectively compel automakers to sell more electric and plug-in-hybrid models.

Zeldin may also be tasked with relocating EPA headquarters to outside Washington. Members of the president-elect’s transition team have been discussing moving the roughly 7,000 federal employees at EPA elsewhere, the New York Times reported last week.

Zeldin is the second Republican from Trump’s birth state to be selected for the Cabinet, after he tapped Elise Stefanik over the weekend as his ambassador to the United Nations. Both appointments were first reported by the New York Post.

When he was in Congress, Zeldin helped mount Trump’s impeachment defense.

(By Ari Natter and Jennifer A. Dlouhy)

'Nature was nice while it lasted': Trump's pick for EPA met with derision

Erik De La Garza
November 11, 2024 

Donald Trump’s incoming administration is beginning to take shape with his latest picks being announced on Monday, but it’s the president-elect’s choice to lead the Environmental Protection Agency that’s raising eyebrows with social media users expressing a mix of humor with genuine concern.

“Nature was nice while it lasted,” actress Heather Thomas wrote on X Monday after Trump announced that former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) was his pick to head the EPA.

“It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” Zeldin, a Trump loyalist who in 2022 unsuccessfully ran for New York governor against Kathy Hochul, wrote Monday. “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”

Zeldin will likely begin his new role by starting the process of overturning several of the Biden administration’s “biggest rules on climate, including tailpipe regulations for vehicles and rules aimed at slashing pollution from power plants and oil and gas producers,” CNN reported.

“Gonna be ironic when Long Island is consumed by the climate change that hometown boy Lee Zeldin hastened as EPA administrator,” news producer Jordan Zakarin wrote in a social media post.

“Trump has selected Lee Zeldin to head the EPA,” X user Deacon Blues wrote. “God help our planet.”

Others took a more stark approach.

“A climate denier who received hundreds of thousands of dollars from fossil fuel companies and polluters will be running the EPA. Trump isn't just a threat to the US. His administration is threat to the entire planet,” Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director for Campaign for New York Health, wrote on X.


Author Jeff Sharlet told his social media followers that he believes Zeldin’s policy record “is irrelevant."

"He was chosen for his absolute submission to the whims of Trump," said Sharlet. "Trump doesn’t intend to govern but to rule.”

CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir noted that Zeldin “gets a woeful 14% lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters,” while LA Times climate columnist Sammy Roth reminded his followers that Zeldin was “an election denier.”

Korea Zinc to decide on disputed $1.8 billion share plan as pressure rises

Bloomberg News | November 12, 2024 | 

Ground-breaking ceremony for an all-in-one nickel refinery in 2023. Credit: Korea Zinc

Korea Zinc Co.’s board will meet on Wednesday to decide whether or not to proceed with a $1.8 billion share sale plan which prompted a selloff in the stock and triggered an investigation by the country’s financial watchdog.


The world’s largest zinc smelter has been caught up for months in a fight between its largest shareholders over strategy and direction. The long-simmering feud burst into public view in September, after private equity firm MBK Partners Ltd teamed-up with Korea Zinc’s biggest shareholder Young Poong Corp. and launched an unsolicited bid.

A rival group led by Chairman Choi Yun-beom and backed by private equity firm Bain Capital responded with a share buyback. Once that completed, however, Choi immediately announced a plan to to sell new shares at an indicative price of about 670,000 won apiece — close to 57% below the previous day’s record close.

The stock tumbled on the news and the Financial Supervisory Service ordered Korea Zinc to revise its filing, saying the initial plan lacked details, including an articulation of its decision-making process and information around the due diligence on the arranger.

In spite of the sharp drop late last month, Korea Zinc shares are still trading at more than double what they were worth in early September

The company will hold a media conference Wednesday starting at 3:00 p.m. local time, which will be attended by Choi among others, the company said.

Should the company decide to shelve the share issue plan, it would be a blow to Choi’s efforts to shore up support among shareholders and employees, who stood to be allocated a fifth of the new stock. It would also delay his proposed move to pay down debt. By pressing ahead, however, the metals heavyweight would likely feed concerns around corporate governance and transparency.

In spite of the sharp drop late last month, Korea Zinc shares are still trading at more than double what they were worth in early September, before the MBKP and Young Poong joint takeover offer. The company’s market capitalization stands at close to $17 billion, placing it among the country’s most valuable companies. The stock rose 5.4% in early Wednesday trade.

A major producer of metals at the heart of the energy transition, the company is vital to global efforts to diversify the supply chain away from China.

(By Heejin Kim)

 

Indonesia's New Leader Accidentally Boosts China's Maritime Claims

File image courtesy Indonesian Navy

Published Nov 11, 2024 9:01 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

The Indonesian government may have accidentally legitimized China's sweeping claim to sovereignty over far-flung reaches of the South China Sea. Over the weekend, the newly-elected administration of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto signed an MoU with Beijing for "maritime joint development" in areas of "overlapping claims." 

By virtue of geography, there are no overlapping claims between Indonesia and China under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The two nations are so distant from each other that their distance-based UNCLOS boundaries do not overlap. However, under its history-based "nine-dash line" claim, China insists that it controls part of the Indonesian EEZ, including waters up to a thousand miles away from the Chinese mainland. 

Courtesy U.S. State Department

In the past, Indonesia has been careful to emphasize that it recognizes no overlapping Chinese claims, since it has no shared boundary with China. By consistently denying the legitimacy of China's "nine-dash line," Indonesia can better defend its rights in any future litigation and negotiation, according to international law experts. So when news broke that President Subianto had signed a statement recognizing "overlapping claims" with China, Indonesia's foreign-affairs community was scandalized. While Subianto's statement is geared towards cooperation on oil and gas development, the language of the text appears to recognize a legitimate sovereignty dispute, and experts say that this might be used against Indonesia in arbitration. 

"If Indonesia recognizes the overlapping claims as something that exists, it might change the dynamics with the negotiation of the [Code of Conduct for the South China Sea] as well as the solidarity of the ASEAN states in facing China. China can say that Indonesia has recognized [its claims], so this could weaken the position of ASEAN itself," Aristyo Rizka Darmawan, a lecturer at University of Indonesia, told This Week in Asia.

On Monday, Indonesia's foreign ministry backpedaled, stating that the oil and gas partnership does not have any bearing on sovereignty or jurisdiction in Indonesian waters. "Indonesia reiterates its position that [Chinese] claims have no international legal basis," the ministry said emphatically. 

However, China's foreign ministry doubled down on the language in the joint statement, despite Indonesia's belated protest. For the Chinese foreign ministry, the signed MOU shows an intent to pursue "joint development in the overlapping maritime areas claimed by the two countries." 

China demarcates claim around Scarborough Shoal

China's claim to the South China Sea has been deliberately vague since its initial publication in 1947, and is defined only by nine (recently broadened to 10) coarse dashes in a curving tongue-shaped line. On Sunday, after the Philippines enacted new legislation formalizing its EEZ, China released a defined set of coordinates for its claim to Scarborough Shoal, a Philippine reef that has been occupied by Chinese forces for more than a decade. It is the first time that Beijing has ever given precise coordinates for its unusual claims in the region. 

"This is a natural step by the Chinese government to lawfully strengthen marine management and is consistent with international law and common practices," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement. 

 

Michigan Distiller Uses Great Lakes Shipwrecks to Create Historic Flavors

Rye seeds from the wreck of the James R. Bentley (MSU / Nick Schrader)

Published Nov 11, 2024 9:46 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

A group of distillers and scientists have tapped the holds of a Great Lakes shipwreck in an attempt to revive a 19th-century varietal of rye - and bring back a thriving regional whiskey industry.

Mammoth Distilling, a Michigan-based whiskey maker and importer, wants to tap the state's maritime heritage to produce enticing spirits literally steeped in the past. It has several ventures aimed at incorporating local wrecks into its product lineup. Last year, Mammoth said that it would work with wreck-hunter Ross Richardson to raise a part of the lost steamer Westmoreland and turn a section of the hull - old-growth white oak - into whiskey barrel staves. "Mammoth would like to produce a whiskey flavored by the shipwreck wood . . . to be able to smell and taste history," Richardson told local media last year. "The idea is to take forgotten wood on the bottom of the lake and share the story of this wreck." 

The permits for that novel salvage project are still in process, but in the meantime, Mammoth has another wreck-related venture: it has sourced historic rye seeds from a lost schooner's holds. The company secured permission to salvage a sample of the rye cargo aboard the James R. Bentley, a schooner that went aground and sank in a storm on Lake Huron in 1878. Rye is a key feedstock for whiskey distillers, and Mammoth wanted to see if it could acquire seed material that would allow it to recreate the whiskeys of 19th-century Michigan.  

The salvage rights to the James R. Bentley belong to wreck-hunter Paul Ehorn, who granted Mammoth a rare privilege: the legal right to recover objects from the wreckage. In September, a dive team visited the wreck of the Bentley and recovered samples of rye seeds from the cargo hold. Mammoth's owner put the valuable seeds on ice and drove them straight to the laboratory of MSU Associate Professor Eric Olson, an expert in grain genetics. 

At the lab, Olson's team selected potentially useful seeds and made a series of sophisticated attempts to get them to germinate. None would grow, suggesting that they had been underwater too long to be viable - but they will still yield their secrets, Olson said. 

"Once we get the DNA, we can sequence it and figure out what this rye is, or what it’s related to," Olson said. "We can revive the genes that were carried in the seeds and use modern genome sequencing techniques to assemble parts of the genome. We’ll be able to sequence the chromosomes of this rye and transfer those chromosome segments into a modern rye variety, essentially reviving a historic rye." 

While that project is under way, Mammoth has a related product on offer. The firm sells a Canadian rye whiskey that has been allowed to soak with oak staves made from the wreck of the Bentley, starting at $515 per bottle.  

 

Maersk Line Vessel Diverts to Morocco Due to Allegations in Spain

Maersk Line, LTD. operates carrying cargo for the U.S. government (MLL file photo)

Published Nov 11, 2024 1:15 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

One of the container vessels operating for Maersk Limited, Limited, the U.S. subsidiary of the shipping company, diverted to Morocco over the weekend following activists’ protests in Spain alleging the vessel is carrying military supplies to Israel. The vessel was also met with protests while it was in the port of Tangier Med as the company questioned the change in policies after months of similar port calls.

Maersk confirmed in a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Spanish authorities denied docking privileges at Algeciras to the Maersk Denver (6,200 TEU vessel registered in the United States) on its current voyage from New York to the Middle East. This came after activist groups last week asserted that Maersk Line ships making port calls in Spain were carrying military supplies to Israel violating Spain’s ban on the transshipment of arms to Israel through its ports.

“To gain clarity for future operations, we have consulted the Spanish authorities to understand why entry was denied for cargo no different than previous shipments that have routinely been transshipped through this port without incident,” a Maersk spokesperson told AFP.

Maersk said that it understands that it is Spain’s discretion to change its criteria while emphasizing that the cargo it was carrying is all legal. Further, they said that “cargo to be transshipped through the port does not include any military weapons or ammunition.”

Maersk Line, Limited is a Maersk subsidiary that operates U.S.-flag, U.S.-crewed ships under U.S. government subsidy. A large share of MLL cargoes are government-owned goods and equipment which may include military cargoes.  

The Maersk Denver docked in Tangier Med on Saturday, November 9, and departed Sunday with its AIS signal and published schedule showing the next port in Oman. Protestors however also demonstrated in Morocco on Sunday claiming that the ship after unloading cargo was bound for Haifa, Israel.

Last week, Spain’s foreign ministry told the press in Spain that the two Maersk ships singled out by the activists “will not stop in Spain.” It also said it would look into allegations that previously Maersk ships had been permitted to make port calls while transporting military equipment.

A second Maersk Line vessel, Maersk Seletar, is following close behind due to make a port call in Algeciras on Thursday and Thursday, November 14 – 15. Officials told the media that they have not yet been advised of the ship’s destination. Like the Maersk Denver, it shows a route bound for Oman and the Middle East.

The Houthis have also alleged that Maersk Line, Limited ships were targets because of the company’s involvement with Israel. The rebels have claimed attacks on several of the company’s vessels as they were bound for Oman.

 

ALT. FUEL

Guinness World Record for Power Set by Damen-Built Electric Tug in UAE

Damen's electric tug delivered to AD Ports set a new record for pull power for electric tugs (Damen)

Published Nov 12, 2024 7:44 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Fully electric tugs have quickly emerged from a novelty in the industry and now Damen Shipyards Group and its client SAFEEN Group, part of AD Ports Group’s Maritime & Shipping Cluster, have set a Guinness World Record as the Most Powerful Electric Tugboat. The vessel delivered earlier this year demonstrated what the companies are calling “unprecedented for a fully electric tug” and further the growth of this sector of the industry.

The record was set by measuring the bollard pull of Damen RSD-E Tug 2513 Bu Tinah, which achieved an average high peak pull of 78.2 tonnes. It is the first fully electric tug to operate in the Middle East and now has the unique distinction of the unique honor by a world-recognized body for record keeping. Launched in 1954 as a promotional idea for the Guinness Brewery, the Guinness Book of Records (today Guinness World Records) is an often-quoted source of data.

“This Guinness World Record achievement demonstrates that the transition to alternative energy does not come at the cost of performance,” said Captain Ammar Mubarak Al Shaiba, CEO – Maritime & Shipping Cluster, AD Ports Group. “We are very proud that the first electric tug in the Middle East is also making waves on a global level with this accolade and the fact that in parallel it is improving the sustainability of our operations alongside cost efficiencies in terms of overall fuel saving is extremely important.”

The record-breaking performance took place at Khalifa Port, AD Ports Group’s flagship facility where the tug is a key component of AD Ports Group’s Marine Services fleet and its electrification strategy.

The RSD-E Tug 2513 according to Damen is designed with a focus on sustainability. It offers zero emissions from tank to wake playing a significant role in reducing emissions.

The RSD-E Tug 2513 builds on the already efficient design of the diesel propulsion RSD Tug 2513. The spec sheet highlights a 320 gross ton tug with a length of 24.73 meters (81 feet). It is designed to operate at a speed of up to 12 knots and can be recharged in two hours. 

The vessel can operate with a crew of just two or three persons or a maximum of up to sic and can be customized with options for oil and pollution control or fire fighting. 

The electric version according to its spec sheet is very similar to the earlier diesel version which has a maximum bollard pull of 80 tonnes. It operates at a speed of 12.6 knots.

Damen has been at the forefront of electric tug development, including delivering the world’s first electric harbor tug, aptly named Sparky, in 2022 to Ports of Auckland. It won the prestigious “Tug of the Year” at the 2022 International Tug and Salvage Awards ceremony and pioneered the growing deployment of electric tugs in ports around the world.

Effort to Develop First U.S. Liquid Hydrogen-Fueled RoPax Ferry

SWITCH promotes the move to a larger platform to enable the U.S. adopt liquid hydrogen fueled vessels (LMG Marin)

Published Nov 11, 2024 6:05 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

An effort is underway to leverage the cutting-edge technology for hydrogen-fueled vessels to develop the first RoPax vehicle ferry in the U.S. to be fueled by liquid hydrogen. SWITCH Maritime, the U.S. shipowner that launched the first hydrogen-powered ferry in the U.S. is in collaboration with LH2 Shipping and LMG Marin in Norway to commence construction in the U.S. of a hydrogen-fueled RoPax ferry.

SWITCH’s first hydrogen-powered vessel, the Sea Change, is a 75-passenger catamaran ferry featuring 600 kW of electric motor propulsion, powered by 360 kW of fuel cells with 246 kilograms of gaseous H2 (GH2) storage at 250 bar pressure. The Sea Change started public passenger service as part of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system in July 2024, after receiving its final Certificate of Inspection (COI) from the U.S. Coast Guard in May 2024.

“With rigorous planning, state-of-the-art engineering, and support from leading industry partners and the U.S. Coast Guard, we are ready to pioneer zero-carbon LH2 fueling for heavier, higher-horsepower workboats,” explains Pace Ralli, Founder & CEO of SWITCH.

They plan to develop a vessel using the designs from LMG Marin for an 80-car, 300-passenger RoPax vehicle ferry. The design is already DNV classed and is being successfully operated by Norled. Named MF Hydra, the ferry performs a triangular six nautical mile round-trip fueled with liquid hydrogen (LH2). The companies highlight it has a four-tonne LH2 tank (about the size of a 40-foot container) that fits easily on the top deck and receives fuel from an LH2 truck via a bunkering system using over-pressure in the truck to push the liquid to the ship. To date, MF Hydra has successfully received LH2 fuel approximately 50 times since starting hydrogen-powered operations in March 2023.

The RoPax vehicle ferry will have a service speed of 14 knots and is expected to require fueling only once per week (volume of 3000 kilograms from one LH2 truck) in a typical operation, with no requirement for shoreside electric charging infrastructure. While the design will require some further adapting to meet USCG requirements, SWITCH notes the larger steel hull of the vehicle ferry offers more flexibility in terms of space and weight compared to aluminum catamaran fast ferry designs, making it an ideal platform for introducing LH2 fueling in the U.S. The LH2 from the cryogenic storage tanks is vaporized onboard and used in the PEM fuel cells to create electricity for the electric motors. Like the GH2 fast ferries, the vessel’s only emissions will be pure H20 vapor, with zero carbon or other diesel-related emissions.

In addition to the Sea Change, SWITCH is also working on a 150-passenger, 25-knot catamaran to build for the SF Bay Ferry service, using the same gaseous H2 (GH2) storage and fuel cell equipment as the first vessel (to be revealed in Q1 2025). When designing larger zero-emissions harbor craft such as 300+ passenger ferries, vehicle ferries, and harbor tugs, SWITCH plans to transition from gaseous storage to cryogenic liquid H2.

SWITCH has focused on hydrogen for its potential to serve as a viable option highlighting its belief that other battery-only solutions fall short due to space and weight constraints. The company notes that generally, hydrogen as a fuel source can support greater range and power requirements due to its high energy density. Additionally, it simplifies zero-emissions vessel operations by eliminating the need for fixed shoreside charging infrastructure, allowing for fueling through established truck-to-ship or ship-to-ship practices. Compressed GH2 SWITCH says is well suited for small- to medium-sized vessels; however, as vessel size and energy demand increase, cryogenic LH2 becomes the preferred storage solution. Similar to Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), cryogenic LH2 supports faster refueling speeds for large volumes (e.g. tons per hour).

Maersk Tankers Adopts Wind-Assisted Propulsion with Landmark Deal

Maersk Tankers will add wind-assisted propulsion using suction sails on five vessels (Maersk Tankers)

Published Nov 11, 2024 4:38 PM by The Maritime Executive

Maersk Tankers is becoming the latest blue chip brand in shipping to embrace wind-assisted propulsion technology to help it meet its aspirations for reducing emissions. The tanker operator selected suction sales for five of its medium-range tankers giving Spain’s Bound4blue its largest agreement to date for its wind-assisted propulsion system.

With over 240 tankers and gas carriers, Maersk Tankers reports it is continually exploring and adopting advanced energy-efficient technologies. The company demonstrated wind-assisted propulsion in 2018 with the installation of rotor sails on the Maersk Pelican and recently retained Njord, a specialist in green solutions for the maritime industry, to assist in assessing and evaluating a broad range of wind-assisted propulsion systems.

Maersk Tankers awarded a contract to Bound4blue to install a total of 20 suction sails across five ships of the fleet. The vessels including Maersk Tacoma, Maersk Tampa, Maersk Tangier, and Maersk Teesport, built in 2015 and 2016 and each 49,800 dwt, as well as the Maersk Tokyo also built in 2016 and 44,000 dwt. 

“For the tanker industry to progress in the energy transition, concrete investments and actions are essential,” said Claus Grønborg, Chief Investment Officer for Maersk Tankers. “By implementing Wind-Assisted Propulsion Systems at scale in our fleet, we enable our customers to meet their sustainability targets, while also advancing the objectives of FuelEU Maritime and the EU Emissions Trading System."

Each of the suction sails will be 26 meters (85 feet) in height. The technology works by dragging air across its aerodynamic surface to generate lift and propulsive efficiency. Maersk Tankers report the sails will be installed during normal dry dock periods in 2025 and 2026 and they expect to realize double-digit percentage reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 missions per vessel.

“Designed to operate safely in challenging conditions, our system is particularly well-suited for safe, high performing, and cost-efficient operation on tankers,” said José Miguel Bermúdez, CEO and co-founder of Bound4blue.  He called the order a “key milestone” for the technology.

Started a decade ago in Spain, the company highlights that it has installed its eSail system on four ships. They note growing momentum having signed additional agreements with other well-known shipping companies such as Klaveness Combination Carriers, Eastern Pacific, Odfjell, and Louis Dreyfus.

The shipping industry is showing increasing interest in adding wind propulsion systems to their vessels. Several different technologies are competing and from the early results the installed systems are providing meaningful reductions in fuel consumption and supporting the goals to reduce emissions and meet emerging regulations.

 

Danica: Seafarer Wages Rose in 2024 While Welfare Issues Remain a Concern

Danica reports the shortage of seafarers continues to impact the job market with higher wages and more job switches (IMO photo)

Published Nov 12, 2024 6:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

The persistent shortage of competent seafarers continues to create benefits for those working in the industry but also contributes to increases in switching employers for career advancement finds Danica Crewing Specialists in its fifth annual survey exploring the job market, salaries, and concerns for seafarers. The crewing agency reports while the shortage is resulting in continuing wage increases and seafarers being able to be more selective in their jobs, concerns also persist about welfare issues.

“The combination of a general shortage of, and a hunt for, well-competent seafarers, along with a better financial situation for most vessel owners at present, is making employers more generous with their remuneration and causing wages to continue to increase,” said Henrik Jensen, CEO of Danica Crewing Specialists.

The good news for some ranks is that this has resulted in a 10 percent increase in wages from 2023 to 204. Danica found that the wage increases occurred on all vessel types.

The survey highlights discrepancies however noting for example that Indian senior officers on dry cargo vessels continue to receive the highest wages - some 10 percent higher than their Eastern European and Filipino peers, who are remunerated at approximately equal levels at senior ranks. However, Filipino junior officers are paid less than their Eastern European and Indian peers reports Danica. Senior ratings (Bosun, Fitter, Pumpmen, and cooks) remain in demand and also saw increasing wages.

With a surplus of job offers available, Danica says seafarers can also afford to be “more picky” – choosing positions not only on salary but also on issues such as a more convenient joining date or a fleet with younger vessels. The 2024 survey highlighted that 58 percent of seafarers reported having changed employers at least once over the previous three years. Analyzing the five years’ worth of Danica’s Seafarers’ Surveys shows that in 2019 a quarter (25 percent) of crew said they changed employer for a higher salary whereas today that figure has risen to 37 percent. Free access to the internet, newer vessels, better promotion opportunities, and pension plans/medical insurance are also key drivers to switching jobs.

Danica however also notes that there is a downsize with some owners responding to the shortage of senior officers by moving people up a rank versus their past position. Also, they report seeing a “steep increase” in fake experience listed on resumes and consultants helping to craft fake CVs and falsify experience to help applications move ahead quicker. Nearly all also said they are scanning job vacancies while they are on leave.

The survey interviewed nearly 4,900 seafarers between May and September 2024. It was mostly senior ranks but included a range of vessel types. (The full report is available online.)

Danica reports while wages continue to rise there was also a rise in crew welfare concerns. All the respondents said they have access to the Internet while at sea and 74 percent said it is free, but Dania highlights that the number of seafarers reporting a shortage of food and drinking water continues to be “alarmingly high” at 25 percent and increased from 20 percent in 2019. 

Seafarers reporting they have not been paid on time remains high at 35 percent, while seven percent said they did not receive their salary in full. Although the number of seafarers not being relieved on time has fallen significantly since the pandemic, Danica says one in five seafarers still do not get home on time. 

One in eight respondents reported experiencing bullying and harassment at sea, while 35 percent reported non-compliance with statutory rest hours rules. The number of seafarers who felt mentally depressed during their last contract increased from 11 percent in 2023 to 14 percent in 2024. Three percent said they have been prevented from seeing a doctor on shore.

A little over half of respondents said they have access to support if they do not feel mentally well and, of those, more made use of this facility in 2024 (30 percent) compared to 2023 (23 percent). However, the percentage of seafarers who found the offered service useful dropped from 75 to 65 percent.

Jensen says he believes the five years of data now available provides a useful resource for the industry. He points out that provides insights into trends and developments in the crew marketplace. 

 

NGO Calls for New Atlantic ECA Linking North America and Europe

NGO proposes a large new ECA to link North America and Europe covering one of the world's busiest shipping corridors (file photo)

Published Nov 12, 2024 5:51 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

Emission control areas in Northern Europe and along the North American coast have been found to contribute to the overall improvement in air quality. Against that background, the nearly 20-year-old NGO The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) is releasing new research calling for connecting those zones to designate a much broader North Atlantic Emission Control Area.

ICCT released a 52-page report detailing its research in collaboration with Porto University. Along with its earlier work, the organization plans to submit the research to the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee calling for the designating of a new, much larger, ECA. This follows the recent agreement at the IMO to create new zones for the Mediterranean and the coastline of Norway.

“Despite substantial improvements in air quality due to land-based control measures across the proposed AtlECA region, the contribution of shipping emissions remains largely unaddressed,” the report asserts. They highlight that a third of global trade moves between North America, Europe, and other continents crossing this portion of the Atlantic. They deem it one of the world’s busiest shipping corridors.

The NGO proposes to designate a region that would reach as far south as Portugal and Gibraltar to join with the recently approved ECA for the Mediterranean. The proposed Atlantic region would connect the existing regions in the Baltic and North Sea and bridge across the Atlantic with the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland, before connecting to the existing zone for the Canadian Arctic and U.S./Canada Atlantic coastline.

 

ICCT calls for connecting the North American and European ECAs to create a new Atlantic zone (ICCT)

 

The report highlights that it would encompass an area where more than 193 million people live with especially vulnerable areas in Greenland with a large indigenous population and limited resources and infrastructure.

They assert that the limits within the new ECA could reduce sulfur dioxide concentrations by between 77 and 86 percent, while particulate matter would be reduced between 31 and 59 percent and nitrogen dioxide by three percent. 

ICCT asserts demonstrable benefits including a reduction of between 2,900 and 4,300 premature deaths between 2030 and 2050. The cumulative economic value of these benefits it estimates could reach between €19 to €29 billion between 2030 and 2050.

“Establishing this emission control area is an opportunity to significantly reduce harmful emissions and improve public health for those living in coastal communities. We have found that the North Atlantic Emission Control Area could prevent thousands of premature deaths, while also delivering long-term economic and environmental benefits,” says Liudmila Osipova, ICCT Senior Researcher and Project Lead of this work. 

In addition to health benefits, the new ECA ICCT says it could play a critical role in protecting the region’s marine biodiversity and cultural sites. The proposed AtlECA encompasses more than 1,500 marine protected areas, 17 important marine mammal habitats, and 148 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Reducing ship emissions, which contribute to pollution and ocean acidification, is essential for protecting these ecosystems.

They look to have the proposed ECA added to the agenda for the IMO’s MEPC meeting in 2025. They believe there are compelling benefits in expanding to the larger Atlantic zone and look to start the debate at the IMO.

Russian Military Claims Rare Naval Drill in English Channel

Image courtesy Russian Ministry of Defense

Published Nov 12, 2024 5:23 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

 

The Russian Navy claims that one of its frigates carried out a rare military drill in the English Channel, and the provocative announcement drew quick pushback from UK leaders. 

The newly-commissioned Russian frigate Admiral Golovko transited through the channel on November 9, accompanied by the tanker Vyazma and the surveillance ship Yantar. The convoy passed through the Dover Strait and carried out air defense, anti-submarine, helicopter rescue and counter-terrorism drills on board, according to Russia's ministry of defense. The ministry released a video showing crewmembers aboard Golovko gearing up with assault rifles and rushing on deck in preparation to repel a mock attack, though the location of the drill was not clear from the footage.  

The Royal Navy downplayed the announcement, saying that it shadowed the Golovko throughout the transit and observed no signs of an exercise. Frigate HMS Iron Duke was tasked with following Golovko and her escorts. 

UK outlets carried the Russian announcement with dramatic headlines, noting that Golovko carries Russia's new Tsirkon (Zircon) antiship missile. The Zircon is a hypersonic anti-ship cruise missile with a claimed top speed of Mach 8-9.

The Russian statement was the first of its kind, and the message was delivered with ample publicity for a European audience. In the UK, the drill was widely perceived as a new attempt at intimidation. Britain is a leading supporter of the government of Ukraine in its ongoing defense against Russian invasion: Together with France, the UK has supplied the Storm Shadow / SCALP cruise missiles that Ukrainian forces have used repeatedly to attack Russia's Black Sea Fleet. Among other operations, suspected Storm Shadow strikes destroyed the Black Sea Fleet headquarters building and a backup command bunker in occupied Sevastopol, along with a Kilo-class submarine in a nearby shipyard. 

UK shadow defense secretary James Cartlidge said that the news of the Russian Navy drill showed that the UK needs to adequately fund its own military. 

"[The Russian Navy's] reports underline how Russian activity continues to pose a direct right on our doorstep, not just in Ukraine," responded Cartlidge. "That’s why it’s so important for the Government to set out a clear pathway to 2.5 percent of GDP being spent on defense - so that we can rearm at pace, and boost our deterrence."