Sunday, December 19, 2021

WAGE THEFT

UK
MOD supplier will strike over pay row

December 16 2021
Anna Cooper

GMB members at Somers Forge are set for strike action on the 17th of December.

The manufacturer builds components for the defence industry and is a supplier to the MOD.

Based in Halesowen, the company is currently in a row over pay. GMB says the proposal would see members lose six months of higher pay.

The strike has been announced after members rejected the latest pay deal of 4% over two years, but the company refused to backdate the award to the pay anniversary of April.

GMB says the dispute began after the previous two-year deal was withdrawn, with only the first year of the deal being honoured, which has left the employees with little trust in their employer.

Russell Farrington, GMB regional organiser said: “Nobody expects that you agree a new rate, but then only get if for half the time.

“No-one wants to go out on strike in the middle of winter, but at the end of the day, we’re talking about a significant amount of money that the company is trying to withhold here.

“Rather than trying to pull a fast one, the company should come back to the table and we’ll hammer this out together.”

Whilst the company have told the workforce they couldn’t afford to backdate to April, but recently they have been quoted as a ‘thriving’ company.

Somers Forge said they were unable to divulge any information in regards to the strike.

#DEFENDTHEPENSION

By Benjamin Mercer | December 16, 2021

Six trade unions want to take the government to court in a bid to stop it imposing the cost of the McCloud remedy on their members, with one considering strike action.

The Public and Commercial Services Union, the Fire Brigades Union, the GMB Union, the Royal College of Nursing, Unite and the POA union filed for a joint judicial review on Wednesday, with PCS in particular looking to force the government to allow a 2 per cent cut in pension contributions, initially promised as part of the 2016 valuations, to go ahead.

A judicial review is a court proceeding in which a judge considers the lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body. It cannot be filed directly — the court needs to be asked for permission first.

As Pensions Expert has reported previously, the decision to transfer the cost of the McCloud remedy to the 2016 valuations has angered several unions, as the government initially promised that favourable outcomes to those valuations would result in increased benefits and reduced contributions.

Our members and key workers across the public sector have kept the country running during the pandemic and yet the government, their employer, has treated them appallingly. Bringing this case is a significant, united step in fighting this great injustice

Mark Serwotka, PCS

The cost of McCloud, however, which unions and the Public Accounts Committee have pointed out was a Treasury mistake to begin with, means that what might once have been a positive outcome has been wiped out, which the unions say constitutes a broken promise to their members.

Mark Rowe, national officer for the Fire Brigades Union, explained: “The government is trying to make public sector workers pay via a scheme in their pensions called ‘cost control’.

“Cost control adjusts pension contributions or benefits if the actual cost of the pension scheme diverges from the target cost of the pension scheme by 2 per cent or more, with workers losing out if the actual cost is higher.

“It was the government who introduced the cost-control mechanism into the new pension scheme. The mechanism provided that savings from the new scheme should be passed on to those scheme members. The government now wishes to ignore the legislation that made that provision, legislation that they introduced.”

The PCS, in particular, contends that its members have been “robbed”, forced to overpay into their civil service pension in the past two years and losing, on average, £1,000. The BMA made a similar claim in November.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Our members and key workers across the public sector have kept the country running during the pandemic and yet the government, their employer, has treated them appallingly. Bringing this case is a significant, united step in fighting this great injustice.”

PCS holding a strike ballot

PCS announced on Monday that it will launch a consultative ballot on strike action in the new year, as a combination of a pay freeze, inflation, April’s national insurance hike, and the McCloud “pensions robbery” have left its members facing a cost-of-living crisis.

The union, which is the sixth largest in the UK and the largest representing civil servants and other public sector employees, stressed that the consultative ballot will not determine strike action, but “will ask members what action they would be prepared to take”.

“A statutory industrial action ballot might follow later,” it added.

‘Unjustifiable’ government interference

PCS has branded the government’s attempts to place the costs of the McCloud remedy on its members an “outrageous and unjustifiable government interference in the Civil Service Pension Scheme’s valuation and cost-cap processes in recent years”.

Public sector schemes were told in October to conclude their 2016 valuations after the pause in the cost-cap mechanism, brought in response to the McCloud judgment in 2019, was lifted following Treasury amendments to the mechanism.

PCS contends that the original results revealed a breach in the “floor” of the public sector cost cap, showing that the future cost of the scheme had been “exaggerated” and there was more money to spend on reducing employee contributions — by around 2 per cent — and improving benefits.

However, revising the valuation with the costs of the McCloud remedy included will mean that there is no such breach, and so the promised increase in benefits cannot go ahead.

The union argued that Treasury changes to the cost-control mechanism will “tear up the original basis of the cap, making it likely that there will never be a breach in future”.

Cabinet Office opens consultation as McCloud challenges mount

The Cabinet Office has launched a consultation on how the McCloud remedy is to be implemented for members of the civil service pension scheme, while the GMB union has joined the list of those challenging it in the courts.

“Compounding this already diabolical approach towards scheme members, the government is proposing that the full cost of the remedy will be loaded into the current four-year valuation period, rather than being spread over a longer time,” it said.

“This is completely unjustified, given that most members will not decide on their portion of remedy cost until they approach retirement.”

A HM Treasury spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on ongoing litigation.”

Aston Martin faces strike action over DB scheme closure

By Tom Higgins | December 14, 2021

Workers at carmaker Aston Martin have threatened industrial action following news that it plans to close its defined benefit pension scheme in January 2022.

Unite the union said that workers “voted overwhelmingly in a consultative ballot” for full-scale industrial action in the new year, in order to protect their retirement incomes.

Some 400 members of the Aston Martin Lagonda Limited Pension Scheme are set to be affected by the proposed change. The company has approximately 2,000 employees in total.

Staff at sites in Gaydon and Wellesbourne, both in Warwickshire, as well as Milton Keynes, Newport Pagnell, and St Athan in South Wales took part in the consultative ballot.

These workers have done as asked and saved for their retirement, but they have also worked hard to deliver improved profits for Aston Martin. There is, therefore, no case to be made for closing the DB pension schemes, a move that robs our members of tens of thousands of pounds – in the case of Aston Martin workers, that is about £100,000

Sharon Graham, Unite

Workers face losing about £100,000 in retirement income if the DB scheme, based on a career-averaged salary, is closed from February next year, Unite argued.

The company wants to move the DB members to the existing defined contribution scheme, which currently covers the majority of the workforce and also new employees.

However, Unite argues that such DC schemes are at “the mercy of sudden fluctuations in global stock markets and produce worse retirement incomes”.

Changing gears

Plans to close the company’s DB scheme come four years after it transitioned away from a final salary model.

In 2017, its structure was changed to a career average revalued earnings scheme. The scheme was closed to new entrants on May 31 2011.

According to the pension fund’s 2020 actuarial valuation, the value of its assets stood at £314.6m, sufficient to cover 76 per cent of the benefits that had accrued to members.

It had been planned that from January 2022, contributions would increase from 23.7 per cent to 37.5 per cent for active members who do not participate in the salary sacrifice scheme. Those who do participate make no contributions.

From January 1 2022, the group contribution would increase from 30.2 per cent and 34.7 per cent to 44 per cent and 48.5 per cent for members who opted for benefits of 1/80th’s and 1/70th’s of pensionable salary, respectively.

With the scheme deficit standing at £97m, the group agreed in December 2020 to increase the recovery plan contributions from £7.1m to £15m a year, effective from 2021 to 2027.

Estimated contributions for the year ending December 31 2021 were £20.6m, the group’s 2020 annual report stated.

Aston Martin backs DB closure

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “We will back our members at Aston Martin 100 per cent if they decide to take industrial action to defend their pensions and defeat this threat to their retirement incomes.

“These workers have done as asked and saved for their retirement, but they have also worked hard to deliver improved profits for Aston Martin. There is, therefore, no case to be made for closing the DB pension schemes, a move that robs our members of tens of thousands of pounds — in the case of Aston Martin workers, that is about £100,000.

“Aston Martin’s whole workforce is now aware of the gross inadequacy of the existing DC scheme by comparison, and this will be a significant factor when we put forward our claim in the 2022 pay review,” she added.

A spokesperson for Aston Martin told Pensions Expert: “As a responsible employer, Aston Martin has a duty to deliver financially sustainable pension arrangements for its circa 2,000 employees, while managing its pension risks and underlying costs.

“Having completed a detailed review of its future pension arrangements, and in line with many other UK employers, it is proposing changes to its DB scheme affecting circa 400 employees.

Union ballots for strike action over schools’ exit from Teachers’ scheme

The National Education Union is balloting its members on industrial action over plans by the Girls’ Day School Trust to exit the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

“Should these changes occur, Aston Martin has outlined an attractive transition arrangement, including a one-off cash payment and equity in the company. This is in addition to supporting the DB pension scheme to meet the cost of pension benefits already earned,” the spokesperson continued.

“Aston Martin remains in direct communication with the affected employees, and their representatives, regarding these changes and is unable to comment further at this time.”

The consultation period with members is due to end on December 17, although Unite has called for it to be extended.

FIRST ACTUAL USE OF BLOCKCHAIN

First kilo of blockchain tracked gold shipped from Burkina Faso on Minexx platform
MINING.com Editor | December 17, 2021

Artisanal mining in Burkina Faso. Image from Minexx.

Minexx has exported the first kilo of gold tracked through its blockchain platform from Burkina Faso, bringing better transparency to the supply chain.

The company deploys its platform to secure the mineral supply chain for miners, smelters, traders, tech companies and governments and brings compliance and transparency which enables local banks, logistics providers and buyers to engage with the sector.

Burkina Faso, in West Africa, produces 34 tonnes of artisanal gold per year, but only 300kg was formally exported in 2019 due to a lack of traceability and lower export taxes in neighbouring countries.

The Burkina Faso government has now lowered the taxes when exporting through L’Agence Nationale d’Encadrement des Exploitations Minières Artisanales et Semi-artisanales (ANEEMAS), the government body for artisanal and small-scale production.

Image from Minexx

Minexx has been working with local traders, NGO partners and ANEEMAS to drive production via a traceable route to market. During this export the different batches from different sources were tracked on the Minexx platform, along with information obtained through due diligence and associated reports from site visits.

Last year Minexx, in a world first, exported minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo processing $250,000 of digital, blockchain certified payments.

While gold is best known for either investment or for jewellery, it is also a very efficient conductor and can be found in smartphones and televisions.

In terms of the distribution of gold demand in 2020, 8% was for technology.

“If we are going to achieve net zero we are going to require even more minerals and this is going to have an impact on countries around the world, and particularly in sub-Saharan Africa,” Marcus Scaramanga, Minexx CEO said in a media release.

“It is more important than ever that we move with pace, leveraging technology to provide solutions to the challenges the world faces and to play our role in delivering benefits to all in the supply chain – from the artisanal miners through to the consumer. This breakthrough in Burkina Faso is another important step in this journey.”

Researchers Use Carbon-Air Battery in Breakthrough for Next-Generation Storage Systems

The system comprises a solid-oxide fuel and electrolysis cell, where carbon generated via electrolysis of CO2 is oxidised with air to produce energy.

By Edited by Gadgets 360 Newsdesk | Updated: 18 December 2021

Photo Credit: Journal of Power Sources/ Tokyo Tech
The research published in the Journal of Power Sources

HIGHLIGHTS

Adverse environmental conditions impact wind and solar energy storage

Hydrogen batteries have poor efficiency, need massive space to build

The proposed system uses carbon generated via electrolysis of CO2

The power sector is undergoing a rapid change globally as the world shifts to renewable energy and cuts down on using fossil fuels. However, a big roadblock to generating electricity from wind and solar energy is their intermittent nature due to unfavourable environmental conditions. To address this problem, storage was found in hydrogen batteries. But these, too, suffered from poor efficiency and required massive space to build, which made them complex for thermal management. Now, researchers at a Japanese institute say they have found a way to make renewable energy more efficient.

The alternative system proposed by the researchers from Tokyo Tech uses carbon, instead of hydrogen, as an energy source. It is called “carbon/air secondary battery (CASB)” and comprises a solid-oxide fuel and electrolysis cell (SOFC/ECs) where carbon generated via electrolysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) is oxidised with air to produce energy. The SOFC/ECs can be supplied with compressed liquefied CO2 to make up the energy storage system.

In their research published in the Journal of Power Sources, the researchers said the CASB system combines CO2 electrolysis for C charging and power generation of carbon fuel cells.

They said they have demonstrated for the first time repetitive power generation (10 charge-discharge cycles) with Boudouard equilibrium without degradation. The CASB system was able to utilise most of the carbon deposited on the electrode for energy generation, achieving maximum Coulombic efficiency of 84 percent, charge-discharge efficiency of 38 percent, and power density of 80 mW cm−2 at 800 degrees Celcius and 100 mA cm−2.

This suggested that the test of CASB system suffered no degradation of the fuel electrode. The charge-discharge cycle is an indicator of battery performance.

“Similar to a battery, the CASB is charged using the energy generated by the renewable sources to reduce CO2 to C. During the subsequent discharge phase, the C is oxidised to generate energy,” Prof. Manabu Ihara from Tokyo Tech told in a statement.

The research holds great promise for accelerating the world towards renewable energy.

50 years ago, scientists were genetically modifying mosquitoes

Excerpt from the December 18, 1971 issue of Science News

Disease-spreading mosquitoes thrive in wet environments. Fifty years ago, scientists sought a new way to wipe out the pests: genetic engineering.
ESTHER KOK / EYEEM/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

By Maria Temming
DECEMBER 18, 2021 AT 8:00 AM

Sterility gene for mosquito control — Science News, December 18, 1971

Scientists are working hard to find a substitute for DDT in the control of malaria vector mosquitoes.… Two experiments with mosquitoes breeding in old tires in New Delhi point to an answer: a gene for sterility that would be passed to offspring.
Update

Today, scientists are testing a variety of pesticide-free ways to control mosquito populations that spread malaria, Zika, dengue and yellow fever. One approach involves infecting male bloodsuckers with a strain of Wolbachia bacteria (SN: 6/10/17, p. 10). When the infected males mate with females, their offspring die before hatching. Another method tweaks mosquito DNA so that males pass on a daughter-killing trait and all female offspring die, shrinking populations over time. The mosquitoes, bred by the England-based biotech company Oxitec, took their first U.S. flight in May following a years-long debate about the safety of such organisms.

COLD WAR 1.5 REDUX

Inside the CSIS probe that identified a Canadian mole who spied for Moscow

Jim Bronskill
The Canadian PressStaff
Sunday, December 19, 2021

A sign for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service building is shown in Ottawa on May 14, 2013. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick)

OTTAWA -- An investigation by Canada's spy service concluded that money, ego and career frustrations were the likely reasons a veteran RCMP officer passed highly sensitive secrets to Russian intelligence for years, newly disclosed records reveal.

Molehunters determined in the mid-1980s that Gilles Germain Brunet was an agent of the Soviet KGB from the late 1960s well into the 1970s, a Cold War spy saga detailed in documents released to The Canadian Press by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service through the Access to Information Act.

Brunet's betrayal has long been the subject of whispers, chronicled in news articles and books since at least the early 1990s. But until now Canadian intelligence officials have not publicly confirmed his exploits, nor divulged details of the probe that left them convinced he was a mole.

The hard-drinking, high-living Brunet died of an apparent heart attack at age 49 on April 9, 1984, just as investigators were closing in.

The Canadian Press complained to the federal information commissioner's office in 2015 after CSIS initially declined to release the Brunet records under the access law. Six years later, the intelligence service agreed to disclose hundreds of pages, though some of the documents are heavily censored.

A top secret CSIS report sent by hand in November 1987 to John Tait, then deputy solicitor general, says the probe was triggered by an August 1982 tip to the RCMP Security Service, the forerunner of CSIS, that a member had been recruited by the KGB.

An RCMP review of operational case files involving the Soviets from 1967 to 1973 did not yield any leads that might identify the agent. An examination of hundreds of personnel files and interviews with members also turned up nothing concrete.

Even so, Brunet was considered a "prime suspect," says the CSIS report. "As a result, the in-depth investigation was carried out as much with the intent to prove his innocence as it was to determine the identity of the recruited KGB agent within the Service."

Brunet joined the RCMP in 1955 after a stint in the military. He left the force and worked for an insurance company for a couple of years, but returned and spent much of the 1960s in Ottawa with the Security Service. His father, Josaphat Brunet, had led the RCMP's security branch for a time in the 1950s.

The younger Brunet did well in a Russian language course in 1967. But he had marital problems and ran up debt. In 1968 he transferred to Montreal, continuing to work on security files. He was dismissed from the force in 1973 for refusing to break ties with someone alleged to have underworld connections.

Brunet went into the private security business and later sold prearranged funeral packages.

He was considered intelligent, aggressive and ambitious but also "avaricious, vindictive and devoid of morals," the internal records say. "When it suited his purposes, he was extremely outgoing and gregarious. He played 'hard' and was a heavy drinker."

By December 1983, one security investigator digging into Brunet's past believed the Mounties had their man.

First, no Soviet case of which Brunet was aware ever came to a successful conclusion, even though there were operational successes in other areas of the country during the period in question.

Second, in each case the molehunters were able to document, "operations died immediately upon Brunet learning of them," says the investigator's memo.

"It appears that not only was Brunet compromised, but that he was so committed that he gave his Soviet handlers everything he got his hands on."

Subsequent investigations included numerous interviews with active and retired members of the Security Service as well as acquaintances and contacts.

Several sources who spoke to officers were not surprised that Brunet -- now given the code name Notebook -- was a top suspect, as they said he not only had a grudge against the RCMP but also "lacked character and his loyalty was questionable," says the CSIS report.

Investigators highlighted two key incidents that emerged from their queries.

An envelope with CAD$960 in crisp $20 bills had been discovered in the glove compartment of Brunet's car in 1968, a time when he was having financial difficulties and his annual salary was less than $10,000. There was no satisfactory explanation.

A former employee of a bar at Ottawa's Skyline Hotel who was asked to look at photographs left investigators convinced that Brunet had met there more than once with an individual of concern whose name has been excised from the CSIS records. All signs point to this being Brunet's KGB liaison.

By February 1984, the sleuths had found Brunet's current address in Montreal near Mount Royal, obtaining aerial photographs of the area and noting his home was within sight of the Soviet consulate.

The RCMP tailed Brunet for several days in early April 1984, clandestinely observing his visits to the dry cleaners, a grocery store and, on the day before his death, a pizzeria.

His grave marker at a Montreal cemetery depicts a beach scene in Acapulco, Mexico -- a favourite destination -- and a martini glass.

The year Brunet died, the newly created CSIS, a civilian agency, took over intelligence duties from the RCMP Security Service, disbanded after a string of scandals that prompted a commission of inquiry.

CSIS pushed on with the Brunet probe, advanced by additional information received in 1985 or early 1986. Although details were stripped from the records, this tip -- like the one in 1982 -- is believed to have come from a Soviet defector.

Investigators sifted through the evidence and interviewed more people, apparently not ruling out other suspects. The spy service executed warrants to obtain extensive records detailing the banking transactions of Brunet, now assigned the new code name Coach.

The 1987 CSIS report to Tait plainly states the spy service "is satisfied" that Brunet was the agent recruited by Soviet intelligence.

CSIS also concluded that Brunet's contact with former colleagues had meant his "services for the KGB did not end with his dismissal from the Security Service in 1973."

In August 1986, CSIS began assessing the damage caused by Brunet.

A paper prepared for a 1998 conference by Peter Marwitz, a retired member of the Security Service and CSIS, suggested Brunet had revealed the location of listening devices planted at the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa and betrayed the activities of a Canadian military attache stationed in Moscow. Brunet reaped a total of more than $700,000 from the KGB, the paper said.

At the time, a CSIS spokeswoman called Marwitz's research "speculation."

A number of the investigators who worked on the Brunet case have died or do not want to discuss the file.

The CSIS report to Tait says that only Brunet could reveal his true motivation, but suggests it was a combination of financial gain, ego, career frustrations and the mole's opinion "that the Security Service was too small a pawn in a large game."

Brunet was constantly reminded that his father reached high levels within the RCMP and felt his own progress was stalled due to lack of recognition of his expertise, the report adds.

Although Brunet's dealings with the KGB went undetected during his time with the RCMP, the force did hunt for a suspected mole, prompting the departure of civilian counter-intelligence official Leslie James Bennett. In 1993, the federal government exonerated Bennett, who had moved to Australia, and paid him compensation.

The CSIS records say in hindsight it might be argued that suspicions of Brunet's treachery "should have been aroused to a marked degree" earlier since he had emerged in 1978 as a prime suspect in an internal probe concerning leaks of classified information from the Security Service.

But it seems Brunet was a puzzle. One memo sums him up as "a very private person," noting even those who worked and socialized with him for years "claim that they do not know him."

CSIS spokesman John Townsend said he could not elaborate on the records released through Access to Information.

"This case, however, is a clear example of how Canada has historically been targeted by hostile threat actors and yet another example of the risks associated with the insider threat," he said. "Canada clearly was and remains an attractive target for espionage."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2021.

World's 'largest undeveloped, permitted' diamond project 'off to the races,' Sask. mining firm chairman says

A photo shows a bulk sample plant under construction in Fort à la Corne.

(Star Diamond Corporation)

Lisa Risom
Video Journalist

CTV News Prince Albert
Published Dec. 17, 2021

PRINCE ALBERT -

The head of Star Diamond Corporation says a new agreement with Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc could mean there's a bring future ahead for a proposed diamond mine in northern Saskatchewan.

"Last week, Rio Tinto and Star Diamond agreed to resolve our differences and move forward with developing the project so there’s no more lawsuits and we’re off to the races,” said Star Diamond’s independent chairman Ewan Mason.

The two firms have entered into a new joint venture agreement that settles all disputes over the development of a proposed diamond mine project in Fort à la Corne, Saskatchewan.

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Under the agreement all expenditures incurred at the property known as the Star-Orion South Diamond Project in Fort à la Corne forest between Nov. 9, 2019 and Dec. 31, 2021 are now the sole responsibility of Rio Tinto Exploration Canada.

Once a decision has been made to develop a mine, Star Diamond will have six months to begin its contribution to the capital costs and expenditures to build the mine.

“The deal de-risks the project for Star Diamond shareholders, so we are not required to contribute another penny to the mine development,” said Mason.

Under the new joint venture agreement, the participating interests in the projects will be split with 75 percent interest allocated to Riot Tinto and 25 percent to Star Diamond.

In the previous agreement, RTEC had a 60 percent interest and Star Diamond had a 40 percent interest.

“We have the largest undeveloped, permitted diamond project in the world. And our economic assessments have shown that over the next 30 or 40 years this project could cash flow $25 to $30 billion dollars,” Mason said.

Mason said environmental approvals for the project have been obtained from provincial and federal governments. He says a feasibility study is the next step.

Mason predicts there could be five to six mining sites within the Fort à la Corne claim.

“This is a great treasure for the people of Saskatchewan and all of our stakeholders.” Mason said.

The Star-Orion South Diamond Project is located in the Fort à la Corne provincial forest about 200 km northeast of Saskatoon.

ABS Approves 3D-Printed Parts After Six Month Trial on U.S. Tanker

3D printed parts tested on tanker and approved by ABS — Polar Endeavour tested three 3D printed parts in six months of service (ConocoPhillips)

A series of 3D-printed mechanical parts used aboard an in-service oil tanker have been validated in good working condition at the end of a six-month trial. According to ABS, which participated in the project along with ConocoPhillips Polar Tankers, Sembcorp Marine Ltd, and 3D Metalforge, the project marks a milestone for the technology that could revolutionize how parts are made and supplied to ships in need of repairs.

The test project began in February 2021 with the fabrication and lab-testing of mechanical parts for use aboard the U.S.-flagged crude oil tanker Polar Endeavor. Built in 2001, the 141,740 dwt tanker was outfitted with a gear set and gear shaft for boiler fuel supply pump, flexible coupling used on a marine sanitation devices pump, and an ejector nozzle for a fresh water generator, all produced using additive manufacturing (AM) commonly known as 3D-printing.

After six months in operation, all the parts were retrieved and inspected by the vessel’s crew, followed by a remote survey by ABS that confirmed their good condition. ABS has now approved these spare parts after successful onboard testing on the tanker.

“We are delighted with the performance of the parts and the successful completion of the project,” said Patrick Ryan, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology for ABS. “It’s an important step forward for a technology that certainly has a significant role to play in the future of the marine industry. ABS is committed to ensuring these types of parts are introduced without compromising safety.”

According to ABS, the success of the trial and subsequent approval means 3D-printing can be used for products and components. The technology can permit parts to be fabricated locally or potentially on board ships and offshore assets. The result could be shrinking the supply chain and lead times for specialized and complex parts, introducing new efficiencies driven by design innovation, reduced manufacturing time, and improvements in parts availability.

“The superior performance of these parts in service is a testament to the rigorous engineering, manufacturing, and post-production testing put in place by the team involved with this venture,” said Robert Noyer, Engineering Superintendent for ConocoPhillips Polar Tankers which supplied the ship for the test. "We look forward to future opportunities to support our vessels with this technology.”

Traditional parts used in shipbuilding and repair are manufactured with casting or forging techniques. For this project, the consortium utilized AM to fabricate three types of parts that meet or may even exceed conventionally manufactured products in terms of quality. 3D-printing fabricated the parts by adding material layer by layer.

The industry has been experimenting with applications for the technology over the past few years. In February 2021, the largest metal propeller produced by 3D-printing was certified by BV while other applications have included manufacturing equipment to be tested in port operations.

The stalled energy transition

December 16, 2021

Showered with cash like never before, what is it that containership owners know that the rest of us have yet to work out?

Newbuild prices are considerably elevated and most of the shipowning community cannot, hand on heart, say with any conviction that they know what the fuel of the future is. And yet our boxship friends have piled in with more orders for new ships than ever before. Granted many of these new ships are alternatively fuelled – for which read LNG bar a handful of Maersk methanol dual-fuellers – but really we are still so far away from being able to order tomorrow’s ships with any confidence. Where will the green methanol come from? Where will all the green hydrogen come from? Fortunately, the dry cargo owners are sensible and are holding back so we can see a healthy demand-supply relationship in the dry cargo area for a few years ahead.

What is it that containership owners know that the rest of us have yet to work out?

Shipping is obliged to become green but cannot do it on its own. The world seems to not be joining the dots – demanding zero emissions without establishing the requisite infrastructure.

Of course, the regulatory tardiness does not help. I am very worried about EEXI and CII rules coming in. This bodged legislation will not necessarily put us on the green path we need to be on fast. It will, however, make older ships go so slow, potentially great news for owners as rates will rally.

It’s not just shipping that has struggled to keep a resolute green path in 2021. The global energy transition has stalled this year – witness the extraordinary growth in coal use this year, in no small part due to high gas prices.

One final point relating to finance. You might have read recently about the big drop in syndicated marine loans this year. While this is a clear trend, don’t think for a moment that this translates into the finance taps being turned off for shipowners. There is still a massive inflow of capital from every other source. Whatever project you look at these days, four or five bids come from non-banking sources. Shipping is attractive again and there will not be a lack of funding anytime soon.

This article first appeared in the latest issue of Maritime CEO magazine, published this week. Splash readers can read the full magazine for free by clicking here.

Successful CO2 Capture Tests Using Scrubber Fitted on Cargo Ship

carbon capture tested on cargo ship using scrubbers — Langh Tech tested carbon capture using the scrbbers fitted on a Langh cargo ship (Langh Shipping)

Finland’s Langh Tech has become the latest company to report successful early trials of carbon capture and storage on a vessel in normal operations. Seen as a potential technology to address the shipping industry’s need for systems to help existing ships meet the goals for decarbonization, explorations are just beginning on the requirements to make CCS possible at sea.

“Langh Tech conducted several preliminary tests of capturing CO2 emitted by a vessel’s main engine by the means of using an existing closed-loop SOx scrubber system,” the company said in detailing the project. “Langh Tech is also researching methods of extracting the captured CO2 from the process water and looking for ways to store and/or utilize the captured CO2 efficiently both onboard vessels and upon possible discharge to shore.”

The company which designs and manufactures exhaust scrubbers reports the tests were carried about aboard one of its sister companies, Langh Shipping’s vessels utilizing the existing Langh Tech hybrid scrubber installed on board. Langh Tech’s closed-loop scrubbers were installed in 2013 and 2014 on Langh Ship’s five cargo vessels which sail on the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, stopping at major northern European ports.

In the tests, additional alkali was added to the scrubber closed-loop process water to provoke a reaction between the alkali and CO2, effectively capturing the CO2 from the exhaust gas into the process water. Langh says the setup of tests was limited by the capacity of the existing alkali pump, but positive results were observed even with only a slight increase in the alkali dosing. At a main engine load of approximately 85 percent, a 5 percent increase in alkali dosing (over normal level) was able to reduce the measured CO2 emission by 3.3 percent. At 40 percent main engine load, a CO2 emission reduction of nearly 7 percent was observed.

During the tests, the alkali consumption remained at “a reasonable level, and the effect of this on the operating expenses of the vessel would remain feasible,” reports Langh. “Results of the tests are regarded as a tentative proof of concept and additional tests with further increased alkali feed shall be conducted to verify this.”

The company believes that the CO2 capture feature could be applied to any Langh Tech closed-loop or hybrid scrubber systems with relatively low cost impact, and requires only minor changes to the existing scrubber system. The process could be performed with readily available alkali products such as NaOH and MgOH2, which are both already being used in many SOx scrubber processes.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment