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Monday, 14 July 14
THE END OF THE ERA OF HEAVY FUEL OIL IN MARITIME SHIPPING - ICCT
KNOWLEDGE TO ELEVATE
Since the 1960s, heavy fuel oil (HFO) has been the king of marine fuels. Viscous, dirty, yet inexpensive and widely available, HFO propelled a long period of robust growth in international shipping, which carries over 90% of intercontinental trade by volume each year. For many, it is the lifeblood of the maritime shipping industry.
But HFO’s low price does not reflect its impacts on the environment and human health. The sulfur content of HFO can be up to 35,000 parts per million. It is the reason that maritime shipping accounts for 8% of global emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), making the industry an important source for acid rain as well as respiratory diseases. In some populous port cities, such as Hong Kong, shipping is the largest single source of SO2 emissions as well as emissions of particulate matter (PM), which are directly tied to the sulfur content of fuel. By one estimate, PM emissions from maritime shipping led to 87,000 premature deaths worldwide in 2012.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the governing body of international shipping, has made a decisive effort to diversify the industry away from HFO into cleaner fuels with less harmful effects on the environment and human health. Effective in 2015, ships operated within the Emission Control Areas (ECAs) covering the Economic Exclusive Zone of North America, the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and the English Channel will begin to use Marine Gas Oil (MGO) with allowable sulfur content up to 1,000 ppm. Starting from 2020, ships sailing outside ECAs will switch to Marine Diesel Oil (MDO) with permitted sulfur content up to 5,000 ppm.*
That tectonic shift also creates openings for a variety of new fuels. Liquefied nature gas (LNG), newly abundant and relatively affordable, is attracting the attention of many shipping companies. Although the lack of infrastructure and the uncertainty of future prices have slowed the “dash to gas,” many expect LNG to establish itself as one of major alternatives to HFO in the future. Lloyds Registry, a shipping classification society, expects LNG to take 11% of the market share in 2030.
Meanwhile, Stena Teknik, a Swedish company, is testing methanol, another natural gas product, but one that requires less storage space in a ship and is relatively easier to handle. While natural gas-based fuels may sometimes offer questionable climate benefits, due to methane leakage concerns, the IMO’s low-sulfur regulation may create needed openings for other zero-sulfur, low-carbon marine fuels. Tests using fuel cells on the Viking Lady, an offshore supply ship, demonstrated promising results.
Wind kites and solar panels have already been installed on numerous ships to supplement marine diesel engines. Even HFO will not completely disappear from the menu of marine fuels. Combined with scrubbers that capture more than 99% of the sulfur from the exhaust gas, HFO will continue to play an important role. Lloyds Registry reckons that HFO will represent about 40% of fuel use by 2030.
The shift to cleaner but pricier low-sulfur fuels is likely to heighten interest in the “fifth fuel”: energy efficiency. Historically, the maritime shipping industry, where energy often accounts for over half of operating costs, has responded to escalating fuel prices with innovative energy-saving strategies. To cite a recent example: in 2008, as fuel prices went through the roof, shipping lines cut their operating speeds by as much as 50%, helping many companies stay afloat amid one of the worst downturns in history. In an analysis of satellite data on ship operations, we’ve estimated that the industry can further slash 100 million ton of fuel use by 2030 through wider implementation of energy-saving measures that were adopted by industry leaders in 2011.
This is in addition to savings of 90 million tons of fuel because of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI), a mandatory program that will require new ships to achieve certain efficiency targets beginning in 2015.
The continued diversification of marine fuels and improvements in energy efficiency have important implications. First and foremost, they may alleviate concerns about the availability of low-sulfur fuels. Figure 1 illustrates one possible scenario, using our forecast on future marine fuel consumption and energy efficiency improvements as well as Lloyds Registry’s estimate of market shares for HFO and LNG. The efficiency improvement of the legacy fleet is the greatest force driving down the need for low-sulfur fuels, equivalent to adding about 110 “negatons” of fuel, or almost 24% of projected demand. HFO combined with scrubbers, EEDI, and distillates (MGO plus MDO) are almost neck and neck, each representing about 20% of fuel use in the chart. LNG is coming of age, with its share doubling between 2020 and 2030. Other fuels, such as renewables, fuel cells, and biofuels, are expected to hold only small market shares in 2030.
Second, the new fuels are on a collision course with IMO safety regulations concerning flashpoint, the temperature at which a fuel can vaporize to form an ignitable mixture in air.
The IMO currently requires marine fuels to have a minimum flashpoint of 60°C. But low-sulfur fuels have a lower flashpoint (50° to 55°C), meaning that they are “off-spec” and cannot be used under the IMO rule. The flashpoint requirement, which went into effect in 1976, was meant to provide a large margin of error to ensure the temperature of the engine room (normally below 45°C) does not exceed the flashpoint in any circumstance. But according to industry heavyweights such as Maersk and BIMCO, modern technologies such as advanced ventilation systems provide an adequate safety margin, and they argue that keeping the flashpoint requirement will cause the industry to miss the opportunity represented by the increased availability of low-sulfur, low-flashpoint fuels. Industry and member states such as the U.S. are urging the IMO to accelerate its consideration of an amendment to the flashpoint requirement.
By: Haifeng Wang / The International Council of Clean Transportation
*Implementation of the requirement is subject to a review of fuel availability to be completed by 2016.
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Sunday, 13 July 14
PANAMAX INDEX GAINS SLIGHTLY THIS WEEK; CAPE INDEX FALLS ALMOST 21.40%
COALspot.com: This week the freight market fell again after gaining last week. The cape index was down almost 21.40 pct and closed at 1465 points.
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Friday, 11 July 14
EUROPE HAS A SUBSTANTIAL SURPLUS IN COAL SUPPLIES; RENEWABLE ENERGIES ARE REDUCING THE FULL-LOAD OPERATING HOURS OF HARD COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS - VDKI
COALspot.com: General conditions for coal-fired power plants must be improved if the energy turnaround is to be a success, said German coal importe ...
Friday, 11 July 14
DR.CIESLIK RE-ELECTED AS CEO OF GERMAN COAL IMPORTER ASSOCIATION (VDKI)
Press Release : Dr Cieslik re-elected as CEO of German Coal Importer Association (VDKi) for the period 2014 – 2018. The German Coal Importer ...
Friday, 11 July 14
PORT OF NEWCASTLE SHIPPED $ 1.031 BILLION WORTH OF 11.744 MILLION TONS OF COAL IN JUNE 2014
COALspot.com: Port of Newcastle has shipped 11,744,396 tons of coal for the month ended 30 June 2014. According to Port’s monthly report, YTD ...
Friday, 11 July 14
UNITED STATE'S MONTHLY COAL OUTPUT FALLS 5.53% IN JUNE
COALspot.com – United States the world's second largest coal producer, produced approximately 18.1 million short tons (mmst) of coal in a ...
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- Thai Mozambique Logistica
- Miang Besar Coal Terminal - Indonesia
- Sarangani Energy Corporation, Philippines
- Singapore Mercantile Exchange
- Meenaskhi Energy Private Limited - India
- Independent Power Producers Association of India
- Timah Investasi Mineral - Indoneisa
- Aboitiz Power Corporation - Philippines
- Formosa Plastics Group - Taiwan
- Commonwealth Bank - Australia
- Kartika Selabumi Mining - Indonesia
- GVK Power & Infra Limited - India
- The Treasury - Australian Government
- Mercuria Energy - Indonesia
- Sakthi Sugars Limited - India
- Central Electricity Authority - India
- Krishnapatnam Port Company Ltd. - India
- Dr Ramakrishna Prasad Power Pvt Ltd - India
- AsiaOL BioFuels Corp., Philippines
- Economic Council, Georgia
- LBH Netherlands Bv - Netherlands
- Trasteel International SA, Italy
- Star Paper Mills Limited - India
- Bulk Trading Sa - Switzerland
- Kepco SPC Power Corporation, Philippines
- Billiton Holdings Pty Ltd - Australia
- Standard Chartered Bank - UAE
- Indogreen Group - Indonesia
- Marubeni Corporation - India
- Sindya Power Generating Company Private Ltd
- Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited - India
- VISA Power Limited - India
- Price Waterhouse Coopers - Russia
- Heidelberg Cement - Germany
- Straits Asia Resources Limited - Singapore
- Tata Chemicals Ltd - India
- Sojitz Corporation - Japan
- Makarim & Taira - Indonesia
- Global Green Power PLC Corporation, Philippines
- Banpu Public Company Limited - Thailand
- Eastern Coal Council - USA
- Bharathi Cement Corporation - India
- Dong Bac Coal Mineral Investment Coporation - Vietnam
- Larsen & Toubro Limited - India
- Ministry of Mines - Canada
- Bhushan Steel Limited - India
- Carbofer General Trading SA - India
- Semirara Mining Corp, Philippines
- Bayan Resources Tbk. - Indonesia
- International Coal Ventures Pvt Ltd - India
- Orica Mining Services - Indonesia
- Iligan Light & Power Inc, Philippines
- Attock Cement Pakistan Limited
- SMC Global Power, Philippines
- Minerals Council of Australia
- Chamber of Mines of South Africa
- European Bulk Services B.V. - Netherlands
- Port Waratah Coal Services - Australia
- IHS Mccloskey Coal Group - USA
- CNBM International Corporation - China
- Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
- CIMB Investment Bank - Malaysia
- Ceylon Electricity Board - Sri Lanka
- Pendopo Energi Batubara - Indonesia
- Mjunction Services Limited - India
- Eastern Energy - Thailand
- Bukit Makmur.PT - Indonesia
- Metalloyd Limited - United Kingdom
- Parliament of New Zealand
- Oldendorff Carriers - Singapore
- OPG Power Generation Pvt Ltd - India
- Agrawal Coal Company - India
- GN Power Mariveles Coal Plant, Philippines
- Rio Tinto Coal - Australia
- IEA Clean Coal Centre - UK
- Wood Mackenzie - Singapore
- Indonesian Coal Mining Association
- Dalmia Cement Bharat India
- Barasentosa Lestari - Indonesia
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation Ltd, - India
- Karaikal Port Pvt Ltd - India
- TNB Fuel Sdn Bhd - Malaysia
- Indian Energy Exchange, India
- Georgia Ports Authority, United States
- Africa Commodities Group - South Africa
- Videocon Industries ltd - India
- Directorate General of MIneral and Coal - Indonesia
- Coastal Gujarat Power Limited - India
- Siam City Cement PLC, Thailand
- Pipit Mutiara Jaya. PT, Indonesia
- Borneo Indobara - Indonesia
- Kumho Petrochemical, South Korea
- Ministry of Transport, Egypt
- Gujarat Sidhee Cement - India
- Global Coal Blending Company Limited - Australia
- Vizag Seaport Private Limited - India
- Kideco Jaya Agung - Indonesia
- Australian Commodity Traders Exchange
- Bhoruka Overseas - Indonesia
- Ambuja Cements Ltd - India
- Merrill Lynch Commodities Europe
- Coalindo Energy - Indonesia
- Alfred C Toepfer International GmbH - Germany
- Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Bahari Cakrawala Sebuku - Indonesia
- Simpson Spence & Young - Indonesia
- Cement Manufacturers Association - India
- Toyota Tsusho Corporation, Japan
- Kaltim Prima Coal - Indonesia
- Jorong Barutama Greston.PT - Indonesia
- Altura Mining Limited, Indonesia
- SMG Consultants - Indonesia
- Ind-Barath Power Infra Limited - India
- Asmin Koalindo Tuhup - Indonesia
- The State Trading Corporation of India Ltd
- Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission - India
- Anglo American - United Kingdom
- Sinarmas Energy and Mining - Indonesia
- Vijayanagar Sugar Pvt Ltd - India
- Sree Jayajothi Cements Limited - India
- Semirara Mining and Power Corporation, Philippines
- Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd
- South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation
- Coal and Oil Company - UAE
- New Zealand Coal & Carbon
- Jindal Steel & Power Ltd - India
- Kohat Cement Company Ltd. - Pakistan
- McConnell Dowell - Australia
- ICICI Bank Limited - India
- Global Business Power Corporation, Philippines
- Orica Australia Pty. Ltd.
- White Energy Company Limited
- Manunggal Multi Energi - Indonesia
- Globalindo Alam Lestari - Indonesia
- Tamil Nadu electricity Board
- Power Finance Corporation Ltd., India
- Holcim Trading Pte Ltd - Singapore
- GMR Energy Limited - India
- Ministry of Finance - Indonesia
- MS Steel International - UAE
- PowerSource Philippines DevCo
- Salva Resources Pvt Ltd - India
- Cigading International Bulk Terminal - Indonesia
- Energy Link Ltd, New Zealand
- Therma Luzon, Inc, Philippines
- Latin American Coal - Colombia
- Essar Steel Hazira Ltd - India
- SN Aboitiz Power Inc, Philippines
- Chettinad Cement Corporation Ltd - India
- Gujarat Mineral Development Corp Ltd - India
- Petrochimia International Co. Ltd.- Taiwan
- Grasim Industreis Ltd - India
- GAC Shipping (India) Pvt Ltd
- Parry Sugars Refinery, India
- Directorate Of Revenue Intelligence - India
- Bukit Baiduri Energy - Indonesia
- Uttam Galva Steels Limited - India
- Kobexindo Tractors - Indoneisa
- Riau Bara Harum - Indonesia
- Intertek Mineral Services - Indonesia
- ASAPP Information Group - India
- Planning Commission, India
- Xindia Steels Limited - India
- Australian Coal Association
- Offshore Bulk Terminal Pte Ltd, Singapore
- Indian Oil Corporation Limited
- Siam City Cement - Thailand
- Samtan Co., Ltd - South Korea
- Deloitte Consulting - India
- Romanian Commodities Exchange
- San Jose City I Power Corp, Philippines
- Renaissance Capital - South Africa
- Indika Energy - Indonesia
- Electricity Authority, New Zealand
- Karbindo Abesyapradhi - Indoneisa
- Posco Energy - South Korea
- Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd - Australia
- Indo Tambangraya Megah - Indonesia
- PetroVietnam Power Coal Import and Supply Company
- Antam Resourcindo - Indonesia
- Binh Thuan Hamico - Vietnam
- Edison Trading Spa - Italy
- Petron Corporation, Philippines
- Aditya Birla Group - India
- Savvy Resources Ltd - HongKong
- Jaiprakash Power Ventures ltd
- Kalimantan Lumbung Energi - Indonesia
- Meralco Power Generation, Philippines
- Medco Energi Mining Internasional
- Bukit Asam (Persero) Tbk - Indonesia
- Interocean Group of Companies - India
- PTC India Limited - India
- Asia Pacific Energy Resources Ventures Inc, Philippines
- Baramulti Group, Indonesia
- Maheswari Brothers Coal Limited - India
- Bangladesh Power Developement Board
- Mintek Dendrill Indonesia
- Vedanta Resources Plc - India
- London Commodity Brokers - England
- Lanco Infratech Ltd - India
- TeaM Sual Corporation - Philippines
- Truba Alam Manunggal Engineering.Tbk - Indonesia
- Mercator Lines Limited - India
- Thiess Contractors Indonesia
- Madhucon Powers Ltd - India
- Central Java Power - Indonesia
- Malabar Cements Ltd - India
- Filglen & Citicon Mining (HK) Ltd - Hong Kong
- India Bulls Power Limited - India
- Wilmar Investment Holdings
- Sical Logistics Limited - India
- The University of Queensland
- Kapuas Tunggal Persada - Indonesia
- Goldman Sachs - Singapore
- Bhatia International Limited - India
- Energy Development Corp, Philippines
- PNOC Exploration Corporation - Philippines
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