Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - September 2008 - (Page 46)

Ships and Ports Explore Many Ways to Go Green BY ROBERT J. BOWMAN Issues of congestion, increased pollution and public image are spurring vessel owners and marine terminals to adopt green practices in every aspect of their operations. E very success carries a price tag. For container shipping lines and ports, the recent boom in global trade has raised the industry’s public profile—along with concerns about its impact on the environment. Ships and ports have joined industrial smokestacks and cars as major symbols of pollution. Commercial harbors are among the biggest contributors to poor air and water quality. Now, in an effort to clean up their public image as well as their operations, major carriers and container ports are going “green” in a big way. They are attacking the issue on a number of fronts. Cooperative efforts abound, spearheaded by such bodies as the World Shipping Council, International Maritime Organization (IMO), Clean Cargo Working Group and Container Shipping Information Service. Some of those initiatives are already showing results, although most remain in their early stages and have yet to be adopted by industry on a widespread basis. Singapore-based APL, part of the NOL Group, has multiple programs under way. The carrier has taken the lead in such areas as emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur oxide (SOx) and other vessel pollutants. George Solomon, director of global security and environment, also cites particulate matter, oil, chemicals, ballast water, sewage and garbage as issues to be addressed on the maritime side. Among the easiest measures to implement is slowing the speed of ships to reduce fuel consumption. That raises costs in other areas, especially with regard to inventory-holding expense, as well as customer-service issues. But the latter appears to be less of a problem today than in the past, with shippers claiming that schedule reliability is more important than outright speed. New vessel technology can help in a variety of ways. Solomon says APL is either deploying or investigating the use of special valves to reduce NOx, low-sulfur fuel, improvements in propeller efficiency and environmentally friendly silicon paint, which also lessens water resistance. One area that APL has pioneered is a new fuel emulsification system which increases the proportion of water in marine fuel, thereby cutting NOx emissions by as much as 20 percent. APL first tested the technology in early 2007, on the APL Singapore. Results have been slow in coming, however, with the carrier striving to achieve an optimal fuel mixture that will cut down on NOx without harming the ship’s engines. “We are again starting up on this project, with modifications made to the equipment, and we will be trying it out 46 SEPTEMBER 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - September 2008

Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - August 2008 Contents Editorial GL&SCS Exclusive Fast Forward Up Front Cover Story: Free The Enterprise: Busting Silos in the Supply Chain Business Process Management Merits New Look fromCorporate Strategists Ships and Ports Explore Many Ways to Go Green The Right Information Should Help Avoid Any Kind of Risk Industry Voices

Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies - September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.