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by: jeroen berger, august 7, 2017 to meet the imo annex vi limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board of existing vessels, there are roughly two options to discuss: switching over to a low-sulphur fuel or choosing for a scrubber with hfo. a recent study have concluded that installing a scrubber with hfo would be a more effective way to protect human health from the adverse effects of ship emissions than switching over to a low-sulphur fuel. the research was carried out by scientists of helmholtz zentrum münchen and the university of rostock in cooperation with the university of luxembourg, the max delbrück center for molecular medicine, the karlsruhe institute of technology and the university of eastern finland. the study was recently published in the journal plos one, which you can download via this link. hfo: what kind of marine fuel is this exactly? to understand why this study claims that installing a scrubber with hfo would be a more effective way to protect human health from the adverse effects of ship emissions than switching over to a low-sulphur fuel, i am first going to learn you more about hfo. the abbreviation ‘hfo’ stands for heavy fuel oil. hfo is a by-product of the refinery and looks like tar or asphalt in cold condition. because hfo is viscous, it is difficult to process. that’s why hfo has to be heated stored. it is known that seagoing vessels are using this fuel the most. hfo in combination with the environment no we have defined hfo. if we are looking to hfo in combination with the environment, there are environmental standards to heavy fuel oil. it is known that all existing fuels, including hfo, create acid rain. it is a phenomenon that these fuels are bad for public health. the international maritime organization (imo) has drawn up sulphur limits for heavy fuel oil (hfo) used in sulphur emission control areas (secas). these areas are: the baltic sea, the north sea and english channel. the regulation calls for a 0.1% m/m (mass by mass) sulphur limit in secas by 2015 and a worldwide limit of 0.5% m/m by 2020. low-sulphur fuels by using a low-sulphur fuel with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1% m/m, you are meeting the limit for sulphur in fuel oil used on board ships automatically. hfo with scrubber versus low-sulphur fuels the particulate emissions are include in the investigation. and although you can reduce the particulate emissions by using low-sulphur fuels, you are able to reduce the fine particulates to almost 1% by using a scrubber in combination with hfo. based on this, the researchers conclude that installing a scrubber with hfo would be a more effective way to protect human health from the adverse effects of ship emissions than switching over to a low-sulphur fuel. read more on our blog page your information will be kept confidential. see our privacy policy for more information.

by: jeroen berger, august 10, 2017 in the port of rotterdam (the netherlands) alone, every seven minutes a ship docks in and out. all these vessels have taken ballast water or discharged ballast water. for example, every two weeks the entire port capacity has been replaced by ballast water undetected. and in that water you will find a lot of things which do not belong there. the so-called exotic species, the non-indigenous species, will be discharged with ballast water by ships and may lead to great local disturbance of our ecosystem. although ballast water is taking care of stability and balance of the ship and is making sure that the ship propeller stays underwater, the movements of exotic species have become one of the greatest threats for marine biodiversity of the oceans. berger maritiem has been doing some research how the influence of ballast water can be minimalized. what is ballast water exactly and what are the consequences? in many cases ships with ballast water on board are changing exotic species between various continents as a kind of travelling fish tank. the impact from ballast water is not only noticeable on environmental and economic terms, the spread of some exotic species could have a negative effect on public health in some cases. for example, a little worm in ballast water could lead to a spread to the disease cholera. if we compare the spread of exotic species with oil pollution, then we see that oil pollution is visible, has a major media impact, is it initiating political reactions and usually restores the environment after some time. if we are looking to the spread of exotic species, then we see that these will arise undetected and will often increase very largely. although the spread of exotic species will arise undetected, the consequences are almost irreversible. the chinese mitten crab is a good example of this. this kind of non-native species originally came from asia, which you now find at the dutch coast. the chinese mitten crab, which you now can find in the brackish and fresh water of the benelux, poses a major threat to many indigenous species. for example, the chinese mitten crabs are not that much picky when it comes to food. besides that, their pincers take care of serious economic damage for fishing and fyke nets, but also for the stability of the dams. possible solutions a ballast water treatment system (bwts) can contribute to prevent the negative consequences of ballast water. meanwhile, there are various types of ballast water treatments systems on the market. for example, ballast water treatment with uv light, a system which injects chloride dioxide into the ballast water as it is loaded and systems based on chemical methods. also a couple of after-treatment systems are developed. these kind of systems are working, for example, with peracetic acid. regulation the international convention for the control and management of ships' ballast water and sediments (bwm convention) will enter into force on 8 september 2017, announced by the international maritime organisation (imo). however, the date on which existing ships of 400 gt or more must meet the d2 standard requirements (these covers specifies levels of viable organisms left in water after treatment) have been postponed to 8 september 2019. this is the new date for these vessels that need to renew their iopp (international oil pollution prevention) certificate to comply with the d2 standard. an iopp certificate must be renewed every five years. this means that all existing ships of 400 gt or more must comply with the d2 standard between 8 september 2019 and 8 september 2024. newbuilding vessels delivered after 8 september 2017 must comply directly with the d2 standard. vessels below 400 gt must meet the d2 standard on 8 july 2024. it is expected that many ship owners and shipping companies will choose to install a ballast water treatment system (bwts) from the moment they must comply with the d2 standard. berger maritiem will be pleased to help you with finding, selecting, engineering and installing the right ballast water treatment system for your type of vessel. read more on our blog page your information will be kept confidential. see our privacy policy for more information.

by: jeroen berger, august 18, 2017 the stage v emission limits, adopted by the european parliament and the council in july 2016 and published in the official journal of the european union as regulation (eu) 2016/1628 in september 2016, will tighten restrictions on internal combustion engines installed in non-road mobile machinery like inland waterway vessels. for main and auxiliary engines with a reference power of less than 300 kw, the eu stage v emission standards will enter into force on 1 january 2019. the implementation date for main and auxiliary engines with a reference power above 300 kw, is set for 1 january 2020. in this blog i will take a deep dive into the eu stage v emission limits for internal combustion engines used in inland waterway vessels. nrmm stage v emission limits for inland waterway vessels the european regulation 2016/1628 is effective for internal combustion engines installed in non-road mobile machinery like inland waterway vessels. the purpose of the so-called ‘non road mobile machinery’ (nrmm) regulation, is that the eu stage v emission standards should lead to a decrease of the air emissions of the inland waterway transport. the stage v regulation calls for limit values for emissions of carbon monoxide (co), hydrocarbons (hc) and nitrogen oxides (nox) for internal combustion engines installed in inland waterway vessels. in order to ensure that emissions of ultrafine particulate pollutants (of size 0,1 μm and below) are regulated, a number-based approach has adopted to emissions of particulate pollutants, in addition to the mass-based approach which is currently used. contrary to ccr-ii, the emissions of nitrogen oxides (nox) are reduced by 70-84 percent and the particulate matter (pm) by 92,5 percent. the european regulation 2016/1628 applies to new inland waterway vessel engines for new buildings, but also for conversion. inland waterway vessel engines for stage v split up into categories the stage v emission limits for internal combustion engines installed in inland water vessels are split up into three categories: iwp, iwa and nre. engine category iwp let’s begin with the first engine category: iwp. the engines exclusively for use in inland waterway vessels, for their direct or indirect propulsion, or intended for their direct or indirect propulsion, having a reference power that is greater than or equal to 19 kw belong to this category. see figure 1 for the dates of application and figure 2 for the stage v emission standards. engine category iwa auxiliary engines exclusively for use in inland waterway vessels and having a reference power that is greater than or equal to 19 kw belong to engine category iwa. see figure 3 for the dates of application and figure 4 for the eu stage v emission limits. engine category nre engines for non-road mobile machinery intended and suited to move, or to be moved, by road or otherwise and are not made exclusively for use in inland waterway vessels, belong to engine category nre. this type of engines should have a reference power of less than 560 kw and are in the place of stage v engines of categories iwp and iwa. see figure 5 for the dates of application and figure 6 for the stage v emission standards. solutions in development how can we meet the stage v emission limits for the engines installed in inland waterway vessels? for many ship owners and shipping companies this question has become more and more important. i have been doing some research and i have come to the following three solutions. solution 1 lies with the engine manufacturers it is expected that some engine manufacturers will come with an overall solution: a combination with a diesel engine with after treatment, whereby the engine manufacturer is the responsible party. with this solution you will get from them a nrmm stage v emission certificate on an ex-works basis, whereby you do not need to do some emission tests on board. solution 2 lies with the suppliers of after treatment it is expected that some suppliers of scr catalysts and diesel particulate filters will come with an overall solution: after treatment combined with a diesel engine, whereby the supplier of the scr catalyst and diesel particulate filter (dpf) is the responsible party. with this solution you will get from them a nrmm stage v emission certificate on an ex-works basis, whereby you do not need to do some emission tests on board. solution 3 lies with emissions measurement systems on board thanks to the continuous on-board analysis and diagnosis’ (cobald) green deal it is expected that you can meet the stage v emission limits with your existing diesel engine in the near future. for example, by adding an eu stage v ready scr catalyst and diesel particulate filter combined with an on board and real time emissions measurement system, whereby you can demonstrate the level of emissions. figure 1: dates of application of the stage v emission limits for engine category iwp source: official journal of the european union from regulation (eu) 2016/1628, 2016 figure 2: stage v emission limits for engine category iwp source: official journal of the european union from regulation (eu) 2016/1628, 2016 figure 3: dates of application of the stage v emission limits for engine category iwa source: official journal of the european union from regulation (eu) 2016/1628, 2016 figure 4: stage v emission limits for engine category iwa source: official journal of the european union from regulation (eu) 2016/1628, 2016 figure 5: dates of application of the stage v emission limits for engine category nre source: official journal of the european union from regulation (eu) 2016/1628, 2016 figure 6: stage v emission limits for engine category nre source: official journal of the european union from regulation (eu) 2016/1628, 2016 in case you want to know more about the stage v emission limits for engines used in inland waterway vessel, feel free to contact us. we will be pleased to advice you. read more on our blog page your information will be kept confidential. see our privacy policy for more information.

by: jeroen berger, august 22, 2017 for the inland shipping sector there comes a trial with emissions measurement systems as part of the continuous on-board analysis and diagnosis’ (cobald) green deal. on 13 september 2016, the cobald green deal was signed by melanie henriëtte schultz van haegen (the dutch minister of infrastructure and the environment) and interbranch-organizations, companies and re... institutes within the inland waterway transport sector. with the green deal the aim is to investigate the possibility to come up with reliable and affordable measurement systems to measure and monitor the emissions for inland waterway vessels. the results of the trial are set for evaluation in the fourth quarter of 2018. is there more clarity on the emissions of inland waterway vessels? although the internal combustion engines used in inland waterway vessels are certified since 2003, there is no clarity about the emissions of co, hc, nox, pm mass and pn. for example, we see that the engines used in a lot of inland waterway vessels are built before the time of certification. another fact is, that the ccr1 or ccr2 certificate shall be issued in testing mode, which has not by definition the same emission reductions outcome in practice. the aim of the continuous on-board analysis and diagnosis’ (cobald) green deal is to come up with reliable and affordable measurement systems to measure and monitor the real emission reductions of the internal combustion engines used in inland waterway vessels. what do they want measure specifically? they want to know the values of co, hc, nox, pm mass in g/kwh and pn in #/kwh. the purpose of the cobald green deal is not only to measure the real emission reductions, but they want to sync the measurement data too. it is within the green deal scope to validate the emissions measurement systems until uniform information is obtained. for the maritime industry this information is very helpful, because they can compare the sector with other forms of transport thanks to this information. how do they get to uniform information? the first things which have to be done, are: how are they able to measure, what and where can be measured? next, it is necessary to look at factors such as accuracy and the way in which the information is collected. it is also important to look at the shipping routes and the behavior of the vessel owners. why a trial with emissions measurement systems? for main and auxiliary engines used in inland waterway vessels with a reference power of less than 300 kw, the eu stage v emission limits will enter into force on 1 january 2019. the implementation date for main and auxiliary engines for inland shipping with a reference power above 300 kw, is set for 1 january 2020. i have been doing some re... and i have come to the following three solutions to meet the stage v emission standards. solution one lies with the engine manufacturers. it is expected that some engine manufacturers will come with an overall solution: a combination with a diesel engine with after treatment, whereby the engine manufacturer is the responsible party. with this solution you will get from them a nrmm stage v emission certificate on an ex-works basis, whereby you do not need to do some emission tests on board. solution two lies with the suppliers of after treatment. it is expected that some suppliers of scr catalysts and diesel particulate filters will come with an overall solution: after treatment combined with a diesel engine, whereby the supplier of the scr catalyst and diesel particulate filter (dpf) is the responsible party. with this solution you will get from them a nrmm stage v emission certificate on an ex-works basis, whereby you do not need to do some emission tests on board. solution three lies with emissions measurement systems on board. thanks to the continuous on-board analysis and diagnosis’ (cobald) green deal they are trying to meet the stage v emission limits with an existing diesel engine in the near future. for example, by adding an eu stage v ready scr catalyst and diesel particulate filter combined with an on board and real time emissions measurement system, whereby you can demonstrate the level of emissions. what added value does the cobald green deal provide? with participating the cobald green deal, a ship owner could have the benefits in the field of energy efficiency. by testing emissions measurement systems as part of the continuous on-board analysis and diagnosis’ (cobald) green deal, a ship owner is able to improve the ship’s performance too. and that with relatively small investments in most cases. the aim is that hundred ship owners in the inland waterway transport sector will participate. cobald green deal signed by besides melanie henriëtte schultz van haegen (the dutch minister of infrastructure and the environment), the cobald green deal was signed by koninklijke bln-schuttevaer, the dutch central office for rhine and inland navigation (cbrb), marin, blueco benelux bv, the association of importers of combustion engines (viv), stiching green award, stc-nestra, tno, sgs nederland bv, ecn, expertise- en innovatiecentrum binnenvaart, evo and stichting maritime monitoring institute.   read more on our blog page your information will be kept confidential. see our privacy policy for more information.

by: jeroen berger, may 16, 2018 (updated) from 1 january 2011, there is a green award for inland waterway vessels, meeting the specific environmental standards. the objective of introducing a green award for the inland waterway transport, is to recognize ship owners which have done a lot more to make their inland waterway vessels “green” than the current requirements. what is a green award for inland navigation vessels exactly and what are the benefits? heritage the green award for the inland waterway transport sector comes from the green award foundation established in 1994 in order to promote quality shipping amongst sea-going vessels. since then, all over the world green award certifies ships, ship managers and oil companies that prove their dedication to high quality, safety and environmental standards. benefits what are the benefits of having a green award for your inland waterway vessel? besides having an extra clean and safe inland waterway vessel, the benefits include image improvement, charterers’ preference, reduction on port dues, discounts on pilotage services and various trainings and reimbursement by a bank for a part of the certification costs. what could be the reduction on port dues? i’ve been doing some re... on this topic, and if we take the rotterdam port authority as an example, then a discount of 15% is feasible with a score of less than 400 points for the main engine. a discount of 30% is also feasible, but that is only valid from 17 june 2014 and possible in case you have a score of 400 points and more for the main engines. what could be the reimbursement by a bank? the rabobank and the european investment bank (eib) have also realized that investments being made by companies could have an impact to humans, the environment and society. by introducing the so-called impact loan (an interest-rate reduction to 1,2% for new investment financing) they want to stimulate ship owners with inland waterway vessels to make them more sustainable. dynamic set of requirements the green award program has a dynamic set of requirements. for example, contrary to the previous set of requirements the following points have been amended: more attention for new energy saving technologies, more benefits for clean engines, more emphasis on safety, the requirements consist now of two parts: engines and additional items and besides that a differentiation of levels within the certification program (bronze, silver and gold). download the green award requirements effective of 1-8-2017 requirements the green award program for the inland waterway transport sector works according a rating system, which applies to the technical equipment on board and to the crew. this means that, you need to score a minimum number of points in order to receive a bronze, silver or gold green award certificate for your inland waterway vessel. good examples of requirements include items like compliance with ccr 2 emission level for main engines and auxiliary engines, dry bilge, propeller shaft seals, high-level alarm in fuel bunkers, closed grey water system, connection for shore side electricity, course ‘smart steaming’, fuel consumption monitor / cruise control and a waste management plan. for example, in case you will install a diesel particulate filter (dpf) and scr catalyst, you are able to receive a lot of points in order to qualify for a green award certificate. green award platinum label the green award foundation has recently introduced a platinum label in addition to existing bronze, silver and gold certification levels within the green award program. this label is intended for inland waterway vessels operating emission-free. specifically the green award platinum label is for inland navigation ships that keep abreast of the times and operate several hours a day with zero emissions of co2, sox, nox and pm. these emissions can be avoided by, for example, the use of electrical propulsion powered by batteries or fuel cells. the green award platinum will enter into force on 1 january 2018. amsterdam and zaanstad will be the first ports that will embrace the label. all inland waterway vessels, operating emission-free and in the possession of the green award platinum label, will receive in these ports a discount of 20 percent on port dues. tariffs as i said in the introduction of my blog post, the green award program started in 2011. during the first 5 years, starting from 2011, a part of the certification costs was financed by the ministry of infrastructure and the environment (i&m) and by seaports participating in the national ports’ council of the netherlands (nhr). this subsidy has made a relatively low price of the green award certificate possible. with effect from 1 january 2016, this subsidy has stopped. the tariffs in 2018 are comprised of green award certification costs for freight ships (for an inland waterway vessel you have to pay 755 euro excl. vat and for a push barge by a ship 600 euro excl. vat) and inland waterway passenger vessels. for this type of vessel you have to pay a basis fee of 600 euro + 0.19 euro per m2 excl. vat. the validity of a green award certificate is three years. something for me? the green award program for the inland shipping is open for dry cargo ships, tankers, container ships and push barges, but from 2017 advantages of the green award certificate are available for inland waterway passenger vessels too. ferries, river cruise ships and day cruisers are eligible for the certification. the requirements for passenger ships are herewith similar to the requirements for freight inland vessels with focus on the safety and environmental aspects. later the green award certification can be possibly expanded to other ship types. if you want to investigate the possibilities for your ship, we from berger maritiem will be pleased to advice you how you are able to receive a bronze, silver or gold green award certificate for your inland waterway vessel. if you want to learn more about the green award, please have a look at the green award business case from a.j. van vliet & zn. this family business in the netherlands has received a green award for her crane ship, which dates from 1964. read more on our blog page your information will be kept confidential. see our privacy policy for more information.

by: jeroen berger, september 13, 2017 although shipping is one of the lowest carbon dioxide (co2) emitting freight transport options per tonne-kilometre, the global marine shipping sector is nowadays so big that the maritime transport is responsible for approximately 4% of the climate change. the expectation is that, without measures, this percentage is only going to grow. a co2 tax is therefore a famous instrument to reverse this situation. before the united nations climate change conference paris 2015 the six major oil companies (bg group, bp, eni, royal dutch shell, statoil and total) say that they are already taking a number of actions to help limit emissions a long time ago. because of that, they have sent an open letter to governments and the united nations saying that they can take faster climate action, if governments provide even stronger carbon pricing and eventually link it all up into a global system that puts a proper price on the environmental and economic costs of greenhouse gas emissions. although the co2 tax, also referred to as “carbon tax”, is a much-discussed topic at the climate change conferences, there is still not a global co2 tax. why actually? in my re..., i’ve learned, for instance, that big polluting countries like china and the united states of america (usa) were unable to reach agreement. only the european union (eu) takes a serious approach to the challenges related to the trade in co2 allowances, but unfortunately it was not very effective. in order to reduce the use of cheap oil, coal and gas, a co2 tax of at least eur 30 per tonne of co2 is more than likely necessary. shipping is being left out of the paris deal at the paris climate change conference (cop21) in december 2015, almost 200 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally binding global climate deal. the agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°c with the aim to limit the increase to 1.5°c. although shipping is a big emitter of co2, it is being left out of the paris deal. developments after the united nations climate change conference although the maritime transport is being left out of the paris deal, the international monetary fund (imf) will not let go the idea for a co2 tax for shipping. by raising the cost of using fossil fuels, a co2 tax would tend to increase the cost of goods and services that involve relatively large amounts of co2 emissions. the imf has calculated that with a global co2 tax of 30 dollars a tonne, 25 billion dollars a year can be collected. for example, this is a quarter of the 100 billion dollars a year that must be found to limit the impact of climate change for developing countries. also according to the european community shipowners’ associations (ecsa) and the royal association of netherlands shipowners (kvnr), it is a missed opportunity that the maritime transport is being left out of the united nations climate agreement. for example, the secretary-general of the ecsa says: “we really hope that the negotiating parties serious consider to reinstate the maritime transport into the international climate agreement.” co2 tax although the shipping industry is being left out of the paris deal, there have been more and more proponents which call for a co2 tax for shipping too. and together with the fact that we now have to deal with an extremely low oil price, we wouldn’t be surprised if there comes a co2 tax in the foreseeable future. read more on our blog page your information will be kept confidential. see our privacy policy for more information.

door: jeroen berger, 12 oktober 2017 in het op 10 oktober 2017 gepubliceerde regeerakkoord ‘vertrouwen in de toekomst’  (2017-2021), schrijft het nieuwe kabinet van vvd, cda, d66 en christenunie dat zij een green deal willen sluiten met de binnenvaart, zeevaart en havens. het doel hierachter: het verder verduurzamen van deze modaliteiten. volgens het nieuwe kabinet is er namelijk in de zeevaart en binnenvaart nog een hoop milieuwinst te behalen. wat zou u aan een green deal kunnen hebben? een green deal voor de binnenvaart en zeevaart zou bestaande knelpunten kunnen aanpakken en nederlandse reders en scheepseigenaren kunnen ondersteunen om hun schepen zo snel als mogelijk duurzamer te maken. wat wij veel zien is, dat veel duurzame investeringen pas worden gedaan, als er een beloning tegenover staat. het geven van meer subsidies voor het stimuleren van duurzaamheid zou daarbij voor u als reder of scheepseigenaar een goed instrument kunnen zijn, zo denken wij. inhaalslag op het gebied van co2 reductie uit het regeerakkoord ‘vertrouwen in de toekomst’ (2017-2021) komt verder naar voren dat er een klimaat- en energieakkoord komt met als doel om de co2-uitstoot te reduceren met 49% in 2030. hiermee wilt het nieuwe kabinet van vvd, cda, d66 en christenunie de duurzaamheidslat voor nederland de komende jaren hoger leggen dan de doelstelling van de europese unie (eu). zij hebben als doel om de co2-uitstoot in 2030 met 40% te hebben verlaagd, ten opzichte van 1990. het doel van een co2 reductie van 49% wordt door het kabinet uitgelegd als een inhaalslag. nederland bevindt zich namelijk op de europese duurzaamheidslijst in de onderste regionen. iets wat zij graag veranderd zien. wat kunnen we al op gebied van subsidies verwachten? de stimulering duurzame energieproductie (sde+) subsidie, bedoeld voor bedrijven en (non-profit) instellingen die hernieuwbare energie (gaan) produceren, zal worden verruimd naar 3,2 miljard euro. dit is alvast een goed begin en biedt zeker kansen voor de binnenvaart en zeevaart bij het verder “vergroenen” van hun schepen. verder komt er een small business innovation and re... (sbir) programma voor het midden- en kleinbedrijf (mkb), uit te voeren door defensie en rijkswaterstaat (rws). deze regeling heeft betrekking op innovatie en onderzoek en kent een subsidiekarakter. ook wordt de mkb-innovatiestimulering regio en topsectoren (mit) verder uitgebreid en komt er jaarlijks 200 miljoen euro beschikbaar voor fundamenteel en toegepast onderzoek. hiermee kunnen maritieme onderzoeksinstituten de kennisbasis voor de maritieme sector versterken. lees meer op onze blogpagina uw gegevens worden vertrouwelijk behandeld. bekijk ons privacy beleid voor meer informatie.