Energy saving - Harbour insights
U.S. President Joe Biden has signed an Executive Order aimed at shoring up the cybersecurity of U.S. ports, a move fuelled by mounting concerns about the vulnerability of this critical infrastructure to cyberattacks. This initiative marks a significant shift in policy, empowering key agencies and outlining concrete actions to bolster defences. By empowering key agencies, establishing clear standards, and fostering collaboration, the initiative aims to strengthen U.S. ports against the evolving...
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the shortcomings in the maritime/intermodal supply chain. Consequences of the pandemic included volume surges, equipment dislocation and shortages, warehousing and affiliated labor shortages, and intermodal rail service disruption. Pandemic challenges across the supply chain Among participants throughout the global supply chain, the pandemic challenges underscored concerns about communication, interaction, and coordination. Because the system is so compl...
As regulations on emissions become more stringent, more companies and organisations in the maritime industry will likely start to use methanol as a cleaner and more sustainable fuel. Methanol Methanol is a promising alternative fuel for the maritime industry due to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy security, and improve air quality. The future of methanol as a maritime fuel depends on several factors, including regulatory policies, technological advancements, a...
Protecting undersea infrastructure has taken on more urgency and a higher profile in the wake of explosions on September 26, attributed to sabotage, that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that carry Russian gas across the Baltic Sea. Seismic data from Sweden and Denmark point to forceful undersea explosions around the pipelines, which are owned by Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy company. Safeguarding critical infrastructure The entire undersea network of pipelines and...
Liquid natural gas (LNG) can avoid concerns about global warming in the maritime industry – to a point. LNG is a carbon-based fuel but yields lower emissions than current fuels used in the maritime industry, thus enabling compliance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) goals to address greenhouse gas emissions. LNG offers an attractive transition route until even more environmentally friendly approaches become practical, although costs to transition existing vessels to LNG are...
Fires are among the biggest threats to seagoing vessels, despite the irony of the vessels being surrounded by water. Fire threats are especially serious given that receiving outside assistance is impossible, or at least very time-consuming. Evacuation is also problematic in the middle of the ocean. Not surprisingly, electrical fires make up around half of the incidences of combustion onboard ships – electrical systems and water are a dangerous combination. Other fires come from flammable...
The Jones Act, also known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, has been in the news recently, both as an element in the supply chain muddle and related to the U.S. ban on Russian oil and gas. The Jones Act requires that ships operating between ports in the United States of America be constructed in the U.S., fly the U.S. flag, be owned by U.S. citizens, and be crewed only by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The Jones Act The law was introduced by Senator Wesley Jones (R-Wash.) and be...
Pollution from microplastics poses a threat to the marine environment and synthetic ropes used by maritime vessels are a source of the contamination. Research is ongoing into the specific impact of pollution. Meanwhile, the development of biodegradable fishing gear is one solution, but greater awareness is needed to tackle the problem holistically. The impact of ropes on the ocean The University of Plymouth’s International Marine Litter Research Unit is studying the impact of ropes on ma...
The maritime industry is not covered by the Paris climate agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. However, carbon emissions from maritime activities account for 2 to 3% of total global warming potential (GWP) worldwide, and the share is likely to increase in coming years, approaching 17% of CO2 emissions by 2050. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is tasked...
Backlogged ports, a shortage of shipping containers and not enough workers are among the factors contributing to supply chain disruptions that have led to shortages of various goods and are likely to impact availability of merchandise, during the upcoming holiday season. Demand is growing rapidly as the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic have diminished. However, lingering consequences of the pandemic are continuing to impact the container shipping market. With each element in the system t...