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NEW REPORT HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPACT OF MARITIME TRANSPORT ON AIR QUALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Maritime transport plays and will continue to play an essential role in global and European trade and economy. In recent years, the maritime sector has taken significant measures to alleviate its environmental impacts. Ahead of a projected increase in global shipping volumes, a new report reveals for the first time the full extent of the impact of the EU maritime transport sector on the environment and identifies challenges to achieving sustainability.

With 77 % of European external trade and 35 % of all trade by value between EU Member States moved by sea, maritime transport is a key part of the international supply chain. Despite a drop in shipping activity in 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sector is expected to grow strongly over the coming decades, fuelled by rising demand for primary resources and container shipping.

Against this background, the European Maritime Transport Environment Report, launched today by the European Environment Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency, marks the first comprehensive health-check of the sector. The report shows that ships produce 13.5 6 6

% of all greenhouse gas emissions from transport in the EU, behind emissions from road transport (71 %) and aviation (14.4 %). Sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from ships calling in European ports amounted to approximately 1.63 million tonnes in 2019, a figure which is expected to fall further over the coming decades due to stricter environmental rules and measures.

Maritime transport is estimated to have contributed to the fact that underwater noise levels in EU waters have more than doubled between 2014 and 2019 and has been responsible for half of all non-indigenous species introduced into European seas since 1949. However, even though the volume of oil transported by sea has been steadily increasing, only eight accidental medium to large oil tanker spills out of a worldwide total of 62 occurred in EU waters over the past decade.

The joint report assesses the current state of emerging maritime transport sustainability solutions, including alternative fuels, batteries and onshore power supply, and provides a comprehensive picture of their uptake in the EU. It also outlines future challenges posed by climate change for the industry, including the potential impact of rising sealevels on ports.

“Our Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy makes clear that all transport modes need to become more sustainable, smarter and more resilient — including shipping. Although maritime transport has improved its environmental footprint in past years, it still faces big challenges when it comes to decarbonising and reducing pollution. Based on all the latest evidence, our policies aim to help the sector confront these challenges, by making the most of innovative solutions and digital technologies. This way, maritime transport can keep growing and delivering on our citizens’ daily needs, in harmony with the environment, all the while maintaining its competitiveness and continuing to create quality jobs,” said Adina Vălean, EU Commissioner for Transport.

“This joint report gives us an excellent overview of the present and future challenges related to maritime transport. The message is clear: maritime transport is expected to increase in the coming years and unless we act now, the sector will produce more and more greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants and underwater noise. A smooth but rapid transition of the sector is crucial to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal and move towards carbon neutrality. This will also create new economic opportunities for the European transport industry as part of the necessary transition to a sustainable blue economy. The challenge is immense, but we have the technologies, the resources and the will to tackle it,” said Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.

“Innovation-driven sustainability is an opportunity for shipping to complete a transformation on the same scale as the replacement of sails by steam. This new maritime revolution will depend on ships developed through advanced technology and digital solutions, but also on a multilayered, fully inclusive process at national, European and international level that encompasses safety, security and social aspects as well as environmental ones. But crucial too is shipping’s role as a link in a transnational logistics chain. This means that every part of that chain — from ports to the shipbuilding sector, from shippers

to the private and public financial sectors — must be included in our drive towards sustainability,” said Maja Markovčić Kostelac, EMSA’s Executive Director. “While Europe’s maritime transport sector plays a vital role for our economic wellbeing, this report clearly shows that maritime transport in Europe and the entire international shipping community have an urgent responsibility to step up their efforts to reduce this sector’s environmental footprint. While steps have been taken already based on European and international policies, much more is needed for a fundamental shift towards a sustainable maritime transport sector that contributes to secure the future wellbeing and survival of our most sensitive ecosystems and coastal areas, and the well-being of Europeans,” said Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director.

KEY IMPACTS ON THE ENVIRONMENT Greenhouse gas emissions: in total, ships calling at EU and European Economic Area ports generated 140 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2018 (approximately 18 % of all CO2 emissions generated by maritime transport worldwide that year). Air pollution: In 2019, sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from ships calling in European ports amounted to around 1.63 million tonnes, approximately 16 % of the global SO2 emissions from international shipping. Underwater noise: Ships create noise which can affect marine species in different ways. It is estimated that between 2014 and 2019, the total accumulated underwater radiated noise energy more than doubled in EU waters. Container ships, passenger ships and tankers generate the highest noise energy emissions from propeller use. Non-indigenous species: Overall, since 1949, the maritime transport sector has accounted for the largest proportion of non-indigenous species introduced into seas around the EU — close to 50 % of all species, with the largest number found in the Mediterranean. A total of 51 species are all classified as high impact, meaning that they can affect ecosystems and native species. The report also notes the limited data available in assessing the full impact on habitats and species.

Oil pollution: out of a total of 18large accidental oil spills in the wordsince 2010, only three were locatedin the EU (17 %); better monitoring,enforcement and awareness is helpingto reduce oil pollution events eventhough the amount of oil transportedby sea has been steadily growing forthe past 30 years.

EU maritime transport faces a crucialdecade to transition to a moreeconomically, socially and environmentallysustainable sector.Already, most ships calling in the EUhave reduced their speed by up to 20 %compared to 2008, thereby also reducingemissions, according to the report.

In addition, non-traditional fuels andenergy sources, such as biofuels, batteries,hydrogen or ammonia, are emerging aspossible alternatives for shipping, withthe potential to decarbonise the sectorand lead to zero emissions. Onshorepower supply (where ships shut downtheir engines and connect to a powersource on land while berthed at port) canalso provide a clean source of energy inmaritime and inland navigation ports.More details and further links to data areat:

EEA: https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/maritime-transport/EMSA: http://www.emsa.europa.eu/emter

MV WAKASHIO - COAST GUARD OFFICER DELAYED ACTION AS VESSEL APPROACHED COASTLINE

A Mauritius Coast Guard watch officerhas come under fire in the investigationinto last year’s grounding of the Wakashioore carrier at Pointe-d’Esny, resulting inthe island-nation’s worst environmentaldisaster. The officer, Constable Ujoodha,looked at his screen only once even thoughhe saw that the vessel was 11.5 nauticalmiles from the coast when it should havebeen 20 nautical miles away. He did seethat the MV Wakashio had deviated fromits course, but ignored it and chose insteadto concentrate on other administrativework. Constable Ujoodha was the officerin charge of the radar surveillanceof Mauritius’ territorial waters at theheadquarters of the National Coast Guard(NCG), in Fort-William, Port-Louis, at thetime of the accident on July 25, 2020.However when he did ask the radar stationat Pointe-du-Diable to contact the vessel.They ignored the calls….

More details at:https://lnkd.in/dHNmkat

CHANGE AT THE HELM FOR ITOPF

ITOPF has announced the retirement of itsManaging Director, Dr Karen Purnell, on31st December 2021 after serving some 27years with the company. Having overseen arecent Modernisation Project, Karen said

I am privileged to have found a careerwith a company that has enabled me torealise my dream of combining a love ofscience and the marine environment with

the dynamic world of shipping. I haveloved every moment of my near threedecades with ITOPF and I’m proud toleave it stronger and poised to respondto the evolving needs of the future.

Karen hands the reins to Oli Beavon, a seasoned leader with diverse experience gained over nearly three decades with BP.

He is a Chartered Engineer with an MBA and has held a variety of leadership roles in global management of engineering, shipping & marine activity, and real estate, plus experience in finance, health and safety and HR. Oli worked for the last three years in workplace, human performance, and culture. He has a particular interest in developing talent and understanding the role of purpose and the work environment on delivering extraordinary outcomes. Oli responded to say that

I am very excited to become part of ateam that I have admired for many years,and that is deeply respected for theexpertise and professionalism it provides.

Oli Beavon, ITOPF’s Incoming Managing Director

HURRICANE IDA

HURRICANE IDA which struckthe Gulf of Mexico at the end ofAugust caused less direct damagethat Hurricane Katrina (2005)that devastated the same region.However its impact is still being felt.

A month on weeks on half of thecrude oil output from the Gulf ofMexico has yet to resume. Justover 40% of U.S. Gulf of Mexico oiland natural gas production is backonline after Hurricane Ida batteredsoutheast Louisiana, marking aneven slower comeback than in thewake of Katrina.

More than a week after theCategory 4 storm made landfall,about 77% of the region’s offshoreproduction remains shut, accordingto the Bureau of Safety andEnvironmental Enforcement. Bycomparison, about 60% of oiloutput and 40% of gas was still

offline this long after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and its environs in 2005. While the loss of life and initial damage reports from Ida were nothing like the monster storm that struck New Orleans 16 years ago to the day, the offshore oil sector is having a tougher time resuming this time. This is due to extensive power cuts and damaged infrastructure on land. It’s also a larger industry now, pumping about 1.8 million barrels a day before Ida compared with 1.5 million ahead of Katrina.

Refineries and petrochemical plants along the Mississippi River also are facing slow restarts due to flooding and infrastructure damage meaning offshore production platforms have nowhere to send their oil if they resumed immediately. Getting back to full output requires crude flowing freely again through the Gulf Coast’s vast network of pipelines, storage terminals and refineries.

Occidental Petroleum Corp. and Murphy Oil Corp. were the latest to report some platforms could not restart amid a lack of available takeaway capacity. Royal Dutch Shell Plc also has several platforms out of action and is without power at its giant Norco refinery and chemical plant just outside of New Orleans.

What has also surprise is the disruption over such an area with port operations disrupted across the Gulf’s ports, inland waterways disrupted and closed.

X-PRESS PEARL UPDATE

The X-Press Pearl, departed Hazira, India on May 15 and was heading eastbound on the last leg of a voyage from the Middle East. Whilst sailing a fire started in one of its containers. She requested permission to return to India which was rejected. However, Sri Lankan authorities agreed to respond to a distress call on 20 May as the vessel anchored 9.5nm outside the port of Colombo awaiting terminal space. She was carrying 1486 containers which included 25 tons of Nitric Acid as well as cosmetics and other potentially hazardous chemicals. . Whilst extensive firefighting efforts were undertaken to contain the fire its eventually spread to the whole vessel. SMIT Salvage were appointed to manage the incident and once the fire was thought to be extinguished on several occasions it flared up eventually consuming the whole vessel.

With debris from the fire and its container’s contents washing onto Colombo’s pristine beaches on 23 May the Sri Lankan authorities demanded the vessel be towed further from the shore and into deeper

waters. However, with the fire raging this was not possible. With the fires extinguished the salvage and port authority teams were able to get on board on 1 June and agreed that the tow could start. However whilst undertaking a slow tow on 2 June the water flooded vessel’s stern struck bottom and the tow was abandoned.

Since then, the rest of the vessel has sunk. The vessel has appx 300 metric tons of bunker fuel on board and there are fears that as the vessel sinks and maybe starts to break up that this and other chemicals retained on board despite the fire will be released into the local waters. As such the Sri Lankan Navy and Coast Guard remain on the scene.

Speaking on CNA in Singapore, Shmuel Yoskovitz, the CEO of X-Press Feeders, the owners of the ship, said he wanted to apologize for what has happened. “I’d like to express my deep regrets and apologies to the Sri

Lankan people for the harm this incident has caused to the livelihood and to the environment of Sri Lanka,” said Yoskovitz.

X-Press Feeders brought in representatives of ITOPF and Oil Spill Response to monitor and assist with any clean-up if there is an oil leak. Oil Spill Response have also been contracted by the Sri Lankan Government to assist in the clear up of the debris from the containers and have staff permanently deployed on the task.

In July the insurers of X Press Pearl made an initial payment of $3.6 million to the Sri Lankan Government and further claims are likely but all take time to compile and process.

At some point the vessel will have to be recovered with the risk of further contamination from container debris in the hold and possible fuel from its bunker tanks.

This regrettable incident is likely to remain in the headlines for some time.

More details at:

https://www.maritimeexecutive.com/article/xpress-pearl-slowlysettles-to-the-bottom

WIDER ISSUE RELATED TO X-PRESS PEARL INCIDENT FOR THE INDUSTRY TO CONSIDER

The X Press Pearl was a newly launched feeder vessel collecting containers from smaller ports until full and then discharging them at a major container port. It was modern, well equipped and professionally manned.

It has been stated in the media that the fire was caused by a leak, of properly declared, but incorrectly packed nitric acid. This is corrosive, toxic and flammable. X Press Pearl was carrying 25 tonnes of it. It is likely that this was being shipped to manufacture ammonium nitrate, a popular fertiliser.

The leak was first identified in Hamad Port, Qatar which refused the ship’s request to discharge the container. The ship made the same request later to Hazira Port in Gujarat, which was also denied. Colombo Port, Sri Lanka also refused entry but agreed that she could anchor offshore where she now rests.

All are modern and well equipped ports and claimed they lacked the manpower and equipment to discharge the leaking container. Really…. Or would accepting the vessel, creating an exclusion zone, allocating resources to it just interrupt their commercial operations.

Probably.

However there are wider issues here and X Press Pearl is an unfortunate victim of this:

The International Maritime Dangerous Goods Regulations control handling and storage of hazardous goods at sea. – It needs to be robustly enforced which it is not at the moment.

Shippers who accept dangerous goods cargos should ensure correct identification of contents, adequate storage and packing so it is safe to carry at sea.

Stronger enforcement and legal action against those states where the cargoes were loaded and the supply chain that permitted

There is also a change of attitude. Traditionally ships in distress had ‘freedom of ports’ to seek shelter. However, states may deny this if they pose a risk to the environment or the safety or security of its people.

This will probably now be cited as the reason for denial of entry to X Press Pearl in Qatar and India.

The IMO recognised this in 2003 and adopted resolutions creating places of refuge for vessels in distress. These are sheltered waters with some support facilities nearby but it does not avert the environmental risk. In X Pres Pearl’s case it did receive support from the

authorities, however there is a difference to support that can be given to a vessel at anchor and that the can be given to a vessel alongside where firefighting, water management, cranage and medical support can more easily be given and any environmental impact contained in the port. These were denied X Press Pearl and the loss occurred and its consequences are been and will be felt for a long time.

It is estimated that there are 150,000 annual cases of undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods capable of causing fires. We all probably suspect that that it may be more as the only ones we generally hear about are drug hauls. With busy shipping routes, time pressures, commercial imperatives etc it seems a lot but when 226 million containers are shipped each year maybe that is reasonable.

We have recently seen incidents in ports in Dubai and Chile both with incorrectly declared container loads.

Xpress Pearl may have been an exceptional incident but the lessons to be learned should prompt change. Imagine if this has been on board a vessel carrying 20,000 containers in mid Atlantic

BANIYAS REFINERY SPILL AFFECTS A LOT OF EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

After satellite imagery highlighted a fuel spill off the coast of Syria and tracking initially north of it, Syrian officials admitted that a tank filled with 15,000 tons of fuel had been leaking since August 23 at a thermal power plant on the Syrian coastal city of Baniyas. They said they had been able to bring it under control. Baniyas is Syria’s largest refinery.

Satellite imagery analysis by Orbital EOS tracked the oil spill from source to its location (23 Sep) slowly dispersing just north of the Turkish Cypriot coast.

The oil spill was larger than originally thought, covering around 800 square kilometres (309 square miles) -- an area around the same size as New York City. The company told CNN Tuesday evening that the oil slick was around 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the Cypriot coast.

The Cypriot Department of Fisheries and Marine research said that, based on a simulation of the oil spill’s movements and meteorological data, the slick could reach the Apostlos Andreas Cape. It also said it would be willing to assist in tackling the spill.

Apostlos Andreas Cape is in the Turkish-controlled north of the divided island and sits just over 130 kilometers (over 80 miles) west of Syria’s Baniyas. Photos circulating on social

media for more than a week have shown the oil slick along the coastal areas of Syria’s Baniyas and Jableh, and locals have warned of a potential threat to marine life. A resident in Baniyas, who spoke to CNN under condition of anonymity, said much of the coast had been polluted.

“People did not need this, it is already hard to make a living here and this certainly affected the lives of many families and made them lose their income” the resident said.

“The government only sent teams with sponges and water hoses; they do not have the capacity to deal with this.... you cannot clean the sea with sponges,” the resident added.

Turkey, which shares a border and coastline with Syria, has also been drawn in to contain the spill.

“We are taking the necessary measures by mobilizing our resources to stop any chances of the spill turning into an environmental disaster,” Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told

the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Baniyas refinery is the main source of Syrian fuel products and is essential to keeping the war-torn country powered.

This is the second major oil spill in the eastern Mediterranean this year. In February, an oil spill off the coast of Israel devastated the country’s beaches and left tar deposits across the Lebanese coast.

in February, Israel bore the brunt of an enormous oil discharge which emanated from a Syrian oil tanker in the Mediterranean.

Large amounts of heavy tar began washing up on the Mediterranean coast after a storm.

Over the following days, beaches all along Israel’s Mediterranean coast were contaminated and wildlife was severely affected.

An investigation launched by the Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry indicated that a leak of “tens of tons of crude oil” had taken place between February 1 and 2.

The Syrian-owned tanker “Emerald — which was not insured — had spilled the oil approximately 130 kilometers (80 miles) out at sea, according to the Times. At that time, the London-based International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund agreed to pay damages related to the spill.

EMSA DRONE IN ACTION

European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has quietly been building its drone capacity which enables it to deploy drones in various European states concurrently at the request of its member states. This summer EMSA’s remotely piloted aircraft have been monitoring the level of sulphur oxides released by ships transiting the Strait of Gibraltar, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The operation carried out by the Spanish General Directorate of Merchant Marine – under the direction of the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda – marks the first time these emissions have been monitored by drone outside the special designated emission control areas in Northern Europe. The flights have been in operation since mid-July from a base in Tarifa and will continue until the end of October. The project designed to test the effectiveness of drones in measuring pollutant emissions from ships was set up by the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA), in collaboration with the Algeciras Maritime Captaincy and the General Directorate of Merchant Marine. Using

EMSA’s remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), the goal is to detect sulphur oxide emissions above a certain level indicating a possible breach of the International Convention on Maritime Pollution (MARPOL – Annex VI). The current limit for sulphur oxide in ship fuels is 0.50% by mass.

The aircraft used is a CAMCOPTER® S100 and it is under contract to EMSA from the consortium of Nordic Unmanned, Norce and UMS Skeldar. It has several features making it a useful tool for the service, including the ability to take off and land vertically from an area less than 25 square meters, flight endurance of over six hours and a range of more than 100 km. To help detect the gases generated by fuel combustion and expelled through ship funnels, the aircraft is equipped with gas sensors and cameras that cover both optical and infrared spectral ranges.

Since 12 July, the RPAS has been carrying out daily two flights with an average of ten inspections per day. Current figures show that of 294 vessels controlled some 27 were found in possible breach of the limits of sulphur content in their fuel. The measurements and records are automatically encoded in the information exchange system which triggers an alert in the EMSA THETIS-EU database. While this does not confirm noncompliance directly, it does help port authorities target ships for inspection and proceed with the lab testing necessary for any eventual sanctions.

Drones and aerial surveillance will play an increasing role in environmental protection in the future – something that should be welcomed. EMSA has been at the forefront of some of these developments.

More information at: www. emsa.europe.eu

NEW TECHNOLOGIES FOR GREENER SHIPPING

Somewhat late to the party in our view, however the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has chosen the above as the World Maritime Theme for 2022, reflecting the need to support a green transition of the maritime sector into a sustainable future, while leaving no one behind. The IMO Council, meeting for its 125th session (28 June-2 July), endorsed the theme following a proposal by IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim.

Mr. Lim said the theme would provide an opportunity to focus on the importance of a sustainable maritime sector and the need to build back better and greener in a post pandemic world. “IMO actively supports a greener transition of the shipping sector into a sustainable future, and showcases maritime innovation, research and development, and the demonstration and deployment of new technologies,” Mr. Lim said.

“In order to achieve these objectives, partnerships are key, as they allow all parties involved to share and distribute information on best practices and to access resources and

general know-how in support of the transition of the maritime sector into a greener and more sustainable future. This theme will allow for a coordinated outreach and communications campaign by all stakeholders to highlight IMO initiatives to make shipping greener”, Mr. Lim said.

The theme will allow for a range of activities to delve into specific topics related to promotion of inclusive innovation and uptake of new technologies to support the needs for a greener transition of the maritime sector, especially in the context of developing countries, and in particular the small island developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs).

The theme is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 13 and 14 on climate action and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources; SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure; and SDG 17, which highlights the importance of partnerships and implementation to achieve these goals. IMO’s Department

of Partnerships and Projects (DPP) was established in 2020 to serve as the gateway for developing partnership opportunities with a wide range of external partners, including IMO Member States, UN agencies, financial institutions, NGOs, IGOs and the private sector.

Decarbonization, marine plastic litter and biofouling are among the topic areas already being addressed by the major projects of IMO, including GMN, GloFouling Partnerships, GreenVoyage2050 and GloLitter Partnerships. All of these projects aim to support and promote innovation and green technologies.

More information at: https://www.imo. org/en/MediaCentre/ PressBriefings/Pages/ WMT2022.aspx