The Hamburg Süd Group.

Ju Yeon Jung

The shipping industry has so far been spared harsh blame for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, owing to the fact that ships are the most environmentally friendly freight transport mode in our times. While over 90 per cent of world trade is carried by ships, they account for merely four per cent of global carbon emissions. An 8,000 TEU container ship emits 15g of CO₂ per tonnekilometre (g/tkm), less than three per cent of the CO₂ generated by a Boeing 747, and 30 per cent of that of a truck (Source: IFEU Heidelberg 2005).

The industry, however, should not relax in self-complacency. The fact remains that vessels still do contribute to the deterioration of the environment by emanating chemicals, including not only the much-blamed carbon dioxide, but also sulphur and nitrogen compounds.

Ships under tighter regulations
In a move to further cut harmful emissions from ships, the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has recently approved proposed amendments to toughen anti-pollution regulations. The MARPOL Annex VI regulation, which came into effect in May 2005, has been ratified by 49 countries, representing approximately 75 per cent of the total tonnage of the world’s commercial shipping fleet.

Addressing GHG emissions has always been a focus of the UN agency’s scrutiny. Its working group devised the next steps to be taken to facilitate a collaborative move towards a visible reduction in emissions. Short-term measures being considered by the IMO entail a global levy on marine bunker fuel, which would apply to all ships engaged in international voyages. Some of the proposed long-term measures are a CO₂-design index for new ships, an external verification scheme for a CO₂ operational index, and the inclusion of a mandatory CO₂ element in port infrastructure charging.

As green as possible
Initiatives for green shipping, whether they are externally enforced or voluntarily implemented, have become one of the industry’s key agendas. Among the companies at the forefront is the Hamburg Süd Group. The global logistics company forms part of the Clean Cargo Working Group, a B2B collaboration dedicated to achieving greater sustainability, and has been complying with established environmental standards such as DIN/ISO 9001 and DIN/ISO 14001. By incorporating cutting-edge technologies into various parts of its fleet, Hamburg Süd claims that the shipping industry should not be just green enough, but as green as possible.

To take it a step further, the company has recently published a detailed brochure on its attempts to reduce its environmental footprint. The 48-page brochure, Responsibility for our environment, outlines a number of imminent problems together with technologies that can help the industry go greener.

Not as fast as possible, but fast enough
Speed is a crucial element in the transport industry. Expeditious delivery, however, does not always translate to competitiveness, as it accompanies greatly increased operational costs. The key strategy, then, becomes the achievement of an optimal trade-off between speed and fuel consumption.

Hamburg Süd operates its fleet under the premise “not as fast as possible, but fast enough”. According to the company, reducing the average speed from 25 to 23 knots can save around 70 tonnes of fuel per day, cutting emissions significantly.

Acknowledging the benefits of reducing speed, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has recently called for speed limits across the world’s fleet. IACS chairman Tor Svensen told a conference that an emissions trading system would not work for shipping due to the dispersed nature of sea transport. Instead of starting a new system, he said, the industry should make a joint effort to look into limiting speed.

Mr Svensen said a 20-per-cent cut in speed can translate into a 40-per-cent saving in fuel and a similar cut in emissions. A drastic reduction in speed would not be necessary, however, with a decrease from 23 to 20 knots recommended for a containership.

Singapore’s NOL also espoused the idea, saying its subsidiary APL recently adopted the slow-steaming method, which resulted in a cost saving of USD 10 million per year on a single Asia-Europe loop, as well as lowering exhaust emissions by up to 14 per cent.

The saving was made possible by the company increasing its eight-strong loop to nine by introducing an extra 6,300 TEU vessel, which also utilised slow steaming, into the Asia Europe route. The loop represents a total cost of USD 339 million a year, of which fuel alone accounts for almost 60 per cent.

There were additional benefits of the move, including better schedule integrity and more buffer time to deal with the regions’ congested ports, along with a wider port window due to greater flexibility on the sea leg.

“Shippers recognise the role we all play in keeping the supply chain running. They also recognise that costs are rising and can be unpredictable, and that we need to make a profit,” NOL regional president of Europe David Appleton told delegates at the Terminal Operators Conference in Amsterdam.

“They need us to innovate to move their business forward.”

Optimum drive for minimum impact
To put it simply, a ship’s impact on the environment corresponds directly to the level of fuel consumption. A key strategy in achieving sustainability, then, lies in implementing technologies that optimise the energy consumption of its main engines.

Hamburg Süd’s fleet, for example, employs slow-running two-stroke engines, which transmit power straight to the drive shaft. This comparatively simple design enables fuel saving and a resultant cut in exhaust emissions. In addition, the company’s newly built ships, including the recently ordered Santa-class ships, are or will be equipped with a common rail injection system. By separating pressure generation from direct injection, the automatically regulated system renders the start and duration of injection independent of the position of the pistons and permits an optimised injection for each stroke.

Fuel saving can also be achieved by setting the trim - the vessel’s position in the water - and propulsion. The company, collaborating with the Hamburg University of Technology, has developed a measuring device that constantly calculates operating data and generates an efficient ratio of fuel input to forward propulsion. The system has enabled vessels to be well trimmed, resulting in annual fuel savings of 150 tonnes, and a cut in GHG emissions of about 500 tonnes. Installing a pre-swirl stator (PSS) on its six Santa-class vessels, the company also improved the propulsion efficiency ratio, saving about 800 tonnes of fuel per year.

The Schneekluth nozzle is another strategy employed by the company to increase the propeller’s thrust. The nozzle, installed on four of its 2,500 TEU vessels, has permitted each ship to consume 550 tonnes less fuel annually.

Container technology
As sea freight is the most environmentally friendly transport option available, diverting cargo from other modes to ships would be the ultimate means to cut the transport industry’s GHG emissions. To attract freight to ships, however, sea cargo needs to demonstrate not only its environmental sustainability, but also its economic viability.

Hamburg Süd has implemented a number of technologies to improve service, including demand-driven control of cargo hold ventilators to adjust energy consumption to shifting conditions, and reefer containers with a larger interior volume to cut transport effort and expense.

A key problem, however, is in shipping sensitive commodities, such as fresh produce, sealed in containers for a long period of time. Here, modified atmosphere (MA) or controlled atmosphere (CA) solutions can play an important role in extending shelf life.

Along with Hamburg Süd, an increasing number of carriers and manufacturers are adopting the system in an attempt to make sea freight a viable alternative to air freight. APL, for example, has also purchased about 2,000 low-emission gensets, temperature-monitoring generators attachable to reefer containers.

Managing ballast water and bilge water
Ballast water, which is used for maintaining a ship’s stability, poses ecological problems. Where the largest transfer mechanism for aquatic non-indigenous species (NIS) is attributable to the international movement of ships’ ballast water, the only effective scheme currently available is ballast water exchange (BWE). The procedure, which is a voluntary measure recommended by the IMO, entails replacing coastal water with mid-ocean water to reduce the density of organisms in ballast tanks, preventing NIS from invading a recipient port. In 2004, the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments was adopted by the IMO, coming into force after ratification by the member states representing over one-third of world commercial shipping tonnage.

While it is general consensus that BWE significantly reduces environmental risk, persistent shortcomings still exist – the procedure’s dependency on weather and sea conditions, and residual density of organisms in the tanks after exchange. Hamburg Süd has been collaborating on a binding international regulation on BWE, with discussions underway for technical processes to eradicate residual organisms.

Processing bilge water on ships is another challenge for green shipping. As the lowest lying point in a vessel, the bilge accumulates various fluids in the operation of a ship, including leak oil, cooling water, washing water and condensation. Regulations require a de-oiler with a limit of 15 ppm (15 mass units of oil to one million units of water). While this seems to be an extremely low concentration, Hamburg Süd went further by installing 5 ppm de-oilers on its Monte-class ships, in order to minimise the disposal of harmful chemicals.

With due regard to the environment
A group of Australia’s leading scientists and politicians has recently made ‘a last call’ for an effective response to global warming. The group, which consists of over 200 climate scientists, population experts, politicians and environmental lawyers, has released a joint statement described as a ‘call to arms’ following a climate change conference held in Canberra. Global warming tipping points are imminent, they say, and the need for action is “extremely urgent” as “our window of opportunity for avoiding severe impacts is rapidly closing”.

We have reached the point where heightened awareness itself is far from enough. Global warming cannot be tackled by clever ideas and strategies alone, but needs actions that are collaborative, persistent and effective. Where nobody can be spared blame, the shipping industry must continue to move forward to clean up its act and minimise its impact on the environment.

What needs to be remembered is that while the effort is about responsibility, it is also about achieving economic benefits. Hamburg Süd, as an example, demonstrates how sustainable initiatives can be realised by incorporating available technologies and innovative new solutions, which eventually translate into significant cost savings.

Hamburg Süd Australia managing director Commercial Geoff Greenwood says this reciprocal relationship between environmental initiatives and cost savings is of particular importance to Australian exporters and importers who are using long trade lanes.

“The environmental payoff is obviously global,” Mr Greenwood says. “But the potential economic benefits, especially in the long term, may be particularly significant in this region.”

Operating with due regard to the environment, he says, will bring the ‘win-win’ effect to the shipping industry.

“Minimising emissions and keeping costs down are laudable aims, and it’s fortunate that, in this case, the objectives and the benefits coincide,” Mr Greenwood continues. “In seeking to satisfy both needs, the shipping industry is certainly keeping pace with the expectations of the market, but we are also endeavouring to meet the needs of the wider community to which we also belong. It’s a question of caring for the world we live in, and the shipping industry must bear its share of this responsibility.”

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