Is Green Ship a fancy industry term or a race against time in the world of maritime?
To help save the planet, protect the blue ocean and ensure clear skies, a sense of urgency has enveloped the shipping industry.
The onshore world has already defined its priorities. Automobiles are switching to electric mobility, alternative energy has been developed from wind, sun and hydel sources and waste recycling has become the norm.
The question on a mariner’s mind could be… is shipping is catching up late? Has the industry been lulled into a cocoon of salty air, and misled by sparse traffic on the high seas?
The truth is, with shipping being an integral part of the global supply chain, its contribution of SO2, Co2 and other Greenhouse gases is significantly high. The industry consumes 300 million tons of fuel every year, releasing around 3 percent of the world’s carbon-dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has proposed a 2020 Sulfur limit on the exhaust from the stacks of ocean-going ships. The IMO has called for ships to halve their total greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050.
On its part, the marine industry is working towards energy efficiency. Key changes being carried out include:
Fuel change to LNG
Use of Renewable Energy Sources (Harnessing Wind Energy)
Slow Steaming
Reducing Empty Containers
Energy Efficient Machines on board
Ballast Water Management
"Green ship" is a name given to any seagoing vessel that has taken efforts towards becoming more eco-friendly, and such vessels have a competitive advantage because they comply with environmental regulations and therefore become eligible for incentives.
This brings us to the importance of energy efficient water treatment equipment on board a ship. Having a state-of-the-art, Reverse Osmosis Water treatment plant on board can help make the ship greener. Here’s how:
Withstands harsh sea conditions and requires minimal maintenance – which means there will be lesser mechanical errors or downtime, all of which leads to less energy consumption.
The use of high-quality corrosion resistant parts ensures reduction in leakage – therefore the required quantity is consistently produced with no wastage of energy and resources.
An energy efficient water maker, embedded with energy recovery devices (ERD) will result in significant reduction in energy consumption.
Reduction of single use plastic: Stored water often becomes unfit for drinking when stored for a long period in steel containers on the ship. This creates a need for people on board to use bottled water, which will increase the use of single-use plastic. A Point Of Use (POU) filtration unit can be fitted to treat stored water and eliminate the use of bottled water.
Advanced Watertek is a pioneer in design, installation and maintenance of desalination plants for onshore and offshore use. Our versatile Marine RO Water Maker (Fresh water-maker) meets the freshwater needs of marine vessels ranging from supply vessels to ocean liners and livestock sea transport. We invite ship owners and managers to have an informal dialogue with us to review their existing solutions and explore the need for replacement or retrofitting.
Inspired by the rapid evolution of green shipping, Advanced Watertek will continue to develop sustainable water treatment solutions that help vessels comply with Environmental, Social and Governance requirements. It’s time to sail smoother under the umbrella of true-blue skies and create a sea change in energy consumption and management.
References:
https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Sulphur-2020.aspx
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/travel-logistics-and-infrastructure/our-insights/shipping-and-carbon-zero-an-interview-with-bo-cerup-simonsen