'Green Ship Technologies' in Asia Investigated

Despite ships being by far the most efficient form of transport, there is growing concern about climate change, the environmental state of the world's oceans and the air quality close to major shipping routes and ports which has led to ever more stringent legislation on emissions to both sea and air.

As such, the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) together with the UK Science & Innovation Network (SIN) Southeast Asia are seeking opinions to investigate 'Green Ship Technologies' within Asia.

To assist with this, all those involved in the shipping industry are invited to complete a survey accessed via http://surveys.imarest.org/index.php/survey/index/sid/675523/newtest/Y/lang/en. The survey should take no longer than three minutes to complete, and is aimed at gauging views on the "Green Agenda" from across the maritime sector.

"The 'Green Agenda' attempts to address environmental issues by introducing ship designs, equipment, products and operating procedures that reduce harmful emissions, but these measures often come at a cost to ship owners, operators and ultimately the end users of the goods carried by sea. However, there are also financial incentives introduced by Administrations, such as Singapore, to encourage a positive environmental response" says Dr Bev MacKenzie, Technical and Policy Director at the IMarEST.

"These, for example, incentivize ship owners to adopt energy efficient ship designs that reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by a 50% reduction of Initial Registration Fees (IRF) and a 20% rebate on Annual Tonnage Tax (ATT). Greater incentives are also afforded to vessels under the Singapore flag which adopt environmental protection measures that go beyond IMO legislative requirements."

In addition to the incentives offered by Administrations, and with fuel being both the most expensive component of a ship's operating costs and the main source of air emissions, any reduction in consumption brings a direct financial as well as an environmental benefit.

This can also be a positive in relationships with shippers, who are themselves demonstrating environmental concerns and setting themselves sustainability targets.

However, how can ships comply with, or even go beyond legislative requirements and reap the benefits? What technologies, products and operating measures currently exist to meet this challenge, what is on the horizon and are ship owners and operators truly engaged in the Green Agenda in Asia?

An invitation-only roundtable discussion will be held in Singapore in March 2015 to debate the survey results and the issues raised. The roundtable will be followed by an open workshop to provide the opportunity for further discussion and a wider attendance.

A report of the findings from the roundtable will be published after the event.