An independent study conducted by leading academic institute, University College London’s Energy Institute (UCL-Energy), has revealed significant findings about the shipping industry’s attitude to fuel consumption monitoring, clean technology and its impact on energy efficiency, and the importance of developing a common standard methodology that accurately monitors and measures the environmental and economic benefits of all eco-efficient technologies.

The study, ‘On the attitudes and opportunities of monitoring and measurement and the identification and validation of energy efficiency and performance interventions’ obtained stakeholder responses in the summer of 2013 and is the most comprehensive independent research into fuel consumption monitoring to be conducted in recent years. The full report can be downloaded here.

130 responses were collated from a broad spectrum of ship owner-operators, ship owners,
management companies and charterers, with almost equal responses from companies with main operational regions based in the EU and Asia, demonstrating global coverage.

The report’s authors Isabelle Rojon and Tristan Smith, UCL Energy Institute said: “The survey responses demonstrate that there is already significant activity both in the implementation of fuel measurement procedures and retrofitting activity, however, there is also a strong need for a common standard measurement methodology with which assessments of intervention’s fuel savings can be quantified. The results also highlighted the need that any measurement methodology be inclusive of all stakeholder’s measurement technologies and techniques and can be applied to assess any retrofit technology (hydrodynamic devices, machinery, propellers, fuel and hull coatings).”

International Paint commissioned the study to develop and share knowledge about the current extent of fuel consumption monitoring within the shipping industry, attitudes to its use, and the key reasons it is being used for from both a commercial and compliance perspective.
The key preliminary findings from the research include:

􀁸 87% of the shipping industry consider it important to measure emissions using a standard
Methodology

􀁸 One quarter believe that any new standard should be mandatory within IMO regulations

􀁸 86% of respondents have adopted multiple clean technology measures over the last five years, with hull coatings representing 70%, making it the most widely adopted and cost-effective form of clean technology used in the market today

􀁸 70% of respondents stated that energy efficiency was a board agenda item

Mr. Trevor Solomon, Business Manager at International Paint said: “This study demonstrates that the shipping industry is being highly proactive in taking the issues related to sustainability very seriously. It is also clear that the majority want a common and transparent vessel performance standard that covers the full spectrum of current and impending eco-efficient technologies – an issue currently being discussed in the ISO working group developing a clean technology performance standard, which International Paint is actively involved in.

“Creating a standard that is scalable and applicable for the long term, as eco-efficiency technologies develop is crucial, and as ship owners and operators continue to embrace the environmental and financial benefits of sustainability and increasing the efficiency of their fleets.”
Source: International Paint

Preliminary results CIC Propulsion and Auxiliary Machinery
Preliminary results from the Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Propulsion and Auxiliary Machinery, carried out between 1 September 2013 and 30 November 2013 in the Paris MoU region show that:

68 ships (41% of all detentions) were detained over the 3 month period as a direct result of the CIC for deficiencies related to propulsion and auxiliary machinery. Problem areas included the propulsion of the main engine, cleanliness of the engine room and emergency source of power/emergency generator.

In previous years deficiencies related to propulsion and machinery installations accounted on average for 7% of the total number of deficiencies within the Tokyo and Paris MoU´s, ranking number six in comparison with all the deficiencies by categories statistics.

Reason enough for the Paris MoU to concentrate attention to this area during a CIC.

More than half (54%) of all CIC-topic related detentions involved ships of 20 years or more. This category had a CIC-topic related detention rate of 3.6%, which compares unfavourable to the overall 1.8% CIC-topic related detention rate.

“This outcome illustrates that wear and tear of propulsion and auxiliary machinery remains an issue, which should be adequately addressed by ship owners”, says Richard Schiferli, Secretary General of the Paris MoU on PSC.

The CIC questionnaire was completed during 3,879 inspections on 4,126 individual ships. A total of 1,105 CIC-related deficiencies were recorded and 68 ships (1.8%) were detained as a direct result of the CIC. 41% of the detentions during the CIC-period were CIC-topic related.

During the campaign most inspections concerned general cargo/multi-purpose ships with 1,270 (33%) inspections, followed by bulk carriers with 805 inspections (21%), container ships with 458 (12%) inspections, chemical tankers with 343 (9%) inspections and oil tankers with 272 (7%) inspections.

34 (50%) of the detained ships were general cargo/multipurpose ships, 9 (13%) were bulk carriers and 9 were (13%) container ships. Among the other detained ships were 6 oil tankers, 4 chemical tankers and 3 refrigerated cargo ships.

Analysis of the recorded deficiencies shows that most deficiencies relate to propulsion main engine (20%), cleanliness of the engine room (18%), emergency source of power/emergency generator (12%) and emergency lighting/batteries/switches (12%).

Most inspections were carried out on ships under the flags of Panama with 495 inspections, Liberia with 322 inspections, Malta with 317 inspections and Antigua and Barbuda with 246 inspections.

The flags with the highest number of CIC-topic related detentions were Tuvalu with 1 CIC-topic related detention during 1 inspection, Tanzania with 6 CIC-topic related detentions during 27 inspections, Curacao with 2 CIC-topic related detentions during 16 inspections and Togo with 4 CIC-topic related detentions during 35 inspections.

The CIC was a joint campaign with the Tokyo MoU. Others have followed the same routine during the campaign. The detailed results of the campaign will be further analysed and findings will be presented to the 47th meeting of the Port State Control Committee in May 2014, after which the report will be submitted to the International Maritime Organization.
Source: Paris MoU