Stories
Inspiring examples on maritime sustainability for shipowners and technology suppliers
Making the Impossible Possible
This blog sketches a vision on how to convert the largest crane vessel in the world - Sleipnir - owned by Heerema Marine Contractors, to a zero-emission vessel. Several promising carbon reduction measures are combined which are technically viable and based on matured technology including electrification and BES, solar panels, synthetic fuels, CCS and possibly hydrogen combustion.
Ørsted and Maersk to Test Offshore Vessel Charger
Maersk and Ørsted are building a ‘power-buoy’ that can act as both a mooring point and a charging station for vessels, enabling them to turn of their engines when laying idle.
World’s Largest Direct Air Capture Facility to Capture CO2 Under Development
The facility from 1PointFive and Carbon Engineering will capture CO2 directly from the air and store it safely, permanently and securely deep underground in geological formations.
One of World’s Biggest Inland Floating Solar Systems begins construction in Singapore
Solar PV is integrated with the local water treatment system on Tengeh Reservoir in Singapore, offsetting 6% of its annual energy needs for 25 years.
Scientists Find Microplastics Inside Human Organs
Bits of microplastics are showing up inside human tissues. We still don’t fully know the health impact of plastics inside our bodies.
IMO study finds maritime emissions could rise 50% by 2050
In IMO’s fourth greenhouse gas (GHG) study, a consortium headed by research establishment CE Delft has found that GHG emissions from global shipping are growing and are expected to continue to increase.
The Truth about Capturing CO2
Carbon capture and storage is often brought up as a solution to climate change, but do we really need it, how much of an impact could it really make, and is it in fact just an excuse to keep burning fossil fuels, letting heavy polluting industries off the hook? It's time to find out the truth.
Full-scale Analysis of a MW Floating Solar System
Kind of what you expect. A full-scale behavioral analysis of a 4 [MW] floating solar system by Foresys. Made in Orcaflex.
Recycling vehicle batteries
Helen Czerski went to Wendeburg in Germany to see if it really is possible to recycle the materials in vehicle batteries. She shows how this new and rapidly growing industry is developing and coming up with some interesting results, with lithium-iron batteries being economically recycled up to 70% (91% including graphite). Please send this to all the people you know who say 'what about when we throw all these fancy batteries into landfill.
The Trouble with Cobalt by Joe Scott
Electric cars have a dark secret - cobalt. The element that is in almost all lithium-ion batteries is often considered a conflict mineral because half of all cobalt reserves are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a troubled region with over a century of instability. But is it as bad as the anti-EV crowd has led us to believe? What's the reality of the situation, and what are some of the solutions?
BP Lingen on green hydrogen
BP Lingen uses green hydrogen in fuel production for the first time worldwide.
Poseidon Pilot - Offshore Hydrogen
Claimed to be the first offshore green hydrogen project, this pilot-project will have an electrolyzer producing green hydrogen from seawater on board the Q13a platform in the Netherlands.
Amazing Power of North Sea Giant
North Sea Giant is amongst the largest and most advanced subsea construction vessels ever built. North Sea Giant is an efficient multi-purpose vessel with supreme deck and crane capacity, alongside a unique power system. Her propellers and thrusters are tailor made for delivering a wide variety of demanding marine operations in deep and ultradeep waters.
How the North Sea Giant saves two million liters of diesel every year
The North Sea Giant saves two million liters of diesel every year. It has installed three battery packs and a distribution system from Wärtsilä, which will dramatically reduce fuel consumption. The North Sea Giant is one of the world's largest construction ships, and was the first vessel in its class to have a hybrid system installed on board.
The Case for Floating Solar
People think we need energy. Truth is, we do not. We need heating, lighting and transportation. At the right place, on the right time. Generating energy is not the issue, the trick is how to transform it into useful energy and store it. So how can we combine the cheapest form of energy generation with energy storage? What is the best place to generate gigantic, ridiculous amounts of energy? As in tenths of gigawatts, the size of small countries? In the desert with solar energy? Think again.
LFP Battery Fire Hazard by FM Global
This video shows the potential fire hazard of an 83 kWh Energy Storage System comprised of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries. The ESS had an overall electrical capacity of 83 kWh and ≥ 95% state-of-charge. No protection systems were active. Three heaters plus a propane pilot flame were installed to ensure vent gas ignition (!). The results from this test may not be representative of other LFP based systems.
Northern Lights CCS
According to Equinor, carbon capture and storage will be vital to reach the global climate goals of the Paris Agreement. They are very pleased that the Northern Lights partners and leading European companies have taken the first steps to realize a European CO2 transport and storage system! In simple terms, carbon capture and storage deals with removing CO2 from emission sources and storing it permanently underground, so that it is not released to the atmosphere.
Transocean Spitsbergen goes Hybrid
In April 2019, the Transocean Spitsbergen successfully and sagely installed an electric Energy Storage System (ESS) of 5.6 [MW] on-board. This allowed the semi-submersible drillship to run in hybrid mode during DP3, reducing fuel consumption by about 15%. Economic incentives were provided in the fuel-clause and by the Norwegian NOx Fund.
RecycLiCo - A Patented Process for Recycling Lithium-ion Batteries
The RecycLiCo™ Patented Process is an Innovation of American Manganese Inc. – A Critical Metal Company Focused on Recycling Cathode Materials From Spent Lithium-ion Batteries.
Blue Ocean Event : Game Over?
From Just have a Think. A Blue Ocean Event, or Ice-Free Arctic, is the source of almost fever pitch speculation in the climate science world. The consequences of the disappearance of sea ice from the arctic ocean, however briefly, at the end of a summer melt season some time in the not too distant future, are potentially very ominous for the way we organise our human socio-economic structures today.