Page 64: of Marine News Magazine (November 2015)

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PROPULSION

Jaenichen further insists that, at some point, operators are going to have to make some sort of technology im- provement to meet the emission control area requirements.

This may mean scrubbers, LNG or something else. And he concedes, “Marad’s support may not give others the con? - dence to move forward at a time when it might not make ? nancial sense to convert, but it will give them the data with which to make an intelligent decision on which way to go.” Jaenichen adds, “We have to get that data before and after. And sure, we want to know about NOx and

SOx, but also methane slip. All of it is important.”

According to Marad, the Midnight Sun conversion will start in 2017 and has to be completed by 2018. The other projects are scheduled to kick off over the course of the next 18 to 24 months. With regard to the towboat conversion,

Jaenichen says, “The towboat conversion involves a much smaller volume of LNG. But, we’ve taken a look at what the

Norwegians have done with their Ferry systems. The tug will be dual fuel – the challenge, of course, is the storage of the

LNG itself. And, of course, the LNG bunkering and refuel- ing requirements still have to be worked out with the Coast

Guard.” The M/V Ron Chris, a Walden Industries towboat, is the target of this grant. Marad, in this case, will study both the emissions data and the cost bene? ts of the move.

Importantly, the cooperative agreements come with strict caveats. Recipients must ensure that proper emissions mon- itoring – before and after the conversions – are in place and that data provided to Marad for further research. Beyond, any funds provided must be spent domestically. Jaenichen adds that Marad is waiting to see what 2016 funding levels might support in terms of future projects. Funding in this case comes, in part, as a part of the Marine Environmental

Technical Assistance (META) program. The META pro- gram seeks to foster collaborative efforts among Federal agencies, academia, industry and the public to address criti- cal marine transportation environmental issues.

Propelling Ahead on Many Fronts for various vessel types, review of scrubber technology and

Beyond the funding agreements mentioned above, technical insight into integration, operations, and mainte-

Marad remains busy in other aspects of the marine pro- nance challenges. The guide can be found at http://www.

pulsion arena. For example, the DOT’s maritime modal socp.us/article.html?aid=120.

arm just recently announced the availability of the Fourth Elsewhere, and in August, the Maritime Administration

Edition of the “Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Selection celebrated the launch of ? eld trials for the ? rst prototype

Guide.” This edition provides owners and operators with hydrogen fuel cell unit to power onboard refrigerated con- the latest information on scrubber technology available tainers. Marad, through a cooperative agreement with the to assist the industry in meeting new sulfur emissions U.S. Department of Energy, provided $815,000 to fund standards. This edition includes guidance on regulatory the clean energy powered container unit that could pave requirements and compliance options, life cycle analyses the way to dramatically reduced harmful emissions at the

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