Page 12: of Marine News Magazine (December 2016)

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INSIGHTS

Robert Kunkel

President,

Alternative Marine Technologies, Inc.

ob Kunkel, President of Alternative Marine Technolo- Method’ which results in an emission value no higher than gies, previously served as the Federal Chairman of the the relevant Tier I level and has advised that certi? cation

B

Short Sea Shipping Cooperative Program under the to IMO, then that Approved Method must be applied no

Maritime Administration and Department of Transportation later than the ? rst renewal survey which occurs more than from 2003 until 2008. A past Vice President of the Connecti- 12 months after IMO was advised. However, if the ship cut Maritime Association, he is a contributing writer for Mar- owner can demonstrate that the Approved Method is not itime Logistics Professional Magazine and of course, Marine- commercially available at that time, then it is to be in-

News. A graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, stalled no later than the next annual survey after when it

Kunkel sailed as a licensed engineer and eventually continued becomes available. In new construction, the regulation is his career in ship construction at NASSCO, and yards in clear – January 2016 was the compliance date. The retro-

South Korea and Mainland China. He is a senior member of active emission compliance date is still gray and you can the Special Committee on Ship Operation with ABS and an imagine the debate at the dinner table when we revert back elected member of the National Cargo Bureau. In a nutshell, to the previous discussion of ‘economic hardship.’

Kunkel knows propulsion. And, he spends a lot of his wak-

Tier “beaters” – the practice of using multiple smaller ing hours dealing with and trying to improve engine emis- engines to produce the desired power but staying un- sions on all manners of tonnage. This month, as our featured der the HP of a higher tier engine – is gaining wide

INSIGHTS executive, he weighs in on emissions control and acceptance. You’ve called it ‘simply good design’ and compliance, as perhaps no one else in industry can. you’ve said it will continue. That said; does it further the cause of lower emissions? If so, how?

Tier IV (EPA): when does it arrive, and when is it man-

Most of this argument is based upon the company’s en- datory for everyone?

Tier IV (EPA) is no longer knocking on the door. It has vironmental ethics. It is no secret that good design can cir- arrived and is already sitting at your dinner table waiting cumvent a regulation or provide a path around it. We have for a cocktail. Tier IV has not been invited to dinner while seen IMO Tier 3 blocks go into contract after the January 1, 2016 date and we have seen engine manufacturers strug- you operate your existing ? eet. It is all about new construc- tion. The revised Annex VI has introduced the prospect gle with meeting Tier IV compliance that has pushed them of retrospective NOx certi? cation, regulation 13.7, in the aside in a competitive bid for newbuilds. The regulations do not address the collective emissions from each engine case of diesel engines of more than 5000 kW power out- put and a per cylinder displacement of 90 liters and above on board a vessel only the emission of a speci? c engine installed on ships constructed between 1 January 1990 installed. The regulatory bodies at some time will look to and 31 December 1999. For these engines, if a Party, not measure emissions at the stack. When that comes into play, necessarily the ship’s ? ag State, has certi? ed an ‘Approved the multiple engine ‘work around’ may become an issue.

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