Tag Archives: International Maritime Organization

Cruise Lines to Submit Seasonal Fuel Consumption Data in Antarctica

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For the first time, members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) will submit seasonal fuel consumption data.

According to a press release, the initiative is part of the association’s pledge to create a climate change strategy for Antarctic tourism.

The fuel data submission, which will include vessels 9cruise ships) of all sizes, aircraft, and accessory vehicles, will be used within the tourism association to understand the greenhouse gas footprint of the operations in Antarctica, IAATO said.

The results will then be used internally as the basis to monitor and refine emission reduction targets the IAATO membership has collectively agreed to make, it added.

While individual operators are expected and encouraged to go further in their own targets, IAATO operators have also unanimously pledged to track the International Maritime Organization (IMO) target of at least 50 per cent emissions reductions by 2050 compared with 2008 and global goals of net zero before 2050.

This, explained the association, accompanied by an agreement by each member to build their own climate strategy and set their own emission reduction targets, is the start of a collective push to account for and reduce IAATO-Operator emissions.

“Ultimately, we seek to go much further towards net positive impact, but the current challenge in shipping and aviation is that we don’t yet know what future fuels and technologies will be available to us,” said Pam Le Noury, Chair of IAATO’s Climate Change Committee.

“This latest commitment by our Operators to submit their fuel data to the IAATO Secretariat for analysis means that once we have acceleration in the development of sustainable fuels and other technologies, we will be in a strong position to act to reduce emissions further,” she added.

According to IAATO, at its annual meeting, members have open and candid discussions on safety, environmental protection, and self-management with decision-making supported by recommendations developed by the association’s ten dedicated committees and eight working groups.

The meeting concludes annually with the voting in of new commitments and policies on best practices which support the association’s mission.

These latest agreements took place at IAATO’s annual meeting, held in Providence, RI in April, where operators unanimously pledged to build a climate strategy including calculating and reducing industry emissions and setting meaningful and inclusive science-based targets. 

The pledge was shared with the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in June, where IAATO is an invited expert.

“Cooperative and coordinated international responses are required to understand global climate change and reduce emissions,” said Amanda Lynnes, IAATO Director of Environment & Science Coordination.

“One of IAATO’s strengths is the ability of its diverse membership to take collective action, often over and above what is required by global regulators. Our members remain agile in response to emerging technologies and global recommendations surrounding climate change and are committed to taking powerful steps to act for Antarctica.”

With ships, green begets green

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By Tom Stieghorst

It’s logical to think that the EPA bid to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from commercial jets will raise costs for airlines and their customers. That’s the usual side-effect of more regulation.In the long run it may be true. But in the short run, judging from what’s happened in the cruise industry, it may not be.

Tom Stieghorst
Tom Stieghorst

Efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions from ships at the International Maritime Organization have largely focused on making vessels more fuel-efficient. Less consumption of fuel equates to fewer greenhouse gases.

True, cruise companies have had to invest in new ways of saving energy, from hull coatings to LED and compact florescent lighting. Energy efficiency has also become a bigger factor in itinerary planning and ship speeds.

But the end result has been a reduction in fuel expense that companies can use to pad profits, invest in new ships and technologies or even hold the line on price increases.

To take one example, Carnival Corp. last fall said it had saved at least $2.5 billion in fuel costs over the last seven years as a result of a fleet fuel conservation program that has reduced carbon emissions by 12 billion kilograms over the same time frame.

In part, the program is an effort to comply with IMO rules on energy-efficient ship design and IMO’s development of a template for energy-efficient ship operations – amendments to the MARPOL convention that became effective in 2013.

Cutting fuel consumption is likely to be the main approach to reducing marine greenhouse gases for years to come.
Unlike sulfur dioxide emissions, which several cruise lines are reducing through the use of catalytic scrubbers in the exhaust stream, greenhouse gasses aren’t currently practical to scrub.

The main greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, is hard to separate from other gases for treatment. And scrubbing by current methods is energy-intensive and costly. It adds between 50% and 84% to the cost of electricity produced by a power plant compared to plants that don’t have carbon capture technology, according to a U.S. Department of Energy study.

So reducing greenhouse gases from cruise ships may not only be sound for the environment but at the same time may be a good development for the bottom line. It’s always nice when doing right and doing well coincide.