Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Displaying items by tag: reduced CO2

Stena Line has decreased the carbon emissions by 11% per tonne of cargo carried over each nautical mile, as well as achieving a reduction of 4% total ship emissions compared to pre-Covid operations.

The main contributor to the result is the significantly higher utilisation and thus efficiency of the company´s fleet with cargo during the latest years. In its roadmap to a net-zero future, Stena Line has set up a target to reduce total CO2 emissions from its vessels by 30% by 2030.

During port operations and lay times, Stena Line now uses 100% renewable electricity. The energy is used for shore power at 20% of Stena Line´s terminals while berthing, to load battery packages on-board and for electric vehicles onshore that are used during port operations. Furthermore, initiatives like prior access to e-trucks to Stena Line´s ferries and pilot projects to use recycled methanol from the steel industry as shipping fuel lay the foundation for further step-wise greening of the operations of Stena Line.

“At Stena Line we have a broad approach to sustainability, based on care – care for our customers, care for our resources and care for each other. As we strive to reduce energy consumption in all of our operations, I am proud that by introducing our new E-Flexer ferries in our route network, we made significant steps in further improving our overall efficiency during operations. But aside from technological and operational means, it is as important to work hard on structures and culture to become an even more sustainable company and contribute to our societal responsibilites”, says Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line.

Stena Line´s sustainability efforts are based on six dedicated Sustainable Development goals of the UN: Affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, life below water, gender equality, reduced inequalities, good health and well-being.

Further highlights in Stena Line´s sustainability efforts during 2021 include:

  • A recycling rate of 42% of waste and a fallback of landfill waste to 2019 levels (24%), before plastic use increased for safety purposes
  • 50% female representation in Stena Line’s Group Management Team
  • Appointing the first female captain in Lynette Bryson, serving on Stena Aventurer on the key route Dublin-Holyhead
  • Recruiting the first Diversity and Inclusion Lead in Salem Yohannes, helping Stena Line to speed up the journey to equality and launch of a diversity and inclusion campaign
  • Introducing Maria Tornvall as new Head of Sustainability, committed to aligning Stena Line´s sustainable actions towards the ambitious targets
  • Improving employee indicators such as engagement, team efficiency, leadership, organisation and social work environment above benchmark and achievement of a positive net promoter score of 9 – meaning  employees would recommend Stena Line as an attractive workplace.
  • Reduction of sick leave average from 5,2% to 4,2%

“Stena Line has been a trailblazer for the industry when it comes to implementing sustainable technology, operations and structures, and we are aiming to retain our position as a leading company in this area. It is important to show and tell what we as company and people working at Stena Line can do to make a difference, to inspire and to motivate. Yes, the future is challenging on various levels, but with a clear roadmap towards a net-zero future and an even better workplace, defined steps how to reach the targets, and not the least the dedication of all of us, there are a lot of reasons for optimism”, says Maria Tornvall, Head of Sustainability at Stena Line.

To consult the ferry operator's sustainability report, this is available to download here.

Published in Stena Line
Tagged under

At the Port of Waterford today, Iarnród Eireann and XPO Logistics, a leading global provider of freight transportation solutions, launched a new rail freight service in each direction between the south-east port and Ballina, Co Mayo.

The new rail service begins weekly operations today, building to twice-weekly within eight weeks.

It will offer Irish industry a greener and more efficient mode of transporting freight between the West and southeast of the country. In addition the service sees the potential for over 5,000 truck movements a year to switch from road to rail, with a resulting reduction in road congestion, and 75% reduction in emissions per unit.

The new service comes as Iarnród Éireann is finalising a new national rail freight strategy to identify growth and investment opportunities to significantly grow rail freight operations.

Port of Waterford Chief Executive Frank Ronan said, “Port of Waterford welcomes the re-introduction of rail freight services to the Port at Belview. These trains, carrying container freight, will work very effectively with the Port's Lo-Lo shipping services to provide businesses in Ireland's West/North West with a compelling logistics solution to and from mainland Europe.

Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan TD, welcomed the new service, saying: “The rail network has a critical role to play in transforming how we transport people and goods with a view to achieving net-zero emissions. This service offers a practical and sustainable option for businesses on both sides of the country who are looking to move goods for domestic and export markets. As we examine the potential to increase the use of the network for freight, it is fitting that this new service will offer an immediate solution for freight movement between these key locations.”

Minister of State for Transport & Logistics, Hildegarde Naughton TD said: “Ireland’s freight, logistics and distribution transport sector plays a critical role in our economy and this new service will sustainably connect businesses in the West of Ireland to the Port of Waterford and onwards to export markets. Our supply chains are resilient and by adding new rail transport offerings to industry, we can continue to support local communities and in turn, our climate objectives.”

Iarnród Éireann Chief Executive Jim Meade said, "We are entering a very exciting phase where rail freight can offer key solutions for the movement of freight as the country addresses both environmental and congestion challenges in this sector. We are currently finalising a very ambitious strategic plan for the growth of rail freight between key locations across the country. Today's announcement with XPO and Waterford Port demonstrates the viable opportunities that can be developed that will not just support industry and the logistics sector, but is also fully aligned with the country's climate action plan."

Dan Myers, managing director, transport – UK and Ireland, XPO Logistics said, “Climate change is a critical global challenge; the solutions will take a concerted effort, coordinated action and cooperation. Our collaborative, end-to-end service with Irish Rail — where XPO provides the booking of rail freight movements, drayage trucking of containers, and services such as cross-docking — is a double win. Our customers have new, eco-friendly transport options, and our planet wins as supply chains become greener. It’s another step in our collective journey to a carbon-neutral future.”

He added "Dublin's carbon emissions reductions and road and port congestion alleviation make this a worthwhile initiative. We wish XPO Logistics every success with this venture and look forward to working with them."

Iarnród Éireann is continuing to work with existing and potential new customers and Freight Forwarders, Ports and the Irish Exporters Association to identify opportunities and trends for rail freight development within the Irish and European market.

The new rail freight service between Ballina and Waterford is in addition to existing rail freight operations, which include:

-         Container traffic from Ballina to Dublin Port

-         Pulpwood from Ballina and Westport to Waterford Port

-         Zinc ore from Tara Mines in Navan to Dublin Port

Published in Irish Ports

#FerryNews - A Scandinavian ferry operating between Sweden and Denmark, the Stena Jutlandica has now completed its first month of operation as a battery hybrid vessel and the positive experiences from the first weeks of service have exceeded expectations.

“It's really exciting to be running with electrical power on the Stena Jutlandica. This project is an important part of our focused efforts to find ways of reducing our impact on the environment. As both the size and cost of batteries decrease, battery operation is becoming a very attractive alternative to traditional fuel for shipping as it should be possible to completely eliminate emissions in the future,” says Erik Lewenhaupt, Head of Sustainability at Stena Line.

The battery project is being carried out in steps. Step One, which is presently underway, is about switching to electrical operation to reduce the use of diesel generators, as well as for maneuvering and powering the bow thrusters when the ship is in port.

In Step Two, battery power will be connected to two of the four primary machines, which means that the Stena Jutlandica will be able to run on electrical power for about 10 nautical miles inside the archipelago out to Vinga Lighthouse (Gothenburg, Sweden).

During Step Three, all four primary machines will be connected to the batteries and the ship will be able to cover the 50 nautical miles between Sweden and Denmark solely on electrical power. A number of positive effects have already been noted after just one month.

“We've been able to significantly reduce our use of the diesel generators and now only need to use one instead of three. Another positive effect concerns safety. Having constant access to electricity, we minimize the risk for power outages”, says Johan Stranne, Senior Chief Engineer on the Stena Jutlandica.

In Step One alone, the environmental savings from using battery power for reduced generator usage and maneuvering in port amounts to approximately 500 tons of fuel saved and 1,500 tons of reduced CO2. This corresponds to the annual emissions from approximately 600 cars.

The rationale for execution in multiple steps is to enable testing and assessment while the project is underway. If the project is successful, battery power can be considered for other vessels within the Stena Line fleet. Work on Step Two has begun and the goal is for implementation within approximately three years.

The technical solutions in Step One have been developed by Stena Teknik in collaboration with the Callenberg Technology Group, with half of the funding for the project coming from the Swedish Transport Administration and the EU.

Published in Ferry

Ireland's Offshore Renewable Energy

Because of Ireland's location at the Atlantic edge of the EU, it has more offshore energy potential than most other countries in Europe. The conditions are suitable for the development of the full range of current offshore renewable energy technologies.

Offshore Renewable Energy FAQs

Offshore renewable energy draws on the natural energy provided by wind, wave and tide to convert it into electricity for industry and domestic consumption.

Offshore wind is the most advanced technology, using fixed wind turbines in coastal areas, while floating wind is a developing technology more suited to deeper water. In 2018, offshore wind provided a tiny fraction of global electricity supply, but it is set to expand strongly in the coming decades into a USD 1 trillion business, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). It says that turbines are growing in size and in power capacity, which in turn is "delivering major performance and cost improvements for offshore wind farms".

The global offshore wind market grew nearly 30% per year between 2010 and 2018, according to the IEA, due to rapid technology improvements, It calculated that about 150 new offshore wind projects are in active development around the world. Europe in particular has fostered the technology's development, led by Britain, Germany and Denmark, but China added more capacity than any other country in 2018.

A report for the Irish Wind Energy Assocation (IWEA) by the Carbon Trust – a British government-backed limited company established to accelerate Britain's move to a low carbon economy - says there are currently 14 fixed-bottom wind energy projects, four floating wind projects and one project that has yet to choose a technology at some stage of development in Irish waters. Some of these projects are aiming to build before 2030 to contribute to the 5GW target set by the Irish government, and others are expected to build after 2030. These projects have to secure planning permission, obtain a grid connection and also be successful in a competitive auction in the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS).

The electricity generated by each turbine is collected by an offshore electricity substation located within the wind farm. Seabed cables connect the offshore substation to an onshore substation on the coast. These cables transport the electricity to land from where it will be used to power homes, farms and businesses around Ireland. The offshore developer works with EirGrid, which operates the national grid, to identify how best to do this and where exactly on the grid the project should connect.

The new Marine Planning and Development Management Bill will create a new streamlined system for planning permission for activity or infrastructure in Irish waters or on the seabed, including offshore wind farms. It is due to be published before the end of 2020 and enacted in 2021.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE.

There are a number of companies aiming to develop offshore wind energy off the Irish coast and some of the larger ones would be ESB, SSE Renewables, Energia, Statkraft and RWE. Is there scope for community involvement in offshore wind? The IWEA says that from the early stages of a project, the wind farm developer "should be engaging with the local community to inform them about the project, answer their questions and listen to their concerns". It says this provides the community with "the opportunity to work with the developer to help shape the final layout and design of the project". Listening to fishing industry concerns, and how fishermen may be affected by survey works, construction and eventual operation of a project is "of particular concern to developers", the IWEA says. It says there will also be a community benefit fund put in place for each project. It says the final details of this will be addressed in the design of the RESS (see below) for offshore wind but it has the potential to be "tens of millions of euro over the 15 years of the RESS contract". The Government is also considering the possibility that communities will be enabled to invest in offshore wind farms though there is "no clarity yet on how this would work", the IWEA says.

Based on current plans, it would amount to around 12 GW of offshore wind energy. However, the IWEA points out that is unlikely that all of the projects planned will be completed. The industry says there is even more significant potential for floating offshore wind off Ireland's west coast and the Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a long-term plan for at least 30 GW of floating offshore wind in our deeper waters.

There are many different models of turbines. The larger a turbine, the more efficient it is in producing electricity at a good price. In choosing a turbine model the developer will be conscious of this ,but also has to be aware the impact of the turbine on the environment, marine life, biodiversity and visual impact. As a broad rule an offshore wind turbine will have a tip-height of between 165m and 215m tall. However, turbine technology is evolving at a rapid rate with larger more efficient turbines anticipated on the market in the coming years.

 

The Renewable Electricity Support Scheme is designed to support the development of renewable energy projects in Ireland. Under the scheme wind farms and solar farms compete against each other in an auction with the projects which offer power at the lowest price awarded contracts. These contracts provide them with a guaranteed price for their power for 15 years. If they obtain a better price for their electricity on the wholesale market they must return the difference to the consumer.

Yes. The first auction for offshore renewable energy projects is expected to take place in late 2021.

Cost is one difference, and technology is another. Floating wind farm technology is relatively new, but allows use of deeper water. Ireland's 50-metre contour line is the limit for traditional bottom-fixed wind farms, and it is also very close to population centres, which makes visibility of large turbines an issue - hence the attraction of floating structures Do offshore wind farms pose a navigational hazard to shipping? Inshore fishermen do have valid concerns. One of the first steps in identifying a site as a potential location for an offshore wind farm is to identify and assess the level of existing marine activity in the area and this particularly includes shipping. The National Marine Planning Framework aims to create, for the first time, a plan to balance the various kinds of offshore activity with the protection of the Irish marine environment. This is expected to be published before the end of 2020, and will set out clearly where is suitable for offshore renewable energy development and where it is not - due, for example, to shipping movements and safe navigation.

YEnvironmental organisations are concerned about the impact of turbines on bird populations, particularly migrating birds. A Danish scientific study published in 2019 found evidence that larger birds were tending to avoid turbine blades, but said it didn't have sufficient evidence for smaller birds – and cautioned that the cumulative effect of farms could still have an impact on bird movements. A full environmental impact assessment has to be carried out before a developer can apply for planning permission to develop an offshore wind farm. This would include desk-based studies as well as extensive surveys of the population and movements of birds and marine mammals, as well as fish and seabed habitats. If a potential environmental impact is identified the developer must, as part of the planning application, show how the project will be designed in such a way as to avoid the impact or to mitigate against it.

A typical 500 MW offshore wind farm would require an operations and maintenance base which would be on the nearby coast. Such a project would generally create between 80-100 fulltime jobs, according to the IWEA. There would also be a substantial increase to in-direct employment and associated socio-economic benefit to the surrounding area where the operation and maintenance hub is located.

The recent Carbon Trust report for the IWEA, entitled Harnessing our potential, identified significant skills shortages for offshore wind in Ireland across the areas of engineering financial services and logistics. The IWEA says that as Ireland is a relatively new entrant to the offshore wind market, there are "opportunities to develop and implement strategies to address the skills shortages for delivering offshore wind and for Ireland to be a net exporter of human capital and skills to the highly competitive global offshore wind supply chain". Offshore wind requires a diverse workforce with jobs in both transferable (for example from the oil and gas sector) and specialist disciplines across apprenticeships and higher education. IWEA have a training network called the Green Tech Skillnet that facilitates training and networking opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

It is expected that developing the 3.5 GW of offshore wind energy identified in the Government's Climate Action Plan would create around 2,500 jobs in construction and development and around 700 permanent operations and maintenance jobs. The Programme for Government published in 2020 has an enhanced target of 5 GW of offshore wind which would create even more employment. The industry says that in the initial stages, the development of offshore wind energy would create employment in conducting environmental surveys, community engagement and development applications for planning. As a site moves to construction, people with backgrounds in various types of engineering, marine construction and marine transport would be recruited. Once the site is up and running , a project requires a team of turbine technicians, engineers and administrators to ensure the wind farm is fully and properly maintained, as well as crew for the crew transfer vessels transporting workers from shore to the turbines.

The IEA says that today's offshore wind market "doesn't even come close to tapping the full potential – with high-quality resources available in most major markets". It estimates that offshore wind has the potential to generate more than 420 000 Terawatt hours per year (TWh/yr) worldwide – as in more than 18 times the current global electricity demand. One Terawatt is 114 megawatts, and to put it in context, Scotland it has a population a little over 5 million and requires 25 TWh/yr of electrical energy.

Not as advanced as wind, with anchoring a big challenge – given that the most effective wave energy has to be in the most energetic locations, such as the Irish west coast. Britain, Ireland and Portugal are regarded as most advanced in developing wave energy technology. The prize is significant, the industry says, as there are forecasts that varying between 4000TWh/yr to 29500TWh/yr. Europe consumes around 3000TWh/year.

The industry has two main umbrella organisations – the Irish Wind Energy Association, which represents both onshore and offshore wind, and the Marine Renewables Industry Association, which focuses on all types of renewable in the marine environment.

©Afloat 2020