Motorship P&E Conference success

This important event aimed to address the critical question of forthcoming sulphur limits with the question Are you ready for 2015?

Achim Wehrmann, director or shipping, German Federal Ministry of Transport gave the welcome address on the first day with an introduction to the MARPOL Annex VI amendments.

The first keynote address came from Maximilian Strotmann, from the cabinet of EC vice-president Siim Kallas, who said that 2015 was the toughest issue facing transport in Europe over the last two years. The second keynote speech was given by IMO MEPC Chairman Andreas Chrysostomou. He made the point that as regulators, IMO and the other bodies are indeed ready for 2015, but things are far less clear within the industry, and much more work needs to be done.

Propulsion technology was a hot topic for the second day. Jukka Varis, vice-president ABB Marine, looked at improving efficiency of electric propulsion systems, touching on the DC grid and ABB’s energy management system as well as podded propulsors.

Capt Ron Burchett of Corvus Energy who outlined the use of batteries in hybrid propulsion systems – initially for tugs, but since proving a useful and cost-effective power source for propulsion and auxiliary applications in a wider range of ship types.

The final session looked at issues of compliance, management and enforcement. Naturally enough, the classification societies had a strong input. First, Jan Tellkamp of DNV looked at the potential implications of the new ECA limits on shipowners and operators in the North Sea and the Baltic, and whether it poses a risk or a commercial opportunity. Sean Bond of ABS provided a similar overview of the North American ECA, which is only a matter of weeks away, with an evaluation of the future evolution of environmental limits in that region.

Jesper Mortensen of Maersk Oil Trading provided the closing address, reiterating that to meet the 2015 challenge, the industry needs to innovate, collaborate and integrate in projects like the Danish ‘Green Ship of the Future’ for example.

There is still a lot to do on the regulatory side; 2015 is very close but there is still confusion among shipowners. Without a level playing field, owners are not going to risk their capital in meeting the regulations, he said.