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Why is Mass Emissions Reporting Important?
The IMO and regulations:
Since July 2018, the EU mandates that ship owners adhere to EU Regulation 2015/757, which requires annual CO2 emissions monitoring and reporting for vessels over 5,000 GT docking at EU ports. In 2020, the IMO introduced Carbon Intensity Indicators (CII) to improve vessel fuel efficiency. As regulations evolve, discussions in MEPC 75 are increasing the focus on various emissions, including methane slip, particularly with the rise of LNG.
Value:
With charterers under pressure to provide monthly figures for energy giants and their CSR reports, exact emissions measurement is a valuable tool. Currently, charterers estimate emission output based on fuel input, but with the iS providing accurate measurement of emissions output, overestimating is impossible, and shipowners are able to future proof against per-unit fees and emission credits.
The Environment:
Each year there is a growing emphasis on the collective greenhouse gas output of the shipping industry. Most notably by the European Commission to create a bench-marking system for the EU’s policy for reducing domestic greenhouse gas emissions. The UN and it’s internationally applicable Paris Agreement is also relevant in the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions by the maritime industry.
Why monitor methane slip?
Mass emissions capability is surprisingly not found in all Emissions Monitoring Systems, but with the rise of LNG, it has become a necessary part of any shipowner’s toolkit.
The total methane slip from both the production of methane and the inefficient combustion of LNG in marine engines is significant. Methane is the particular concern not only of organisations like the IMO, but of the maritime industry as a whole. Higher levels of pollution mean more regulations, fines, ECAs, taxes, and costly fuel tokens to offset the damage, and of all the greenhouse gases Methane is one of the most unpleasant. Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide because of how quickly it absorbs heat.
VPS Emsys made sure to consider specialist applications in the design of our EMS, resulting in the Emsys-iS. With modular gas options and additional capabilities like Particulate Matter monitoring, the iS platform has Mass Emissions Reporting refined in one of the most compact systems in the market. This Mass Emissions capability accurately measures total emittance of any pollutant gas needed, in whatever combination, and from multiple engines. This makes the iS a powerful tool for any shipowner considering or already using LNG.
LNG fuel and it’s unfortunate methane slip problem is not going away any time soon, in fact the opposite, as there is still the widespread agreement that LNG fuel is the way forward to the maritime industry’s collective decarbonisation. Shipowners must prepare for the fallout of methane slip with emissions monitoring systems that have mass emissions capability.
How can VPS Emsys help?
1. Perhaps most important is the iS platform’s use in methane (CH₄) mass emissions reporting. Methane (CH4) mass emissions can be measured in pure LNG or ‘dual-fuel’ (DF) powered ships. The Emsys-iS can determine how much CH4 an engine emits (CH4 can be up to 30X more potent than CO2 as a GHG) or ‘methane slip’ which is a known problem with some DF 4-stroke engines.
Methane monitoring is becoming an increasingly frequent point in the IMO’s working groups with methane slip considered in the most recent MEPC (Marine Environment Protection Committee) meetings and regulations imminent.
2. The iS can also accurately record CO2 mass emissions (kg/tonnes or kg/s mass flowrate) for use in analysing CO2reduction, based upon actual measurement not estimation of fuel consumption. This can be helpful for determining the effects of operational and technical modifications for EEXI / CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator), which is useful given the IMO’s increasing focus on a vessels Carbon Intensity Indicator.
3. The iS can accurately provide measurement of NOx flowrate, which can be useful in determining the efficiency of exhaust gas treatment systems (SCR) and other fuel saving/emission lowering technologies and fuel additives