Clean Seas - BP Global
Transcription
Clean Seas - BP Global
BP Shipping cleanseas our commitment to the environment reducing emissions l our environmental charter l ISO14001 l energy efficiency and more cleanseas 1 clean seas introduction In 2004 the BPS leadership team made a long term commitment to improve the environmental performance of the BP Shipping business unit on a continuous basis. Over the past year the HSSE team along with the various BPS business teams have been working to create a environmental framework to drive this improvement. While we can all be proud of our past environmental achievements, the impending fleet expansion now provides us a unique opportunity to make a material difference with regards to our future environmental performance. BP Shipping’s commitment to the environment It’s both a challenge and an inspiration to recognize that whatever you do, no matter what business you are in, you are having an impact on the environment. Whether that is a positive or negative impact is up to us both as individuals and as an organization. This is particularly true in BP Shipping where every day our fleet operations generate greenhouse gases, impact biodiversity (through ballast water) and run the risk of an accidental hydrocarbon release. BPS, as an organization, can choose to be a either a follower or a leader in marine environmental stewardship. I believe we have more of an opportunity to control our destiny and make a difference in the world by leading. We do this by taking a collaborative approach to our business. We actively engage our stakeholders on environmental issues. This includes our own staff, the owners and managers of time charter vessels, contractors, regulators, industry associations and non governmental organizations (NGO’s). By clearly understanding the environmental issues and sharing experiences and lessons learned at the industry level we can all improve and ultimately benefit. A leadership role also means that we need to be proactive in our approach to the environment. Compliance with existing laws and regulations is a minimum requirement. Where we can identify a commercial and environmental benefit we will meet legislative requirements early and exceed compliance requirements. We will always face the potential risk that our products may leak or spill. We minimize this risk by focusing our attention in two areas: prevention and preparedness. As for preparedness, we maintain an emergency reporting system. We have well articulated response plans and identified emergency response teams. We also have contracts with organizations that can assist us in the event of an emergency whether it be an oil spill or ship salvage. The difference between an organization that is leading rather than following is to ensure that we do our jobs with vision, rigor, passion and an eye to detail. I believe we’re well on our way to being an industry leader in the environment. The environmental challenges and opportunities that we face at BP Shipping today are really no different than those faced by our colleagues in the exploration & production (E&P) business. I believe that Tony Hayward, chief executive of BP’s E&P segment characterized our position well at a conference at Mendeleev University, Moscow, when he stated that the BP group has undergone a long journey of learning in the way it approaches issues such as responsibility and sustainability around the world. As he put it: “A fundamental part of operating responsibly is creating a safe, clean working environment. We work in a potentially hazardous business, and to address the risks we face we invest both in the training of our people and in measures to maintain the integrity of plants and pipelines.” A strategy has been agreed and defined that aligns with BP group objectives, ensures our compliance with legislation and international regulation and, wherever possible, moves BPS ahead of industry best practice. One expression of this momentum is the new BP Shipping environmental charter. This contains seven statements – some specific, some aspirational – that will guide our approach to environmental issues in the period ahead. Our expectation is that everyone who works for BPS will reflect this charter in their work for the organization. In our day to day approach increasingly we are adopting an innovative and proactive approach to the various environmental issues that confront us at sea and on land. In Sunbury we have recently formed a BPS environmental working group. This cross-organizational team is designed to capitalize on the collective wisdom and experience of the various members and provide solutions that will reduce the environmental impact of our operations, prioritize programmes and identify the specialist skills necessary to move forward. Communication is integral to our progress. Each BPS employee has the opportunity to help us advance. By reading ‘clean seas’ we hope that you will gain a better understanding of the many environmental initiatives underway within BPS and perhaps be in a stronger position to offer your own ideas for improvements. The articles that follow have all been prepared with the help of BPS experts to provide an accessible and easy-toread view of the general environmental context in which BPS operates today. We have sought to show how BPS is responding to specific issues facing our niche of the global shipping industry. These include ballast water, oil pollution and prevention, the treatment of waste water, antifoulants, abatement technologies and alternative fuels. ‘clean seas’ is also part of a wider effort to heighten environmental awareness and engage all BPS staff wherever they work. We are currently working with the ProSea Foundation to develop a marine environmental awareness course for seastaff and shore based staff. We are hoping that early spring 2006 courses will be available. With this publication you will also receive a friendly otter to remind you and your families of the importance of clean seas as well as an environmentally-friendly mug to celebrate BPS’s 90th anniversary. This, of course, also applies to the seagoing assets that BP Shipping owns or manages. From a prevention perspective, a robust system really entails most of the activities that we undertake on a daily basis: Should you wish to comment on anything you read in ‘clean seas’, or to offer specific suggestions, please contact the BPS environmental advisor, Katharine Palmer. She can be reached at [email protected] or on +44 (0)1932 768016. • vessel design • vetting • competent, healthy and well trained staff • learning from past experiences • rigorous safety, security and environmental standards and procedures Bob Malone, chief executive, BP Shipping • ingraining a culture that has high expectations In addition, we will continue to cover environmental issues relating to shipping in the quarterly BP HSSE & ER newsletter and in our monthly online publication ‘the flag’. A new environmental section has been developed on the BPS intranet site: http://eubrgs278/stellent/groups/ ist_shipping/documents/bps_publishedcontent/ penvironment.hcst I hope you enjoy ‘clean seas’. Please share it widely with colleagues and friends inside and outside the organization. raising the flag together clean seas n safe ships n commercial success Sylvia V. Baca, global HSSE & ER director 2 cleanseas BP Shipping environmental charter BP Shipping will conduct its activities in a manner that, consistent with the BP group goals, are environmentally responsible with the ultimate aspiration of no damage to the environment. BP Shipping will comply with all BP group requirements and applicable laws and regulations. Our challenge is to achieve this goal through the management of the HSSE risks associated with the water born transportation of hydrocarbons. • We will continuously evaluate the environmental risk associated with our operations. • Our environmental goals will be measurable and we are committed to continuous improvement in our performance. • We will seek to significantly lower the environmental impact of our operations by reducing waste, emissions and discharges, minimize our impact on biodiversity, and use energy efficiently. • We will comply with all applicable legislation and regulations and strive, where practicable, to reduce our impact on the environment by meeting legislation early and exceeding compliance requirements. • We will actively promote environmental awareness by training and education of our employees. • We are committed to being an industry leader in environmental stewardship and will participate in discussion with relevant authorities to develop measures to minimize our industry’s impact on the environment. • We will be transparent in reporting our environmental performance. We will make our commitment available to the public, openly report our performance, and use a competent and independent body to verify our reported data. This applies to all BP Shipping operations including those suppliers and contractors defined by the BP group. For many years environmental performance at BP Shipping has been driven by a framework set by external legislation and internal BP group commitments. These two factors will remain important in the future. But in a break with the past, over the last year BPS has also developed its own environmental charter building on the existing structure of regulation and practice by adding specific commitments in areas where it is able to make a difference. As Katharine Palmer, BPS environmental advisor, notes, “BP Shipping has always been environmentally aware. What has changed is the public perception of the shipping industry. This has moved beyond oil spills and now takes in a wide variety of shipping by-products including emissions, waste management, the treatment of ballast water and energy efficiency. Historically, incidents at sea have driven environmental legislation and that is probably still true. But increasingly we’re operating in a more critical context. We have to respond to this without waiting for new legislation.” British Merlin raising the flag continuously improving environmental performance BP Shipping’s environmental history environmental achievements in our fleet Late 1960s Developer of load-on-top. 1970s Developer of crude oil washing and IGS. 1990 Early adopter of shipboard incinerators. 1994 First VLCC in world to have TBT free antifouling. 1997 Early adopter of NOx compliant engines (H Class). Developed patent design for form of double skin bunker tank (H Class). Incorporated vapour recovery capability on ships (A Class). 1999 Extended hulls to bunker tanks and cargo pumproom bottoms (P Class). First oil major shipping operation to achieve ISO14001. 2002 Ballast management – ozone treatment trials (Alaska). 2004/5 Phased out the use of halons ahead of legislation and CFCs to be phased out with replacement of ATC vessels. Meantime the BPS fleet has been expanding at an unprecedented rate. Fifteen vessels in 2001 will grow to around 100 by 2010 – making it critical that the new organization has the capacity and capability as well as the correct systems, processes and procedures to ensure that work is undertaken and completed in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. At the beginning of 2004 the appointment of Sylvia Baca as global HSSE and ER director, with a mandate to raise awareness of environmental issues in the organization, began the upgrading of BPS procedures and practices affecting the environment. Since then time and effort has been devoted to creating a new framework and team that will guide all BPS activities in this area over the next few years and raise the BPS profile within the BP group where environmental issues and performance are concerned. The framework is guided by the seven-point BPS environmental charter highlighted above. “Our aim now is to look ahead, to be involved in industry development and to help shape legislation before it is enacted rather than just comply,” says Palmer. “We know we have some big challenges coming up and we want to be in the best shape to respond.” A case in point is greenhouse gas emissions. The rapid increase in vessel numbers and the more intensive use of vessels makes it inevitable that BPS emissions will rise over the next five years. cleanseas 3 BP Shipping environmental working group To deliver working solutions for reducing the environmental impact of our operations. Communicate, input and challenge and help prioritize programmes. on the environment associated with growing energy consumption,” he said. One of the biggest environmental risk BP faces, Malone added, is the transportation of bulk hydrocarbons. But by owning and operating its own vessels, building better quality vessels, ensuring quality operations, developing long term relationships with quality ship owners and ultimately controlling the responsible recycling of its ships, BPS can mitigate these risks. “We must also acknowledge that a healthy ocean is a key to a sustainable universe. This fragile resource needs to be respected,” Malone said, describing how BPS has been working for the past seven years on a project to control But by improving fleet and engine design technology, this growth will be lower than it otherwise would have been if 20-year-old ships had been in use. The result, forecasts Palmer, is that although emissions are bound to increase, emissions per mile travelled will stay more or less constant even as overall tonnage rises. Another looming challenge involves ballast water. Driven by regulations being introduced by the International Maritime Organization and developments in the United States, it seems probable that ballast water discharges in many parts of the world will become subject to legal requirements covering such things as the quality of water discharged and the time and place this is permitted, especially inshore. Within the BP group, the task of Baca and the HSSE team has been to raise the BPS profile where environmental performance is concerned and link it more directly to group priorities. This effort is already bearing fruit. Group funding of $2 million this year is aimed at delivering six energy efficiency projects. “We want to get more involved in research and these projects allow us to do this,” says Palmer. “They also allow us to be more creative and to stand back a bit from day-to-day operations.” There is now every hope that new BPS projects will be selected for group funding in 2006. “We’re very keen to receive suggestions, however blue sky,” Palmer explains. The appointment of an ‘energy czar’ with a mandate to research energy efficiency initiatives coupled with ISO14001 accreditation since 1999 for all BPS operations have been two other important recent signs of commitment and progress. Another important long term initiative that got off the ground recently was the creation of the BPS environmental working group. Made up of representatives from operations, HSSE, government & industry, commercial, strategy & planning, technical assurance, marine assurance and other BP interested parties such as BP Marine, IST and Green Energy, the group is set up to deliver working solutions for reducing the environmental impact of BPS operations. “We need to ensure that the environmental implication of our decisions is always assessed and considered and that proper mitigation plans are put in place to offset any environmental harm that may occur,” explains Baca. Already, says Palmer, there are welcome signs that this is happening. The ‘raising the flag together’ campaign, for example, proved successful in linking the three core values of BPS – clean seas, safe ships, commercial success – in an enduring way that relates environmental responsibility to safe performance and business progress. Palmer also is keen that everyone who works for BPS, onshore or at sea, should integrate responsible environmental behaviour at work into their lives at home and in the community. “We all need to be good ambassadors in terms of being sustainable. Everyone who works for BPS has some environmental component in their annual performance contract. Our hope is that these commitments will spill over into employees’ personal lives in ways that make a difference.” Long term, the aspiration of BPS is to be a leader in the shipping industry where environmental issues are involved. Today BPS leads in such areas as GHG emissions, reflecting the emphasis placed on this issue by the BP group in recent years. Now the goal is to lead the way in other environmental issues. In a speech in Norway in June, 2005, BPS chief executive Bob Malone spelled out how the environment has become central both to the BP group and to its shipping arm. “Our concern for the future is not the ability to meet growing global energy demand but the effect the transportation of non- indigenous invasive species in ballast water and using ozone to treat ballast water. This high-profile environmental activism is set to increase. “As we venture into new and more difficult markets, our commitment to provide sustainable transportation for the BP group could mean taking an active position on many industry issues including the use of pilots, port facilities and the development of safe and efficient loading and discharging facilities,” Malone stated. “BPS needs to do its part in stabilizing global emissions and providing safe and sustainable marine transportation.” BP’s fleet profile current fleet (as of 01/09/2005) 20 crude carriers 1 BP Exploration shuttle tanker 2 Alaskan crude carriers 21 product carriers 3 BP Oil UK coasters 8 LNG carriers 9 East Med coasters 3 harbour tugs 3 single hull tankers to be delivered 2 Alaskan crude carriers 2 lube oil barges for BP Marine 4 RSV and 8 ARRC for BP Exploration 4 LPG carriers 4 LNG carriers 1 East Med coaster 5 crude carriers 1 product carrier 4 cleanseas Greenhouse gas emissions from land-based sources are coming down while those from ships activities show a continuous increase. Scientists first recognized ▲ More than 90% of global trade ▲ Shipping generates far less carbon dioxide per tonne of cargo moved the signs of an alien is carried by sea. In 2003 shipping species introduction after a carried over 25,000 billion tonnemiles – a figure that increases year than any other form of large scale on year. transport. About two-thirds of the oceans lie outside exclusive economic zones (EEZs) claimed by coastal states – deep sea, open ocean environments that are some of the least mass occurrence of Asian phytoplankton algae in the North ▲ Ships are one of the leading Sea in 1903. sources of air pollution in port Every hour around 7.5 million cities. litres of ballast water are released in US waters alone. explored areas on the planet. did you know? ▲ The transfer of harmful organisms in ships’ ballast water is set to increase three-fold in the next decade as a result of the likely One container ship travelling one mile growth in global shipping activity. produces nitrogen oxide emissions equalling Some 3-5 billion tonnes of ballast 25,000 cars travelling the same distance. water are transferred around the world each year. ▲ Ten particularly sensitive sea areas About 85% of global shipping have been created in the 15 years since PSSAs were established including the In 22 years the amount Great Barrier Reef in Australia. of oil transported by sea takes place within the northern hemisphere while 70% moves within 400 km of land. increased nearly 90% to 2.3 billion tonnes in 2004. Maritime transport is responsible for about 12% of marine pollution. Three quarters of marine ▲ Up to ten tonnes of garbage pollution is caused by per mile of coastline have been land-based activities. recorded in surveys in the United States. Plastic forms the biggest single item found. It takes about 450 years for a plastic bottle to The merchant shipping fleet of the world comprises more than 40,000 vessels, generates annual revenues of $200 billion and employs over one million people. dissolve at sea. ▲ Oil tanker accidents at sea account for less than five per cent of the oil pollution which gets into the sea. The ▲ Every day an estimated 4,000 species travel the world daily in ships’ ballast water. They include plankton, algae, fish, jellyfish, and other invertebrates. quantity of oil spilled has fallen steadily since the early 1990s. Fuel with a sulphur content of 1.5% or lower – a level chosen for most abatement targets – currently constitutes only 1% of all fuel used by the global shipping fleet. cleanseas 5 The california sea otter is an endangered species and depends on clean seas for it’s survival shipping and the environment © Richard Herrmann / SeaPics.com the shipping industry is becoming increasingly visible on the global environmental agenda Historically under the spotlight because of oil pollution incidents, the industry’s record on a range of other issues – including emissions to air, the treatment of ballast water, ship recycling, sewage and garbage disposal at sea, and the spread of invasive species – is coming under scrutiny from environmental activists, legislators and the general public in many countries. At the same time world seaborne trade is expanding in line with growth in the global economy – from less than 6,000 billion tonne-miles in 1965 to more than 25,000 billion tonne-miles in 2004. The transport of oil and petroleum products has accounted for a significant part of this increase. Shipping has clear environmental advantages over other forms of transport in terms of its small infrastructure needs and low-energy cost for large volumes of cargo carried. And the introduction of numerous technical innovations since the 1970s such as double hulls and segregated ballast requirements for tankers has contributed significantly to reducing operational pollution. In those sectors where it competes directly with other forms of transport, shipping remains by far the most energy efficient means of movement – one reason that more than 90% of global trade is carried by sea. Meantime improved hull design and the use of vessels with larger More than 90% of global trade is carried by sea. In 2003 cargo carrying capacities has led to a relative reduction in emissions and an increase in fuel efficiency over the past 20 years. In addition as much as three quarters of marine pollution is estimated to be caused by land-based discharges, with marine transport responsible for approximately 12% of the total. Nevertheless, with worldwide concern about climate change and atmospheric pollution rising and global trade set to expand 6 cleanseas Agenda 21 – a global plan of action for sustainable development adopted at the 1992 earth summit in Rio de Janeiro - has provided the framework. At the Johannesburg earth summit in 2002 the IMO was able to report significant progress on issues relating to the environment and shipping: • Limits have been set on SOx and NOx emissions from ships exhausts which will come into effect in the next few years. The use of pertfluoro carbons (PFCs) onboard ships has been prohibited. Sullom Voe Terminal emergency response oil spill exercise • Guidelines to minimize the adverse effects of the introduction of harmful aquatic organisms through ships’ ballast water have been adopted. • Four ‘particularly sensitive sea areas’ (PSSAs) have been designated and given special protection against marine pollution and dumping. • An international convention on oil pollution preparedness and response came into effect in 1995 aimed at lessening the impact of major tanker accidents. Other advances include the introduction of codes of conduct for shipping carried 24,589 billion tonne-miles – a figure that increases year on year further in line with population growth, the concept of ‘sustainable shipping’ is now being embraced by many organizations including the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). While no precise definition of ‘sustainable shipping’ exists, for most people it is about the future and has three pillars – economic, environmental and social. In practice Palo swimming near sedge, Alaska the safe carriage of irradiated nuclear fuel by sea, the spread of common standards for maritime safety and pollution prevention to cover most of the world’s oceans and controls on the use of anti-fouling paints on hulls. More, however, remains to be done before the concept of ‘sustainable shipping’ becomes a reality. As Bob Malone, BPS CEO, observed recently: “A healthy ocean is a key to a sustainable universe. We need to do our part in stabilizing global emissions and providing safe and sustainable marine transportation.” cleanseas 7 The British Avon was in service 1972 - 1985 then and now how tankers have evolved 1978 - 2005 • Segregated ballast tanks mandatory on all new oil tankers of 20,000dwt and above. • Segregated ballast tanks must be ‘protectively located’ – placed in areas of the tanker where they minimize the possibility of, and amount of, oil outflow from cargo tanks after a collision or grounding. • New tankers carrying crude oil over 20,000dwt must be fitted with crude oil washing system. • Inert gas systems (whereby exhaust gases – low on oxygen and therefore incombustible – are used to replace flammable gases in tanks) required on all new tankers over 20,000dwt. • New requirements set for steering gear on all ships including tankers. • Stricter requirements set for carrying of radar and collision avoidance aids. • Stricter regimes for surveys of vessels and their certification set. The British Merlin was delivered into the fleet on 23 July 2003 • Double hulls (or an alternative) made mandatory for all new tankers delivered after July, 1996 (phase-out of single hulls accelerated 2001). • Pump-room bottom protection: from 1 January, 2007, a double bottom mandatory on new oil tankers of 5,000dwt. • Limits set on sulphur content of fuel oil and NOx emissions from ships’ exhausts and diesel engines as of 19 May, 2005. • Deliberate emissions of ozone-depleting substances (inc. halons and CFCs) prohibited as of 19 May, 2005 (production banned under the Montreal Protocol). • New installations such as refrigeration and fire fighting systems containing ozone-depleting substances banned on all vessels (HCFCs - hydrochlorofluorocarbons - permitted to 2020). • Ban introduced on incineration on board ships of certain products including contaminated packaging material and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). • Standard design, temperature and performance specifications introduced for shipboard incinerators. • All vessels required to keep a garbage record book to record all disposal and incineration operations. • Mandatory by 2008 for ships either not to have tin-based anti-foulant paints on their hulls or to have a slippy coating on their hulls to prevent such compounds leaching. Source: International Maritime Organization. 8 Energy efficiency is a measure of how much value is gained from any energy consumed. An increase in efficiency means a decrease in use in addition to savings in cost, pollution and carbon emissions. Compared with other methods of transport, shipping is highly energy efficient. Research undertaken for the UK Government’s Department of Transport, for example, has shown that the energy consumption of road transport by truck is six to ten times greater than that of a medium size container ship sailing at 18.5 knots. Nevertheless across the shipping industry there is now growing pressure to improve energy efficiency. The focus is on four main areas: scheduling, fouling, engine design and emissions. “By far the biggest potential means of reducing the energy consumed per tonne mile carried is through improvements in the amount of time a vessel spends in ballast,” says Adrian Howard, BP Shipping’s technical director. “Efficiency is also a factor of speed used so a relatively small reduction in speed can produce a relatively large reduction in emissions.” Fouling – the coating of slime and algae that collects on a ship’s hull and propellers so reducing its sailing efficiency – is a second focus area for the industry. New methods for scrubbing hulls and propellers at sea are under research while advanced Megajoules/tonne-km Road (min/max) 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.4 0.2 0.0 P-Class ‘Intersleek’ painted propeller improves sailing efficiency electronic tools like ship operation analysis now make it far easier to determine the most suitable time for maintenance or docking. Technically, a number of ideas are under consideration to improve engine efficiency in the industry including research in Norway on an all-electric ship and moves to boost the performance of diesel engines without increasing the production of NOx emissions. 1.4 0.7 “Reducing energy consumption within our operations will save money and reduce emissions - this is good for our business and good for the environment” “What’s needed, essentially, is more creative thinking about contracts and scheduling involving owners, traders and charterers,” says Howard. 1.6 0.6 British Trader built in 2002 is used for international trading of LNG Other benefits of improved scheduling include higher earnings, lower charges and less time wasted as ships wait to berth or leave port. And the costs involved are minimal. Comparative fuel consumption - Source: UK Department of Transport 1.2 cleanseas energy efficiency Rail (bulk) 0.6 Sea (3000 dwt coastal tanker) 0.3 Sea (1226 teu container ship) 0.12 “The most encouraging area technically involves burning LNG (natural gas) in engines,” says Howard. “LNG engines produce about one-tenth the amount of NOx emissions that a slow speed diesel engine does as well as no sulphur and less carbon dioxide. We’re burning the best possible fuel for no loss of performance.” Howard foresees the eventual use of LNG as bunker fuel in passenger and freight vessels such as offshore supply ships once issues concerning the availability of LNG and health and safety regulations are resolved. Ten to twenty years down the line, he is convinced that LNG-powered fuel cell systems will power most vessels – one reason BPS hopes to install a very small fuel cell on a Trader-Class LNG carrier later this year to find out what practical issues are involved in operating a fuel cell at sea. “I’m proud BPS is leading the way on this,” he says. “The only way we can make big gains in terms of energy efficiency is through new engines. We’re convinced that fuel cells are the way ahead, but we have to discover what the issues are and develop an infrastructure to deliver it. We’re talking long term but I’m confident we can plan for the future.” cleanseas 9 Energy efficiency will play a key role in delivering BP Shipping’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction plans. GHGs (carbon dioxide and methane) are naturally present in the atmosphere. Increased concentrations of GHGs through the consumption of carbonbased fuels is linked to climate change. what we are doing to improve energy efficiency By deciding to opt for dual-fuel diesel electric (DFDE) propulsion for its four new LNG carriers now being constructed in South Korea, BPS believes it has come up with a win-win decision that will have a material impact on its GHG emissions performance as well as improving fuel economy in its fleet. tankers spend in ballast. “Efficiency is a factor of speed used. A relatively small reduction in speed produces relatively large reductions in emissions,” Howard explains. “So the easiest way to improve efficiency is to improve ship scheduling so that vessels don’t spend time empty in port.” The DFDE order also set a trend for the LNG carrier business. Since it was confirmed in October, 2004, the majority of conventional-sized LNG vessels contracted have been specified with DFDE power plants rather than the steam turbines traditionally favoured. As the publication LNG World Shipping put it recently, the order is ‘a landmark for the shipping industry ’. Easy to assert, but difficult to achieve in practice. “We have to think more creatively about scheduling,” Howard argues. “Better scheduling costs little or nothing but can achieve major gains. We have real options now in BP Shipping because the more ships we have, the more flexibility we have.” DFDE propulsion offers a significant reduction in fuel consumption in the region of 30-40 tonnes a day, according to Adrian Howard, BPS technical director. “Clearly this will reduce fuel costs,” he says. It also offers real environmental benefits. In Howard’s words: “We’ll achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and very low nitrogen oxide emissions. This was a significant factor behind our choice of propulsion.” Work at BP Solar factory, Madrid, Spain become. “The only way we can make really big gains is through entirely new sorts of engines,” he argues, pointing to fuel cells as the likeliest way ahead for shipping. He adds: “We’ll now be burning the best possible fuel. No other vessels on the planet, with the exception of nuclear submarines, will be cleaner than these LNG carriers.” That is one reason BPS will soon begin experimenting with a small fuel cell on one of its LNG carriers to see if the technology can work at sea. Other initiatives include placing a solar panel on board a tug at the Coryton refinery to see if it can function in such tough conditions and installing high efficiency variable speed drives for compressors on some BPS ships. A third initiative involves placing a wind power generator on to a working BPS vessel to see if it is technically viable under such conditions. Howard nevertheless is at pains to emphasize that there are technical limits to how energy efficient steam and diesel engines can ultimately Another aspect of the BPS energy efficiency drive is directed at something altogether more straightforward - finding ways to cut the time The Corringham, a Coryton tug, features 12 solar panels 10 cleanseas Mention energy efficiency or technical improvements to the BPS fleet operations and one name comes up immediately – Adrian Howard, technical director of BPS for the past 15 months. Thunderhorse platform Popularly known as the BPS ‘energy czar’ Howard has 33 years’ continuous service with BP Shipping – something of a record given the ups and downs of the organization since 1972. “I joined as a cadet and served at sea until 1985,” he says. Howard’s next port of call was the BP group’s newly-formed global LNG team – as one of the four original members. His speciality was shipping and during four years with the team he ordered $500 million worth of ships. “Then I did an engineering degree at Liverpool University and was there when the cutbacks occurred in the marine-based staff in 1986. I was lucky – they went on paying me while I finished my degree!” “This was the most rewarding job I’ve had bar my present one,” he says. “I think I was the first person in BP to charter an LNG vessel. We went from zero to $100 million profit. We didn’t know what we The Loch Rannoch has carried over 400 cargos, 240,000,000 barrels of cargo carried and had over 7 years without a DAFWC (days away from work case) in profile adrian howard After Liverpool Howard came ashore and moved into commercial jobs in planning, chartering and strategy. Then in 1991 he went back to university for a year to do an MBA at Warwick. After this it was back to BPS and a spell as general manager consultancy services. Soon after another big down sizing hit BPS. Howard ended up in technical involved in the design of ADGAS LNG ships. A period in operations as a superintendent followed before it was back to technical to project manage development of the Loch Rannoch shuttle tanker for the Schiehallion field in the northeast Atlantic. The VOC (volatile organic compounds) return system used on the Loch Rannoch – the only one of its type – has its origins in a simple design Howard sketched out for a Norwegian engineering group. “I love simplicity – doing things the easy way,” he notes. “I love simple, low-tech solutions – it’s the way I think. If something can’t be explained simply to me, I lose interest. Many ships are not as good as they could be just because of their needless complexity.” didn’t know – and we did things the industry had never done before. It was immensely rewarding.” In 2004 Bob Malone retrieved him to become BPS technical director with the goal of improving energy efficiency and providing technical guidance as the BPS fleet expanded. His first big decision in October, 2004, was to opt for dual fuel diesel electric propulsion for the latest series of new LNG carriers. “We’re quite proud of this. Most of the industry has followed us. It shows a lot of confidence in our own ability – and in our future.” Today Howard is increasingly involved with other parts of BP, particularly exploration and production, as the group moves into ever-deeper offshore waters. “We don’t have to push the door,” he observes. “Our expertise in certain areas is recognized.” By way of example, he describes how BPS skills assisted in helping to right the listing Thunderhorse platform in the Gulf of Mexico. Passionate about the environment, Howard admits to being a diehard recycler at home in Hedingham, Essex. “I do it because I care,” he says. “My tiny contribution is important because individual attitudes are important. There’s no doubt in my mind that human existence depends on conserving resources. In the BPS context I want people on board our ships to think of them as their homes. At home we turn off lights to save energy. On a ship we want to encourage the same culture.” Adrian Howard cleanseas 11 working with SEAaT It is against this background that a cross-industry grouping known as SEAaT (Shipping Emissions Abatement and Trading) was formed in 2002 with support from BP Shipping. Its role is simple but complex: To raise awareness of abatement and emissions trading as complementary methods to the use of low sulphur fuel as ways to reduce SO2 emissions from ships at sea. Over the past three years the organization has played an important role in ensuring that European Union environmental legislation affecting shipping includes allowance for the use of abatement technology and recognition of the potential benefits of emissions trading. The shipping industry is becoming increasingly visible on the global environmental agenda. As land based industry and road transport reduce their emissions, and global trade grows in scale and volume, shipping’s share of emissions to air is becoming more apparent and public concern is leading to ongoing political pressure to reduce shipping emissions. In particular SEAaT has proved successful in engaging European legislators and influencing draft legislation in the European parliament. Thanks to these efforts, ship owners are likely to have many more cost effective compliance options when planned European Commission directives come into effect in 2006-07. Chaired by Bob Malone, chief executive of BPS, the organization represents the broader shipping community and includes ship owners, brokers, technology companies and fuel suppliers. Structured around an executive committee and a sponsoring board, it also has a steering committee that draws in representatives from other industry groupings such as Business for Social Responsibility, the International Bunker Industry Association, the European Community Shipping Association and the International Chamber of Shipping. SEAaT’s Secretary General, Lisa Dwyer, is a seconded BP employee. Over the past year the organization has also focused on setting up a pilot project to test the viability of emissions trading by shipping companies. Emissions trading is a market-based system that lets those taking part buy and sell permits for emissions or credits for reductions, so allowing existing emissions goals to be met in a cost effective way. It can operate within a region or country and could expand to a global basis. In April SEAaT launched a real-time project to demonstrate that the concept can work. It involves 40 vessels sailing in and through the North Sea representing a range of ships and routes. Owners include BPS, Teekay Shipping, P&O Ferries, Stena Line and OOCL. The vessels involved belong to an offsetting syndicate that reports fuel consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions data. They are then tagged either ‘credit generators’ or ‘credit purchasers’ and actual SOx emissions are calculated. The higher emissions of some ships and offset by the significantly lower emissions of other ships in the group so that in total the group meets the legislative requirements. The pilot scheme will conclude at the end of 2005. For BP Shipping the advantages of participation have proved numerous – above all, in helping to develop its own strategy for compliance with environmental legislation. Monthly reporting provides a complete breakdown of vessel activity, emissions and credits generated or purchased as well as access to online data, recording and reporting. So far seven BPS vessels have traded in or through the North Sea SECA (Sulphur Emissions Control Area) generating sulphur emissions credits worth $132,000. At least five other emissions trading schemes are already operating in different countries across a range of pollutants. Acid rain trading began in the US in 1995 and has achieved significant emissions reductions. Various states in the US, including California and Texas, have experimented with nitrate oxide trading programmes. A voluntary scheme was set up on the Chicago Climate Exchange in 2003. In the UK a national trading system was established in 2002 following a successful trial by the BP group. In January, 2005, this scheme was merged into one developed by the European Union. With other emissions to air from shipping such as NOx, particulate matter and CO2 becoming a focus of interest among the industry, legislators and environmental groups, and several governments considering unilateral action, SEAaT’s role in facilitating the introduction of new abatement technologies and innovative emissions reductions concepts looks certain to grow. In Lisa Dwyer words: “SEAaT members believe that competitive markets can achieve environmental objectives. In our view market-based systems create innovation. They also generate lower cost abatement technologies. Our view is that flexible legislation gives ship owners and operators the opportunities to choose the mix of fuel and technologies that best suit their business circumstances.” 12 Ship docked at Cherry Point Refinery, Washingon State, USA In 2004 air emissions of the BPS controlled (directly operated or time chartered) fleet totalled 132,699 metric tonnes. SOx (46,383MTe), NOx (42,388MTe) and nonmethane hydrocarbons (32,242MTe) accounted for 91% of these emissions. SOx emissions contribute to acid rain causing groundwater and soil acidification and add to eutrophication which reduces biodiversity on land and in coastal waters. They can also be converted into small sulphate particles which cause health problems. NOx emissions have been identified as a major component of rising levels of ground level ozone which damages both vegetation and human health. Particulate matter emissions from ships exhaust fumes, when ships are berthing or manoeuvring in a port area, can affect air quality of communities living near port infrastructure. The British Innovator Today the shipping industry is becoming increasingly visible on the global environmental agenda. 85% of all shipping activity is in the northern hemisphere and 75% of this activity is within 400 km of land. BP Shipping is committed to understanding the impact our emissions may have on local and regional air quality - in the areas where we operate - and to make continual progress to reduce this impact. With the BPS fleet expanding rapidly, our intention is to decrease our air pollutant emissions on a continuous, production normalized basis using a portfolio approach that encompasses a mix of solutions depending on ship trading patterns and regulations. At present BPS uses low sulphur marine fuels (LSFO) in niche areas - for example, the US West Coast. We intend, where practicable, to source LSFO for BPS vessels going into the Baltic or North Sea prior to the legislative requirements. Meantime BP Marine is involved in the development of sea water scrubbing technology to adapt land-based technology for marine use. BP Shipping is watching the development of this technology to help us formulate our own LSFO strategy. Other BPS emissions-related projects include our new diesel electric LNG carriers which are designed to accept shore side electricity connections. In Long Beach, California, BPS Alaska class vessels will be taking part in an alternative maritime power project – an initiative known as cold ironing that is designed to reduce to near zero emissions from ships at berth in port by plugging vessels into shore side electricity when at berth. BPS is also involved in an experiment to test the use of renewable energy on board vessels and is one of six companies participating in a North Sea pilot project to identify the benefits of emissions trading for shipping (see article on SEAaT). Emissions trading may be one of the many tools needed to resolve BPS environmental challenges and the hope is that the SEAaT pilot program will provide the organization with valuable knowledge and experience in understanding the challenges associated with operating in a SECA. In another innovative development BPS recently took part in trials of a NOx monitoring system to demonstrate compliance with IMO NOx technical code. This trial may progress in the near future to monitor other emissions such as SOx. In the year ahead we plan to build on these initiatives by leading a programme to improve vessel efficiency though optimization of hull forms and rudder designs. Before long any BPS vessel going into the Baltic or North Sea will use low sulphur fuel – in the Baltic from May, 2006, and in the North Sea from May, 2007. cleanseas what we are doing to reduce emissions cleanseas 13 ISO 14001 the impact of ship Hotel / Office Propulsion Navigation Incinerator Use of fuel Routing SOx, NOx PM, CO2 emissions from incineration of sludge and garbage. Exhaust gas NOx, SOx, CO, CO2 and particulate emissions. Routing through PSSAs and SAs. Hotel / Office Detergents Use of incorrect cleaning chemicals and bleaches in toilets affecting operation of sewage treatment plant. Water Propulsion Propulsion Bilge water Machinery Noise and vibration Pumping of engine room bilges to sea via emergency bilge injection, potential unregulated discharge of oil. Leakage and wastage of process fluids. Noise and vibration impact to marine mammals. Hotel / Office Hotel / Office Garbage Sewage Regulated disposal of paper, wood, metal, glass, crockery and food overboard and waste disposed of at sea washed ashore. Failure or by-passing of sewage treatment plant, discharge of sewage. Use of sewage treatment plant, regulated discharge of treated sewage to sea. 14 Hotel / Office Cargo Navigation Halocarbons Cargo operations Grease Disposal of slops and dirty ballast to third party barge / shore, identify barge / shore disposal methods. Grease on mooring wires washed off during mooring operations. CFC/HCFC emissions from leakage or component failure, and or accidental release of fixed Halon or CO2 firefighting cylinders. Loss of containment, potential unregulated discharge of oil to sea or LNG to atmosphere. Tank venting during loading, discharging, tank cleaning and other cargo operations. VOC, CH4, CO2 emissions and venting of inert gas system. Hull Hull Hull Cleaning agents Vessel disposal Hull coatings Use of various chemicals on deck for cleaning or surface preparation prior to painting, washings drained overboard to sea. Disposal of vessels for recycling. Self-polishing action of coatings, leaching of toxins. In water hull scrubbing, partial removal of hull coatings, release of toxins. Cargo Ballasting operations Transfer of unwanted aquatic marine organisms and pathogens, introduction of non-indigenous species. The British Progress cleanseas pping on the environment cleanseas 15 reducing emissions technologies and options Under a recent European Union directive and Annex VI of Marpol 73/78 abatement technology may be installed to reduce SOx and other pollutants on ships and member states must reduce sulphur content in marine fuel to 1.5% by 2006 in the Baltic SECA (Ship Emissions Control Area) and by 2007 in the North Sea SECA. The new regulations are being discussed in the US and other countries are expected to follow later. Abatement is a reduction of emissions from the exhaust, either by transforming into harmless substances or by avoiding materials in the fuels which gives the shipowner opportunities to choose the mixture of technologies best suited to their trading. Last January BP Marine began funding Krystallon, a UK company given the task of developing a new scrubbing technology. Seawater scrubbing is an alternative method to more costly, energyintensive distillate fuels for reducing sulphur emissions from exhaust gases. Seven months Technology / Solution SOx NOx PM later, model trials have been completed. “They’ve proved a great success within excess of 95% scrubbing efficiency,” reports Don Gregory, director environment and sustainability at BP Marine. If all goes to plan the next stage will be to fit a seawater scrubber on one of the auxiliary engines on board the Pride of Kent ferry sometime in November. This is intended as a demonstration unit, of around 1 megawatt but the design will be suitable for ships up to about 6-7 megawatt engine power. Ultimately it is hoped that these scrubbers will reduce sulphur oxide emissions to air by more than 95%, with correspondingly large reductions in particulate matter and minor reductions in nitrogen oxides. To remove sulphur from exhaust gases, the sulphur oxide gas is first neutralized using seawater which contains a number of salts to achieve this. One of the components of seawater is sulphate - the main chemical end product of seawater scrubbing. Comments Since sulphate already exists in large quantities in seawater, the small amount generated by exhaust scrubbing has minimal impact on the environment. “Scrubbing action is also able to catch lots of the unburned oil and soot and also the incombustibles like metals that predominate in fuels. You don’t want them returning to sea because they could be harmful to the marine environment,” explains Gregory. So before the water is discharged to the sea it goes through a treatment system that pulls out all the particulate matter. The resultant sludge is later disposed of safely on shore. Subject to the outcome of the trials on the Pride of Kent seawater scrubbing could be one of the strategic choices for BP Shipping to consider in the future. “BP Shipping is committed to reducing emissions at source by avoiding the use of high carbon and sulphur content fuels. We are evaluating options such as LSFO and alternative fuels like LNG and renewables” says Sylvia Baca, HSSE & ER director. Good Room for improvement Primary abatement approach considered by the current international and regional legislation. LSFO (<1.5%S) The availability and price of low sulphur fuel is a source of much debate and discussion in both the shipping and oil industries ahead of the implementation of legislation. Emulsion Fuel Water itself appears to modify combustion processes in benign ways that reduce NOx formation. But the quantities of water needed are quite large, at around 30% of the volume of the fuel water mixture. Stability of the fuel is an issue but one benefit is for emulsion fuels to flow freely at ambient temperatures, thus avoiding the need for heating throughout the fuel feed processes. Additive Treatment System Additives cannot remove sulphur in fuel, but they can convert it to less harmful forms. HES ( Hi Efficiency Scrubbing) Exhaust gases can be treated to remove sulphur before the gasses are emitted. The basic chemical process is generally to mix the gases with a compound containing calcium, so the SOx is converted to Calcium Sulphate. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) SCR uses Urea and a catalyst to reduce NO into N2 and H2O. The system is in operation in about 40 ships worldwide. It requires exhaust temperatures only attained at least half the speed to work efficiently hence the NOx reduction near land during pilotage and manoeuvring when it is most needed is least effective. Non Thermal Plasma (NTP) Destroys pollutants at low gas temperatures therefore avoids the need to artificially increase the exhaust gas temperature. Combustion Air Saturation System (CASS) The combustion air is humidified by injecting high pressure water. Relatively high NOx reduction potential. They work by putting water vapour into the inlet air stream, and are effective at reducing NOx. Humid Air Motor (HAM) Emissions monitoring The pressure to reduce emissions is increasing. Shipping emissions data is based upon old and or modeled data from other emitting sources e.g. heavy duty road transport which may result in distorted view of shipping emissions performance. Quite high volumes of water is needed to create sufficient humid air to achieve the reductions. This requires heat input. Under varying loads (when it is most difficult to achieve optimum combustion) it is also hard to control the humidity adequately. In an effort to better understand air emissions BP was recently involved in a trial for on-line NOx monitoring to demonstrate compliance with the IMO NOx technical code. The resulting equipment is first type approved NOx monitoring equipment which can be used to meet annual survey requirements thereby removing potential down-time. BP Shipping is currently considering the options to further develop this equipment to measure other gases with a view to optimizing plant efficiency. 16 A joint project between BP Marine and BP Shipping is developing a new marine fuel with a lower carbon dioxide index. BP Shipping’s recognizes that the issue has a global dimensions and believe it makes sense to deal with air emissions at a local level: to tackle the problem at source, by using fuels which have a lower carbon and sulphur content. “We’re in the technical evaluation phase and by the end of the year we hope to have some shipboard trials with BP Shipping,” says Don Gregory, director, environment & sustainability, BP Marine. Currently the two organizations are looking at marine fuels which have a lower CO2 index in a more sustainable fuel. In an environment of high crude prices and tight demand, there is always a risk that residue fuel might become less available than in the past, notes Gregory. In addition, the shipping industry has a responsibility under the Kyoto treaty to investigate how it will manage and reduce its CO2 emissions in the future. “It may need to consider that residue fuels will not meet future commitments for sustainable fuels. New energy sources may need to be considered,” says Gregory. Bob Malone comments, “As a major supplier and user of carbon based fuels it is only right that we play a part in funding and implementing solutions to one of the greatest challenges of this century. We are committed in BPS to working with our partners to find innovative solutions to reducing our GHG emissions” According to Gregory, BPS and BP Marine have taken the joint initiative to align both with the Kyoto agreement and with BP group core values. The Kyoto protocols (ratified in February, 2005) cover greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping. For the moment everything hangs on the fuel trials. Should they prove successful, Gregory hopes the new fuel that eventually results will become another of the energy solutions used by clients all over the world including ship owners, ferry companies and cruise operators. eliminating ballast stowaways The devastating ecological consequences of introducing non-indigenous species into coastal waters through the discharge of ballast water are well documented. The introduction of the zebra mussel from the Middle East to the Great Lakes in the late 1990s, for instance, cost an estimated $5 billion to bring under control. It also united the shipping industry, governments and environmental groups to make changes in the way ballast water is handled. Alaska is the largest receiver of ballast in the US with BPS contributing about half of the amount. Not surprisingly, the company therefore found itself in the thick of the debate over ballast when this issue was raised by NGOs. “The driver for us was the concern that we might be responsible for introducing some species that decimated the salmon stock or something like that,” says Simon Lisiecki, director government and industry for BPS. “All of us would hate to be responsible for introducing something to upset the ecological balance.” While looking for a solution to the ballast water problem Roger Gale, former BP president of shipping, came across a reference to using ozone to purify water in hot tubs. In 1998, Gale contacted Nutech-03, Inc., a Virginia-based company that specializes in ozone. He challenged it to design a ballast water treatment system using ozone for an oil tanker. The benefit of using ozone is that it reacts with sea water to create iodine and hydrobromous acid which effectively kill bacteria, viruses and most marine organisms. The interaction of ozone and sea water is unstable. So once disinfected, the sea water quickly reverts to safe bromine and iodine “I like it because you’re not putting chemicals or biocides in the ship,” says Lisiecki. “You can make the stuff on the ship, it has a very short half life and it disappears.” In 2000, BP and Nutech-03, along with academic and industry research institutions, began testing a prototye ozonation system on the oil tanker S/T Tonsina, which carries oil from the Port of Valdez in Alaska along the Pacific coast of the USA. Currently there is no legal requirement for treating ballast water before it is discharged. According to the Coast Guard‘s Invasive Species Act of 1996, tankers coming from foreign ports are required to undertake ballast water exchange before entering the 200-mile Economic Exclusion Zone. This act, together with other industry-wide legislation means there will shortly be real teeth to the ballast water regime. In February, 2004, the IMO’s Ballast Treaty was ratified. This legislation will require all ships to implement a ballast water management plan that requires treated ballast water to contain no more than one microbe per one cubic metre of water. Another bill currently before the U.S. Congress proposes a more stringent count of not more than 0.1 microbes per 10 cubic metres. Compliance with either piece of legislation will not be required until 2009 and new ships will not be covered until 2016. “BPS is in a good place ahead of the compliance requirements, giving us time to develop effective control technology,” says Lisiecki. Cross section of ships showing ballast tanks and ballast water cycle 1. At source port discharging cargo Loading ballast water 2. During voyage Ballast tanks full cargo hold empty 3. At destination port loading cargo Discharging ballast water 4. During voyage Ballast tanks empty cargo hold full BP and Nutech-03 are now installing the next generation of ozone treatment technology and will soon be conducting trials to determine ozone dosage requirements to effectively kill all the harmful species. When that level of treatment is determined, the levels of residual oxidants (total residual oxidants – TRO) will be measured. Going forward, TRO can easily be measured in real time whilst the water is being treated. This read-out will provide the ship’s crew with the knowledge and documented evidence that the blast water has been treated effectively. This method is widely used in other industries such as water utilities in order to comply with US legislation such as the Clean Drinking Water Act. “I like this because real time you can check your TRO levels and you can have a printout. If they’re at a certain level you know it kills all the bugs,” Lisiecki points out. cleanseas developing cleaner fuels cleanseas 17 the hitchhikers guide Marine plants, animals and microbes are being carried around the world attached to the hulls of ships and in ships’ ballast water. When discharged into new environments, they may become invaders and seriously disrupt the native ecology and economy. Introduced pathogens may cause diseases and death in humans. european green crab Carcinus maenus Native to: European Atlantic Coast Introduced to: Southern Australia, South Africa, USA and Japan Impacts: Highly adaptable and invasive. Resistant to predation due to hard shell. Competes with and displaces native crabs and becomes a dominant species in invaded areas. Consumes and depletes wide range of prey species. Alters inter-tidal rocky shore ecosystem. cholera Vibrio cholerae (various strains) Native to: Various strains with broad ranges. Introduced to: South America, Gulf of Mexico and other areas. Impacts: Some cholera epidemics appear to be directly associated with ballast water. One example is an epidemic that began simultaneously at three separate ports in Peru in 1991, sweeping across South America, affecting more than a million people and killing more than ten thousand by 1994. This strain had previously been reported only in Bangladesh. Map indicates some of the areas where the species have been introduced north american comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi Native to: Eastern Seaboard of the Americas. Introduced to: Black, Azov and Caspian Seas. Impacts: Reproduces rapidly (self fertilising hermaphrodite) under favourable conditions. Feeds excessively on zooplankton. Depletes zooplankton stocks; altering food web and ecosystem function. Contributed significantly to collapse of Black and Asov Sea fisheries in 1990s, with massive economic and social impact. Now threatens similar impact in Caspian Sea. toxic algae (red/brown/ green tides) Various species Native to: Various species with broad ranges. Introduced to: Several species have been transferred to new areas in ships’ ballast water. Impacts: May form harmful algae blooms. Depending on the species, can cause massive kills of marine life through oxygen depletion, release of toxins and/or mucus. Can foul beaches and impact on tourism and recreation. Some species may contaminate filterfeeding shellfish and cause fisheries to be closed. Consumption of contaminated shellfish by humans may cause severe illness and death. cladoceran water flea Cercopagis pengoi Native to: Black and Caspian Seas Introduced to: Baltic Sea Impacts: Reproduces to form very large populations that dominate the zooplankton community and clog fishing nets and trawls, with associated economic impacts. 18 cleanseas e to the ocean The British Pioneer mitten crab Eiocheir sinensis Native to: Northern Asia Introduced to: Western Europe, Baltic Sea and West Coast North America Impacts: Undergoes mass migrations for reproductive purposes. Burrows into riverbanks and dykes causing erosion and siltation. Preys on native fish and invertebrate species, causing local extinctions during population outbreaks. Interferes with fishing activities. zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha Native to: Eastern Europe (Black Sea) Introduced to: Western and northern Europe, including Ireland and Baltic Sea; eastern half of North America Impacts: Fouls all available hard surfaces in mass numbers. Displaces native aquatic life. Alters habitat, ecosystem and food web. Causes severe fouling problems on infrastructure and vessels. Blocks water intake pipes, sluices and irrigation ditches. Economic costs to USA alone of around $750 million to $1 billion between 1989 and 2000. round goby Neogobius melanostomus Native to: Black, Asov and Caspian Seas Introduced to: Baltic Sea and North America Impacts: Highly adaptable and invasive. Increases in numbers and spreads quickly. Competes for food and habitat with native fishes including commercially important species, and preys on their eggs and young. Spawns multiple times per season and survives in poor water quality. north pacific seastar Asterias amurensis Native to: Northern Pacific Introduced to: Southern Australia Impacts: Reproduces in large numbers, reaching ‘plague’ proportions rapidly in invaded environments. Feeds on shellfish, including commercially valuable scallop, oyster and clam species. The species presented here are for illustrative purposes only. Their introduced ranges may be greater than depicted. There are numerous other examples of serious marine bio-invasions around the world asian kelp Undaria pinnatifida Native to: Northern Asia Introduced to: Southern Australia, New Zealand, West Coast of USA, Europe and Argentina Impacts: Grows and spreads rapidly, both vegetatively and through dispersal of spores. Displaces native algae and marine life. Alters habitat, ecosystem and food web. May affect commercial shellfish stocks through space competition and alteration of habitat. Article reproduced by kind permission of Global Ballast Water Management Programme and IMO Global Ballast Water Management Programme Further Information: Global Ballast Water Management Programme International Maritime Organization, London, UK Fax +44 (0)20 7587 3261 Web http://globallast.imo.org Photo credits: Ship Discharging Ballast Water – CRIMP, CSIRO Marine Research, Australia, Zebra Mussel – Sergei Olenin, Cladoceran Water Flea – Mirja Rosenberg, Cholera – Gloria Casale, Comb Jelly – Richard Harbison, Asian Kelp & North Pacific Seastar – CSIRO Australia, European Green Crab – T. Huspeni, Toxic Algae – D.A. Horstman, Mitten Crab – Stephan Gollasch, Round Goby – David Jude 19 cleanseas a drop in the ocean waste water management All ships produce waste water, also known as ‘grey water’ which is drained from showers, sinks, galleys and laundries. At present restrictions on dumping grey water are limited to cruise ships, ships trading in the Baltic and some states in the US like Alaska. A number of BP tankers have built-in holding tanks. “Ships can be stopped from loading or discharging cargo if they are found to be discharging waste water,” says Simon Lisiecki, director, government and industry (BPS). “I have seen this once when someone poured orange juice down the drain and it discolored the water and the ship was stopped from loading until the problem was cleared up.” Tankers offloading at port Samples of grey water analysed recently in Alaska showed high levels of copper, lead, nickel, zinc and fecal coliform. The water also contained bleach and detergents. A Clean Cruise Ships Act, introduced into the US Congress this April, proposes a 12-mile exclusion zone for the discharge of grey water, in addition to bilge water and sewage, which has traditionally been more strictly legislated. “We’re watching this legislation, and we’ve recently had requests for information from Californian regulators on the management of grey water. It’s an emerging issue,” Lisiecki concludes. taking the lead in anti-foulants Anti-foulants are used to coat the underwater hulls of ships to prevent marine growth including weed, algae and barnacles from attaching themselves to the hull. These organisms cause drag, thus slowing down the ship as it moves through the water, increasing fuel consumption. were very keen to comply with it so we decided to go that route,” says Mick Medhurst, superintendent fleet technical team, BP Shipping. “We conducted initial trials in 1991, and then as subsequent dockings came up, we continued to change from TBT containing anti-foulings to tinfree anti-foulings. In the past the most effective and commonly used anti-fouling paints contained tributylin tin (TBT), an ingredient that has now been found to be harmful to the marine environment particularly in slow moving shallow water areas such as yacht basins. It has also been found to be responsible for causing such things as sex changes in female dog whelks and deformations in oysters. “We have now gone on to use the next generation of anti-fouling on selected ships, these being completely biocide free,” adds Medhurst. The new paints are silicone based. The advantage is that it doesn’t deplete and can last ten plus years; however the ships are still required to dock every five years for statutory surveys and inspections.” BP Shipping has taken an industry lead ahead of legislation in introducing environmentally friendly anti-fouling paint systems on its ships. It was not until 2001 that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) finally voted to prohibit the use of TBT anti-fouling paints starting in 2003 with a total phase-out by 2008. BPS however had long before begun phasing out TBT. “We saw the legislation being debated and The old TBT based anti-fouling were very efficient and engineered to polish in service which caused less resistance to the ships. “You don’t quite get the same effect with the TBT free products, but the manufacturers are striving to get as close as they can to the polishing characteristics of those highly efficient self polishing co-polymers (SPC’s) type tin containing antifoulings. They are gradually getting closer to producing products with the same fuel efficiency,” Medhurst says. Barnacles attach themselves to ships hulls Another type of available anti-fouling paint is completely biocide free and tends to suits faster vessels such as gas carriers, which are in the process of having these anti-foulings applied, while the slower ships will continue, for the foreseeable future to use copper based anti-foulings. New vessels are currently being built in both Korea and Japan with five year TBT free anti-fouling paint systems applied. After five years in service the ships will be docked again and have a further five year anti-fouling system applied. Most dockings are currently taking place in either Singapore or Dubai, where the hulls are spot blasted and the anti-corrosive system repaired before the new anti-fouling paint system is applied. 20 A major shipping accident with a large oil spill is recognized as one of the highest risks that the BP group faces. This is why so much effort goes in trying to prevent them and also ensuring we are well prepared if a spill does occur. Should there be an oil pollution emergency, the responsibility for ensuring that the correct emergency response systems are in place so that the incident can be moved out of the emergency phase as quickly as possible falls to Bruce McKenzie, BP Shipping’s emergency response crisis management advisor. Shipping, like every organization in the BP group, bases it’s response capability around the BP crisis management framework (CMF). The CMF establishes minimum response and preparedness expectations for BP businesses. “Lots of companies will adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude towards emergencies,” says McKenzie. “BP has recognized that a philosophy of over-reaction is the most prudent approach to an emergency situation. The organization initially over-reacts, assesses the incident, responds appropriately and then stands-down. “It is much easier to over-react and then scale back an incident response than it is to underestimate the scale and scope of an emergency and then try to ‘catch-up’ several hours into an incident”. Oil spill exercise off Sullom Voe Terminal, Shetlands, UK The priorities in emergency response are also well defined in the CMF; people first, then the environment, facilities and lastly reputation. He says : “Lots of the work we do is very much best judgment, based on the information available at the time and the experience of the people who are responding.” Each incident is unique in terms of the resources at risk. “When you talk about oil spill response the priority is to prevent spills from happening in the first place,” says McKenzie. “A lot of effort is put into ensuring spills don’t happen. This includes risk assessment, engineering design, training of staff, well established procedures and vetting operations to ensure that the vessels and terminals we use meet BP standards. From a cost perspective, a barrel of oil with a value of 50-60 dollars can cost 100 times that much to clean-up if released to the marine environment. To keep up to date and sharp, the BPS incident management team runs regular training sessions and exercises across the organization. Based on the feedback and lessons learned from the exercises, the response system is modified to ensure maximum preparedness. In real incidents BPS follows a wellestablished chain of command. First, the incident management team mobilizes. This team is divided into five sections: command, plans, logistics, operations and finance, all doing specific jobs designed to bring the situation quickly under control without duplicating roles. Strategic objectives are defined and a plan developed to met the objectives. The necessary resources are then deployed to ensure the identified objectives are achieved. The incident management team is aided by the business support team (BST) and BP’s regional crisis centres. The BST supports the incident management team by managing the reputational impact of an incident, liaising with other affected businesses and providing additional resources as needed to the incident management team. BP maintains four regional crisis centres; America’s, Europe, Asia, and AMRC (Africa, Middle East, Russia, Caspian). They provide strategic support to BP businesses operating within their region and maintain regional response teams that can provided trained personnel in the region to assist in an emergency. This team is typically made up of individuals from business units that are operating in the region. “BP Shipping is a global organization and there is the potential to have an emergency in a country where there are no BP Shipping staff. In these situations we rely on the support of the local business units, the country president and the regional response teams. They provide the initial response until we can mobilize a Shipping team to the area. cleanseas oil spills prevention and response 21 cleanseas To ensure a rapid response to large oil spills, BP also maintains membership in large oil spill cooperatives around the world, such as OSRL (Oil Spill Response Limited) in Southampton, EARL (East Asia Response Limited) in Singapore, Clean Caribbean in Florida and Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) in the United States. These organizations have the equipment and manpower to respond immediately as required. contingencies. This partnership is important and provides BPS with the best available standards and techniques in the oiled wildlife response, and a maximum result can be guaranteed in terms of human safety, animal welfare, cost efficiency, animal survival rates and scientific data collection. BPS is also affiliated with the Sea Alarm Foundation, an international organization established to advance and coordinate professional responses to oiled wildlife Oil spill exercise off Sullom Voe Terminal, Shetlands, UK IMO particularly sensitive sea areas (PSSA) 2005 1 9 10 2 3 8 6 4 7 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Baltic Sea Area (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland & Sweden) Canary Islands (Spain) Florida Keys (United States of America) Galapagos Archipelago (Ecuador) Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait (Australia & Papua New Guinea) 5 6. Malpelo Island (Colombia) 7. Paracas National Reserve (Peru) 8. Sabana-Camagüey Archipelago (Cuba) 9. Wadden Sea Area (Netherlands, Denmark & Germany) 10. Western Europe (Belgium, France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain & United Kingdom 22 cleanseas green passport BP Shipping moves the initiative forward Safe and environmentally-friendly ship recycling moved an important step closer with the decision of BP Shipping in 2004 to support the concept of a ‘green passport’ for its latest LNG carriers - four dualuse diesel electric ships being built in South Korea by Hyundai Heavy Industries. As a result the toxicity of certain materials on board the new LNG carriers will be defined clearly. Tarbased paints have been excluded. Controls have been introduced on the PVC fire toxicity of electrical cables in parts of the ships. The use of PVCs has been largely prohibited and refrigerants chosen especially for their environmental performance. A particular issue is the type of foam used to surround the cargo tanks of LNG vessels. At the moment this foam includes CFCs but BPS is specifying that they be replaced with a CO2-blown foam that is considered less environmentally damaging. The best way to fight fires on LNG vessels is another tough issue. “CO2 is an undesirable gas but at the moment it’s the only substance we can use,” Davison explains. re-engineer nozzles so that such a system works satisfactorily even in large engine rooms. Down the line BPS is hoping to introduce green passports for all vessels in its fleet regardless of age. Under this idea older vessels would simply carry a document that lists any harmful substances on board. “We want to spread the use of the water fog system (invented by BP for use on platforms) to ships.” Effectively this means convincing a manufacturer to invest money to “We want to go down to greater depth of detail,” explains Nick Davison, a senior naval architect, who is leading the BPS green passport initiative. “Our aim is to increase the knowledge of harmful substances and get ahead of the game.” tion era ign des BPS continues to work with Lloyds Register in London to produce a suitable document that ship builders can use. In parallel it decided last year to act by itself and include green passports in its newest vessels containing more detail and covering a wider variety of topics than envisaged either by the IMO or Lloyds Register. op Green passports for ships – in reality, documents handed down from one owner to another containing an inventory of all materials potentially hazardous to human health or the environment used in the construction or modification of the vessel - have been mooted for sometime. But progress has been slow as regulatory, technical and logistical issues surrounding the concept have proved difficult to resolve. ycl e /management The third largest shipyard in the world, Koje Island, South Korea • Ensure the ship reaches the recycling yard with minimum quantities of oils and chemicals consistent with the safe operation of the vessel, is in a gas-free condition and the inventory prepared for all potentially hazardous materials. pl an rec recycle plan / design / construct • Take due account of the ship’s ultimate disposal when designing and constructing a ship by using materials which can be safely recycled. • Minimize the use of materials known to be potentially hazard to health and the environment. construction operation / management • Minimize the amount of potentially hazardous materials on board the ship, including those carried as stores. • Facilitate an accurate inventory of potentially hazardous materials used on board ships. cleanseas 23 case study helios award The British Resolution 1974 - 1999, sent to Xinhui, China for recycling No matter what your role in BP Shipping, everyone can help to protect and improve In 2002 BP Shipping specialists in Anchorage, Alaska, undertook an unusual initiative that broke new ground in the responsible disposal of old vessels. It saved the company money and eventually won those involved a 2002 helios award from the BP group for innovative environmental practice. At the time international regulations were mandating the phase-out of single-hulled tankers. But there was also increasing concern in the industry and among governments and environmental groups about the best way to achieve this. Many of the traditional processes involved in breaking-up ships were being criticized for their impact on the environment, and there were also associated human rights issues. BPS had four large tankers laid up in Portland, Oregon, that were on long-term leases and had been carrying Alaskan crude from Valdez to the US West Coast and Panama. Each ship was more than 900 feet in length with a beam of 173 feet and capable of carrying in excess of one million barrels of oil. After negotiations with the tankers’ owners and discussions with regulatory agencies and non-governmental organizations, a decision was taken to remove hazardous waste materials prior to dismantling. In addition, the recycling yards outside the US generators and pumps were salvaged and about 100,000 tonnes of steel recycled. Ten charitable organizations in Oregon and Alaska received several thousand items from the ships including sofas, chairs, office furniture, bedding and appliances. The value of recovered equipment offset the project cost many times over. the environment. Recycled propeller key rings made from metal salvaged from the BPS vessel Border Jouster will be given away to ideas that make a difference. Please send your suggestions to Katharine Palmer at [email protected] a successful recycling initiative that competed for the contract to dismantle the vessels were inspected prior to selection using BP health, safety and environmental criteria. In all more than 25 tonnes of potentially hazardous materials inherent in most ships were removed including flammable liquids and solids, refrigerant gases, fluorescent light tubes, mercury and bunker fuels. Turbines, This helios award set standards for all future ship recycling projects and is reflected in the rigorous BPS HSSE shipyard audit protocol. 24 cleanseas how we compare As part of BP Shipping’s drive to develop a framework that will deliver environmental leadership inside the BP group and outside in the global shipping industry, internal and external benchmarking concerning environmental performance has been undertaken in the past two years to find out how BPS compares. The results are a mixture of the good, the average and the could-dobetter – “interesting” in the words of Katharine Palmer, BPS environmental advisor. Within the BP group, BPS contributes around 4% of total emissions to air. In 2004 it ranked in fifth place in a league table of BP’s largest emitters – up from eighth place in 2003 as the BP Shipping fleet grew in size. In terms of CO2 emissions in the 2001-04 period, BPS ranked fifth with emissions of 2.6-3.1 million tonnes behind refineries at Texas City, Whiting and Carson (in the US) and the BP chemicals complex in Cologne, Germany. Assessed by NOx and SOx emissions, BPS was the BP group’s largest source with 42,388 metric tonnes NOx emitted and 46,383 metric tonnes SOx emitted in 2004. In both categories, BPS substantially outranked the second place emitter (NOx/Prudhoe Bay Unit 28,338 metric tonnes, SOx/Lavera refinery 10,680 metric tonnes). “A study of the ocean transport industry conducted by the business for social responsibility (BSR) earlier this year was an important first step in providing us with vital benchmarking information on our current performance compared with others in our industry. The findings will assist us in determining an appropriate course of action in our desire to become an environmental leader in our industry” says Sylvia Baca BPS HSSE & ER director. Half a dozen leading shipping companies took part in this study which focused on six areas – safe ship operations; environmental policies; environmental management, monitoring and reporting; ballast water practices and emissions to water; emissions to air and water during ship operations; emissions to air during loading and unloading. In eight categories involving specific issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, ballast water treatment, SOx and NOx emissions, hull coatings, oil spills and waste management BPS had a leadership position in two, fuel consumption/ GHG emissions and hull coatings. In two categories, VOCs and oil spill, BPS was middle of the pack while in two others, SOx emissions and waste management, the organization is lagging. environmental benchmarking (BSR report) compliance 2 3 4 leadership SFOC & GHG environmental benchmarking (BSR repo NOx B compliance SOx VOCs oil spill ballast water hull coatings waste 2 B SFOC & GHG NOx SOx VOCs D D A oil spill ballast water hull coatings waste B/D BP Shipping BSR selected 6 companies to participate in the environmental performance benchmarking study from the shipping industry including tanker and non-tanker operators. Where participating companies are leaders they are denoted as letters A - D. A number of conclusions were contained in the BSR study: • “Significant improvements” are possible in BPS’s environmental management. • A leadership position in terms of environmentally innovative technologies “means to support the testing and development of those technologies.” • In helping to develop future ship concepts, BPS is “heading in the right direction” but could better utilize BP group knowledge. • The management and disposal of solid garbage “is not satisfying at any of the investigated carriers.” Little monitoring seems to be undertaken. Among several recommendations made by BSR to BPS, one involves greater transparency in environmental reporting including “the publication of environmental performance information and environmental reports.” A second suggests that BPS “engage in developing partnerships with local terminals and ports (to) develop sound garbage managements systems.” A more general BSR recommendation favours greater emphasis across the board on communications. “Change needs to include every employee and an active dialogue with relevant stake holders,” the report concluded. “The mixed results of the BSR study confirms that there is room for improvement. Our recently established environmental working group will consider the findings and recommendations of the study to aide us in addressing the many environmental challenges associated with a rapidly growing fleet. Armed with good baseline data, engagement of our workforce (onshore and sea staff) and capitalization of human resource expertise internal and external to BP along with a solid management commitment will greatly increase our likelihood of success in improving our environmental performance“ says Baca. “Exciting times lie ahead”. 3 cleanseas 25 “I leave it to you to judge whether BP is an increasingly responsible company,” wrote John Browne, group chief executive of BP plc in his introduction to the BP group 2004 Sustainability Report. “It is a judgement that will be based not on reports or words alone, but on witnessing sustained, consistent actions by the group’s 102,900 people worldwide.” what you can do to help Improving BPS environmental performance fits squarely into this challenge. Each of the 3,500 people who work for BPS has a HSSE initiative written into their 2005 contract. Everyone who works for BPS can do something to raise our collective performance. Personal pledges 1. I will replace two light bulbs at home with energy saving versions 2. I will re-use plastic bags when shopping 3. I will switch off my television or computer screen rather than leave it on stand-by Increasingly, the key to better performance lies in integrating work and home life in a seamless and permanent commitment to better health, safety and environmental awareness and practice – both at work and at home. 4. I will share my car journeys to work or replace them with public transport, walking or cycling 5. I will turn my bio-degradable waste into compost for my garden “At an individual level, there should be no distinction between how you behave on board a ship, in an office or in the home,” says Katharine Palmer, the BPS environmental advisor. “The three should be the same. If you don’t throw litter around at home, you shouldn’t do so in the street or at work or when you’re on a ship.” Katharine Palmer adds a pledge of her own: “Don’t use plastic cups – you have the BPS 90th anniversary mug!” No matter what your role or where you are based, the BP green office initiative (GOI) is an effective way everyone can work in partnership to put your own, as well as BP’s environmental values into action. The GOI is a practical, staff driven programme designed to reduce the impact of buildings and daily work practices on the environment. If we make wise procurement choices, we can reduce our impact, save money and contribute to the communities around us. To help us all reach new levels of commitment to a cleaner world the UK environment agency with the UN environment programme and the world conservation monitoring centre drew up 24 personal and green business pledges for world environment day 2005. They can be read in full on www.unep-wcmc.org and include those shown here. Green business pledges 1. We will switch off lighting and office equipment at night 2. We will use double sided printing for printers and copiers 3. We will use recycled paper throughout our business 4. We will give old PCs to schools and charities 5. We will collect recyclable waste such as paper 26 ARRC Autonomous Rescue and Recovery Craft HSSE Health, Safety, Security, Environment PFC Pert Fluoro Carbon ATC Alaskan Tanker Company IGS Inert Gas System PM Particulate Matter BPS BP Shipping IMO International Maritime Organization PSSA Particularly Sensitive Sea Area BSR Business for Social Responsibility ISO International Standards Organization PVC Polyvinyl Chloride CFC Chloro Fluoro Carbon KTe Kilo Tonnes SECA Sulphur Emissions Control Area CH4 Methane LNG Liquified Natural Gas CO2 Carbon Dioxide MBA Masters Business Administration SEAaT Shipping Emissions Abatement and Trading DFDE Dual Fuel Diesel Electric DWT Dead Weight MEPC Maritime Environment Protection Committee (part of IMO) EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone ER Emergency Response GHG Green House Gas HCFC Hydro Chloro Fluoro Carbon SOx Sulphur Oxides SSA Sensitive Sea Area MTe Metric Tonnes TBT Tributyl Tin NGO Non Governmental Organization VLCC Very Large Crude Carrier NOx Nitrogen Oxides VOC Volatile Organic Compounds PCB Poly Chlorinated Biphenyl like to know more? A variety of electronic links will take you to sites on the Internet that provide more information about the environmental topics covered in this survey. They include: • www.imo.org - the site of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency based in London. • www.seaat.org - the site of the Shipping Emissions Abatement and Trading industry group. • www.bp.com - the BP group site. A section titled ‘environment and society’ describes the company’s environmental initiatives. • www.wwf-uk.org - the site of WWF-UK. • www.iso.org - the site of the International Organization for Standardization. • www.marisec.org - a shipping facts site that includes a section on shipping and the environment. • www.unep-wcmc.org - the UN environment programme/World Conservation Monitoring Centre website. • www.oceanlink.island.net - an interactive Canadian site dedicated to ocean and marine education. • www.oilspillresponse.com - website of the world’s largest oil spill response organization with a wealth of information about emergency response and training. • greenops.bpweb.bp.com - a BP intranet site. Holds information on technologies for reducing emissions and shares GHG knowledge around the BP group. • eubrgs278/stellent/groups/ ist_shipping/documents/ bps_publishedcontent/ penvironment.hcst - a new environmental section has been developed on the BPS intranet site. Books, user guidelines and official publications about shipping and the environment are available in several languages through websites such as www.amazon.co.uk or direct from organizations such as the IMO. They include: • Marpol 73/78 (£55.00, IMO) • The empty ocean by Richard • Guidelines for the control and Ellis (2004, £10.95 through Amazon) - tells the story of the exploitation of the sea and weighs the chances for its recovery. • Values at sea (2003, £15.95 through Amazon) – a collection of academic papers covering ethical issues related to marine environments such as oil spills and species protection. • Stemming the tide (1996, £31.00 through Amazon) – recounts the introduction of non-indigenous species by ships’ ballast water and their subsequent impact. • Shipping and the environment – is compromise inevitable? (1996, Institute of Marine Engineers) – the published proceedings of a specialist conference. – explains the international convention for the prevention of pollution from shipping, one of the most important international agreements on the subject of marine pollution. management of ships’ ballast water (£4.00, IMO) – a practical guide aimed at ship masters, operators, owners and port authorities. • Manual on oil pollution (IMO) – covers contingency planning, salvage, combating oil spills and related matters. A useful guide for anyone directly associated with sea transportation and transfer of oil. • Guidelines for the development of shipboard marine pollution emergency plans (£8.00, IMO) – developed to help ship masters meet the legal requirement that all oil tankers of 150 tonnes and more carry an approved oil pollution plan. This publication is printed on Corona Offset, a 100% recycled paper made entirely from de-inked, non bleached, post consumer waste. Corona Offset has been awarded NAPM, Blue Angel and Nordic Swan environmental accreditations. Designed and produced by The Bridge Communications Ltd. cleanseas glossary http://eubrgs278/stellent/groups/ ist_shipping/documents/bps_ publishedcontent/penvironment.hcst Cover photo courtesy of Raul Touzon/National Geographic Image Collection raising the flag together clean seas n safe ships n commercial success