Maritime Transport and Airborne Emissions - Report Example

Introduction Release of several pollutants into the atmosphere from different stationary sources, such as chemicals, vehicles and factory chimneys can be defined as the airborne emissions. On the other hand maritime transport can be recognized as the watercraft that used to carry goods or people. Maritime transport is also known as sea transport. This particular transport can be considered as one of the largest freight’s carrier throughout the recorded history. It is true that the importance and significance of the sea or maritime travel for the passengers has been reduced due to the significant growth rate of aviation industry. But, it can be accepted that maritime or sea transport is highly effective for the pleasure cruises and short trips. In addition to this, several organizations as well as individuals chose this transport option as maritime shipping can be considered less harmful to the atmosphere and environment comparing to other modes of transport. Several ports and maritime transport organizations are getting concerned about the growing impact of the transport activities by the organizations on the environment. However, the study will analyse assess the airborne emissions from the maritime transport. Scope of Project Several leading organizations in this world are trying to capitalize on the potential opportunities that have been developed due to globalization and technological advancement. External costs can be defined as the costs that arise when the economic and the social activities of a group of individuals have a significant or critical impact on another group of individuals. Airborne emission can be considered as one of the serious significant of several modes of transport. It is true that the maritime transport has limited effect on the environment and atmosphere. It is highly important for a researcher or an organization to determine both the advantages and disadvantages of adopted and implemented business activities. It is true that several organizations and business clients in the global business environment used to choose maritime transport aspect as it is cost and time effective for short time shipment. On the other hand, this mode of transport has limited impact on the environment. However, government and several public agencies are developing environmental policies and regulations for the organizations within the maritime transport industry to reduce the impact of airborne emissions on the environment. Airborne emissions from the maritime transport have become one of the important topics to discuss on. Consideration of ADPC port operations and the developed strategies by the organization has been incorporated in this study to achieve the objective of the study. Overview of Abu Dhabi Port Abu Dhabi Ports Company can be considered as one of the leading port organizations in Abu Dhabi. ADPC turned into the Khalifa Port to become one of the biggest industrial zones. The organization established attractive Khalifa port on 12th December, 2012. ADPC ensured modern and advanced container terminal in this region. The region has covered almost a radius of 5,000 kilometres. The organization has a broad vision to become one of the preferred providers of high quality industrial zone services and integrated ports. It is important for each and every organization within the particular industry to maintain the sustainability in the business operation process. Maritime transport industry has become one of the competitive as well as potential industries. It is true that governments of different countries have developed strict legal policies and regulations for the organizations in order to maintain the sustainability. Major objective of the Abu Dhabi Port is to design, develop and manage several important commercial marine facilities in UAE. Day-by-day, the business activities and business transactions between the UAE and global business clients is increasing significantly due to globalization and open market policy. Therefore, demand for Abu Dhabi Port Companies is growing simultaneously. The organization maintained a large annual capacity for the cargo services. It is true that the growing concerns due to the oil spill in sea are growing. This can affect the global environment quite badly. On the other hand, it can affect the entire ecological balance. Depending upon the issues, challenges and threats, the organization developed a mission to meet the role of Abu Dhabi Port Companies in Abu Dhabi Vision 2030’s realization. It is important for an organization in the global maritime transport industry to develop crystal clear and fair corporate values in order to attract several key external and internal stakeholders. It is true that organization like Abu Dhabi Port Company needs to consider the important for the views and interests of the stakeholders’ in the strategy development and decision making process. Safety and security in the business operation process can be considered as one of the important aspects in the developed corporate value of the Abu Dhabi Port Companies. The organization does not compromise with the secure and safe business operation activities. Business ethics can be considered as one of the important perspectives of sustainable business practices and business performances. It is true that the Abu Dhabi Port Companies used to focus on high integrity and fairness in the development of corporate values. Strong integration of business ethics and community engagement activities help the organization to create a benchmark within the particular industry. Ensuring high business ethics and industry standards help the organizations to avoid several possible legal threats and challenges. The Abu Dhabi Port Company always takes care of the need and demand of the society along with the high business profit maximization. Effective training and development process for the employees can be considered as one of the important work culture of this organization. The management of the organization always tries to implement supportive leadership style to motivate entire staffs and employees within a team and enhance effective teamwork (ADPC 1). Effective sustainable development, high quality business operation practices, dynamism and stakeholder-centric strategy development are the other important characteristics of the developed corporate value of the organization. Effective sustainable development and strategy implementation process allow the organization to long term economic, environmental and social viability. Engine types & Fuel Types properties and roles Generally huge diesel engines are used to propel the vessels in maritime transport. The diesel engines are classified into medium speed diesel engines (MSD) and low speed diesel engines (LSD).Some ships may also use the High Speed Diesel Engines (HSD) for propulsion. The low capacity diesel engines are used for the supply of power for the on-board activities like heating, air conditioning, ventilation, control systems, pumps, cargo handling and ventilating. The vessels use auxiliary boilers for cargo heating, maintaining the viscosity of the fuel and providing stem for the cargo pumps. The vessels in the marine transport system have three different types of engines including the main engine, diesel engine and the auxiliary engine. The main engine is broadly divided onto two classes. These are slow speed engines with two strokes which operate with 6-12 cylinders and at 100-300 rotations per minute and are used exclusively for propelling processes and the medium speed engines with four strokes which operate with 12-20 cylinders at a rotational speed of 450 rpm. These engines are used for propulsion as well as electric power generation through then use of electric drives and gearboxes. The medium speed engines are capable of generating more than 5800KW for each cylinder and the slow speed engines are capable of generating more than 1500 KW per engine. The medium speed engines are smaller in size than the slow speed engines and are considered more efficient than the slow speed engines. The smaller vessels tend to use the high speed engines whereas the slow speed engines with two strokes are used by the larger vessels in marine transport. Engines below 2000KW capacity are assumed to be used in medium speed vessels in the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) operations in the ports of the Emirates of Abu Dhabi. The medium speed engines are mostly used in those vessels which have a restraint on the space of the engine rooms and which want to avoid the higher level of vibration caused by the slow speed engines. The total quantity of fuel used in maritime transportation is equivalent to the consumption of fuel in a medium scale industrialized country. The fuels used in marine transport can be divided into two main types – marine fuel oils and marine gas distillate oils. The energy content of the marine fuels varies from the range of 40-41 MJ/Kg for marine fuel oils and 43-53.5 MJ/Kg for distillate oils (World Health Organization 5). These marine oils are generally used in the main engines of the different vessels and in the auxiliary engines of the huge capacity vessels. The main engines of the marine vessels are propelled by the marine fuel oil which is categorized into different grades depending upon the viscosity level of the oil. The most common type of marine fuel oil is the Bunker fuel oil which has a viscosity of 350 CST at a temperature of 50 degree Celsius. The marine fuel oils need to be treated through a process of filtration and settling to be effectively used in the diesel engines of the vessels. Also, heating the fuels at more than 150 degree Celsius is necessary for attaining the proper viscosity of the oil to be used in the engines of the ships. Generally, the quantity of fuel oil produced is much more than the demands in the market. Therefore, different blending and cracking processes are followed to extract different higher value fuel oils like the marine fuel oils from the oil produced in the refineries (Hulda 57). The fuel consumption in the main engines has decreased due to the pronounced impact of the oil crisis. The fuel consumption of the main engine of the standard vessels in the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) ranges from 170 g/ KWh to 230 g/ KWh. Apart from the main propulsion unit, an auxiliary engine is also used which is run to ensure constant on board power supply in the ships. The use of generators in the drive shaft makes the use of auxiliary engines unnecessary. Therefore, many vessels in the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) have started using drive shafts instead of auxiliary engines to lower the fuel consumption by the engines. The auxiliary engines have a power which is about 25-30% of the power of the main diesel engine. Some vessels which offer self-unloading facilities may have auxiliary engines to generate more power. Emissions Factor The increasing effects of the airborne emission from the sea transportation have set alerts all across the globe with respect to the protection of the environment. This is because a wide variety of airborne emissions are caused by the release of pollutants containing sulphur, ozone particles and nitrogen. Also, the emission of carbon dioxide is another critical airborne emission caused by the maritime transportation companies including the Abu Dhabi ports Company (ADPC) in the emirates of Abu Dhabi. All these pollutants are released due to the different fuel oils and gases used in the maritime transportation industry. A wide variety of fuels are used within the maritime transportation industry. The International Standards Organization (ISO) has set the defining limits and grades for the fuels to be used in the industry. These standards are stringently maintained to meet the commercial pressures on the fuel oil production systems. The emissions produced by the maritime vessels are majorly dependant on the quantity of fuel required for the vessels. Therefore, the quantity of fuel oil used is taken as the basis for considering the emission factors which lead to airborne pollution. But, other factors like the types of engine and the quality of the fuel, especially in terms of viscosity are also important factors for understanding the emission perspective of the fuel oils used in the marine transportation industry. Sulphur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions are common which are caused due to the use of sulphur and nitrogen compounds within the fuel oils. Also, a higher level of sulphur accelerates the particulate formation processes, thereby establishing a clear connection between the sulphur content in the fuel oil and the emission of particulate matters in the environment. The sulphur content of the fuels used in maritime transportation is majorly dependant on the quality of the crude oil available locally and therefore it varies in the different geographical locations. In areas like Abu Dhabi, the levels of the sulphur content in fuel oil is more than 4% whereas in other areas like the European Union the sulphur content varies between 3-3.5 %. The levels of airborne emissions are also dependant on the types of engines used by the fleets. The slow speed diesel engines and the medium speed diesel engines have different characteristics related to airborne emission due to the different natures of the combustion processes. The slow speed engines develop high pressures in the cylinder which leads to the formation of compounds with nitrogen. Therefore, the emissions in the slow speed engines are caused mainly due to nitrogen. But in the steam boilers the emissions are much lesser due to the steady combustion processes. The most extensive study related to the diesel engine emissions in the maritime logistics has been done by the Lloyds Register Engineering Services. The emission factors contributing to particulate emissions mainly include the gas fuel oils in the maritime transportation industry. The sulphur contents in the fuel oil contribute to the major part of the airborne emissions from the running of the vessels in the marine industry. The emission factors for the vessels in maritime transportation company are represented in the following table. Results & discussion The emissions from the maritime transportation industry in the emirates of Abu Dhabi have been increasing at an alarming rate. The port is now looking for cutting down on the emissions from the operations. The company has signed agreements with Masdar related to the reduction of green-house gas emissions and the carbon footprints in the Khalifa Port and industrial Zone. The emissions from the maritime transportation have been contributing to more than 7% of the total health costs in the area. The emissions have increased the number of diseases among the local people cause by the airborne emissions from the industry. The trade practices are growing at an accelerating rate in the Abu Dhabi ports. As such the threats of emissions affecting the quality of the air and other natural balances are increasing as well. The air pollution and other environmental impacts caused by the fleets have become a topic of significant interest for the population of the emirates of Abu Dhabi as well as for the international regulatory authorities like the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and World Health Organization (WHO) etc. The airborne emissions in the region are much more pronounced as compared to other ports in the world which makes the ports of Abu Dhabi the largest source of air pollution apart from the energy production sectors and other industrial sectors. The air pollutant emissions are represented graphically with an estimation of the increase in the different pollutants by the year 2020. (World Health Organization 4) The emissions from the international maritime transportation result in a number of external costs due to the negative impact on human health. The health costs in countries like Europe driven by the airborne emission effects of the maritime industry has increased to 60 billion Euros which is around 8% of the total health costs in the country. Similarly, the costs of health have increased to 35 billion Euros which is more than 10% of the total health costs in the region. The figures in both the countries are expected to increase by 4% by the year 2020. Therefore, effective strategies are taken by the port authorities as well as the international organizations to decrease the release of pollutants by the emissions caused by the maritime transportation in the different ports of the world. The agreements signed by the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) with Masdar for reducing greenhouse gas emission problems and carbon footprints in the Khalifa Port and Industrial Zone (KPIZ) is a major indicator of the effective strategies embarked upon by the port authorities and companies in the emirates of Abu Dhabi to decrease the airborne emissions and other pollutants that increase air pollution as well as other major environmental hazards like acid rain and global warming. The airborne emissions from the fleets in the maritime transportation are majorly caused by the combustion processes involved in the engines of the vessels and the fuels used to propel the vessels (Ballini 57). The major airborne emissions in the Abu Dhabi ports are caused by the emission of pollutants like particulate matters and sulphur oxides which create depletion in the ozone layers as well as cause health hazards for the population due to the harmful effects of the pollutants. The decrease of emissions in the maritime industry in the Abu Dhabi ports is considered as a matter of urgent concern to protect the global environments as well as human health in the region. The increase in the emissions has resulted in strict environmental rules and regulations that are being implemented for the design of ships and the use of fuels in the maritime transportation industry. The Abu Dhabi Port Company (ADPC) has taken much care in designing new vessels and partnering with companies like Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Neptune Orient lines (NOL) to implement new designs of ships in the marine transport industry in the emirates of Abu Dhabi. These vessels are designed as the most fuel efficient ships in the Asia –European route of trade. The engines are manufactured with latest technology to minimize the emission of pollutants from the combustion processes of the fuel. All these strategies are implemented to improve the environmental performance of the ports by significantly reducing the emissions from the maritime transports. Conclusion & Recommendation Airborne emissions from the international maritime transportation industry represent an increasing concern due to the enormous social and economic impacts of the emissions which are causing the formulation of international regulatory policies related to the maritime transportation industry. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a wing of the United Nations (UN). The organization works with an aim of promotion of safety and prevention of hazards due to the emissions from the maritime transport industry. The different annexes of the company have been formulated to reduce the emission of air pollutants from the fuels and engines of the fleets in the international water bodies. The international Convention for the Prevention of pollution from Ships is the main internationally recognized convention to ensure minimum emission and pollution in the marine environment. The annex aims at reducing the main pollutants in the emissions from the ships including nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, carbon dioxide and particles which cause the emission of the substances which cause depletion in the ozone layers in the atmosphere. The Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) is an organization which has quickly identified the urgent need for implementing strategies to reduce the airborne emissions from the maritime industry in the regional ports. The signing of the agreement with Masdar which is a major energy production company shows that the ADPC is focused on implementing effective strategies to ensure that the emissions from the industry are reduced. The different campaigns like the cleaning campaigns of the ports in the area and the establishment of partnerships with companies like Masdar Corporate which produces renewable sources of energy indicate that the port organization is moving towards a green approach in their maritime transportation processes. The organization should also focus on increasing their level of partnerships with different companies to use alternative energy resources for the propulsion of the vessels. Also ADPC should focus on launching vessels with improved designs which implements a better and efficient technology in the engine designs so that minimum emission of pollutants is caused by the combustion processes of these engines. Executive summary The report studies the different aspects of airborne emissions caused by the maritime transportation industry, especially in the emirates of Abu Dhabi. The sources of the emissions and the impacts of the emissions from the social, economic and environmental perspective have been considered and discussed. An overview of the report along with the scope of the study is has been documented at the beginning of the report. A suitable introduction about the maritime transportation industry and an overview of the port in Abu Dhabi has been provided to understand the background of the report. The different types of vessels operating in the industry, the types of fuels used and the impacts and roles of these factors on the airborne emission levels have been explicitly described. The negative impact of the airborne emissions on the health of the population have been considered and suitably explained. The increasing concern of the local as well as the international authorities which have driven the creation of new rules and regulations in the maritime transport sector has been stressed upon in the report. The strategies taken by the local port authorities and the different international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have also been discussed in the report. The report has been concluded with suitable suggestions and possible recommendations related to the increased concern of the airborne emissions from the maritime transport industry have been provided. References ADPC. Vision, Mission and Values. 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. . Ballini, Fabeo. Air emissions from ships - Abatement technologies state of the art and external costs estimation. 2010. Web. 27 January. Winnes, Hulda. Air Pollution from Ships. 2010. Web. 27 January. < http://www.lighthouse.nu/CommonResources/Files/www.lighthouse.nu/Other/Hulda%20Winnes%20-%20Air%20Pollution%20From%20Ships.pdf.> World Health Organization. Global update 2005: Summary of risk assessment. 2006. Web. 27 January. < http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2006/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf>. 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