The Maritime Institute @ Nanyang Technological University (MI@NTU) is organising a Public Seminar entitled “Energy Efficiency of Ships: Impact on Environment and Ship Safety”.

It is today well established that human activities have a significant impact upon the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere i.e. those gases that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released in 2007 a report stating that “most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations”. One of the main contributors of emissions of greenhouse gases due to human activity is the burning of fossil fuels. The total CO2 emissions from shipping (domestic and international) amounted about 3.3% of the global emissions from fuel consumption during 2007. The central estimates in this “Second IMO GHG Study 2009”, is that if no policy for the reduction of GHG emissions is implemented, the growth of shipping will result to an increase by 150% to 250% of the ship emissions relevant to their 2007 levels. Climate stabilization by 2100 at no more than 2°C warming over the pre-industrial levels will require significant reductions of CO2 emissions by 2050 and the international shipping industry needs to participate in this process.

Responding to this, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) released in 2012 guidelines on the method of calculation of the attained Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships, IMO-MEPC.212(63). This is a major step forward in implementing energy efficiency regulations for ships, limiting both fuel oil consumption and toxic gas emissions, through the introduction of the EEDI limits for various types of ships. There are, however, serious concerns regarding the sufficiency of propulsion power and steering devices to maintain maneuverability of ships in adverse conditions, hence regarding the safety of ships, if the EEDI requirements are achieved by simply reducing the installed engine power.

The talk addresses this complex problem in the light of most recent relevant research and latest deliberations of IMO.

The seminar will be conducted by Professor Apostolos D. Papanikolaou, Director of Ship Design Laboratory of the School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering,National Technical University of Athens. He is also a Visiting Professor at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NTU.

For registration, please click HERE.