Some of the Best Practices are to be adopted by the vessel where possible :
1. Vessels should carry the most economical amount of bunker in inventory.
2. All fuels are purchased on an internationally recognized standard known as ISO 8217.
3. Every precaution should be made to try to avoid comingling of parcels of fuel. Incompatible fuel is the most common problem with the incompatible fuel leading to clogged filters and in the worst case scenario, engine shut down.
4. Fuel should be consumed in a first in, first out fashion. Avoid carrying fuel that is over a few months old. The longer fuel is kept onboard, the longer the solids in the fuel are likely to drop out, and the more potential for reliability problems the ship is likely to face in terms of filter clogging and other problems. Fuel that cannot be used for any reason should be de-bunkered off the ship as soon as possible.
4.9 OTHER MEASURES
Ongoing effort are Development of computer software for the calculation of fuel consumption, for the establishment of an emissions “footprint”, to optimize operations, and the establishment of goals for improvement and tracking of progress may be considered.
Renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar (or Photovoltaic) cell technology, have improved enormously in the recent years and should be considered for onboard application.
In some ports such as California shore power (termed as “COLD IRONING”) may be available for some ships but this is generally aimed at improving air quality in the port area. If the shore-based power source is carbon efficient, there may be a net efficiency benefit. Ships may consider using onshore power if available.
Even wind assisted propulsion may be worthy of consideration.
Efforts could be made to source fuel of improved quality in order to minimize the amount of fuel required to provide a given power output.
The feasibility of many of the measures described in this guidance will be dependent on the trade and sailing area of the vessel. Sometimes ships will change their trade areas as a result of a change in chartering requirements but this cannot be taken as a general assumption.
For example, wind-enhanced power sources might not be feasible for short sea shipping as these ships generally sail in areas with high traffic densities or in restricted waterways. Another aspect is that the world’s oceans and seas each have characteristic conditions and so ships designed for specific routes and trades may not obtain the same benefit by adopting the same measures or combination of measures as other ships. It is also likely that some measures will have a greater or lesser effect in different sailing areas.
The trade a ship is engaged in will also determine the feasibility of some of the measures. Ships that perform services at sea (pipe laying, seismic survey, OSVs, dredgers, etc.) are likely to choose different methods of carbon reductions when compared to conventional cargo carriers. The length of voyage will also be an important parameter as will safety considerations imposed upon some vessels. As a result, it is likely that the pathway to the most efficient combination of measures will be unique to each vessel within each shipping company.
The company, in collaboration with various ship owners, will seek to actively explore new energy efficient technologies for the vessel.