Progress made on setting more ambitious greenhouse gases reduction targets at the IMO’s latest Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (MEPC 79) can only be described as modest. However, as MEPC regulates more than just CO2 emissions, there is plenty to consider as we head towards MEPC 80 this summer.
Data show it's not really worth avoiding ECAs to save fuel costs
The battle against maritime pollution is fought on many fronts, and one of the most significant outcomes from last year’s MEPC 79 meeting was the new Emission Control Area (ECA) restricting SOx emissions in the Mediterranean. The expansion of ECAs is a topic that’s high on our users’ agenda when it comes to voyage planning, with traditional wisdom suggesting that they should be avoided wherever possible, so as to keep using cheaper fuel.
Will the trend of ECA expansion keep this trend going? Not necessarily, if you have the right data to hand. NAPA has crunched the numbers on whether avoiding ECAs really reduces fuel costs. Our analysis of 47 voyages showed that weather-based routes which don’t involve avoiding ECAs would have saved an average of 15.9% in fuel cost compared to the avoiding routes that were taken. Clearly, the price difference between fuel types is generally not enough to necessitate minimizing the distance sailed inside ECAs above other considerations.
More reporting of garbage and ballast water management
The impact of maritime plastic pollution continues to attract public scrutiny as well, especially among cruise-goers, and MEPC 79 adopted a resolution obliging more ships to log how they are managing their garbage. The Committee adopted Resolution MEPC.360(79) which lowers the threshold from 400 to 100 gross tons for vessels that need to comply with MARPOL Annex V’s garbage record book requirements. The aim is to expand tracking and reporting of accidental discharges of plastics into the sea.
More record-keeping was introduced on the invasive species front, as MEPC 79 updated Ballast Water Record Book requirements to ensure more detailed and standardized reporting of ballast water operations.
NAPA Logbook gathers valuable data
Crews already face a huge record-keeping burden, and as MEPC 79 demonstrated, the effort required is increasing. To support operators and crews, we ensure NAPA Logbook anticipates regulatory changes so crews can easily manage environmental record-keeping. As an electronic logbook, it enables companies to use the information they gather to gain new insights and measure progress on environmental goals, rather than just leaving this valuable data on paper.
Going forward, data from NAPA Logbook will provide the foundation for optimizing every aspect of fleet operations
Going forward, the idea is to evolve our electronic logbook into a universal data-capturing tool that goes beyond its traditional role of logging the information required for compliance. It will become a nodal point for all operational data, logged in an error-free and automated manner. The data from the electronic logbook will provide the foundation for optimizing every aspect of fleet operations, even shoreside, including supporting the transition to a more sustainable future by handling data for ESG and other environmental reporting.
Stability and logbook data in the Cloud
It’s now possible to bring stability and logbook data to the Cloud to create a shared body of knowledge between crews and shoreside teams. This makes it possible to plan and manage day-to-day operations better to reduce risks and enhance performance. It also means that teams can make decisions much faster in emergency situations, with shoreside and onboard crews working from the same source of real-time information.
Harnessing data to find new insights and efficiencies
We believe that the capacity to collect the right data, share it and use it smartly will be one of the trends that will define 2023. The need for data becomes more pressing as reporting requirements increase, but this is also an opportunity to turn obligation into opportunity. In the digital era, cruise shipping companies can fully use information that was previously lost on paper, or hidden in spreadsheets, and harness it to find new insights and efficiencies, create new collaborative models and simulate different scenarios for their low-carbon future.
Pressure is growing for the IMO to set more ambitious GHG targets for the industry. Whatever happens at MEPC 80 and beyond, we’re confident that cruise shipping has access to the necessary technology and expertise it needs to reduce its environmental footprint across a range of important fronts.
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