The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has released the final report of the Fourth IMO Greenhouse Gas Study. Prepared by a global consortium, including researchers from The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from maritime shipping were found to have risen ~10% from 2012 to 2018. Short-lived climate pollutants, also known as climate super pollutants,  increased most markedly, including a 12% increase in black carbon emissions and a 150% increase in methane emissions, which has been attributed to a surge in the number of ships fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Unburned methane escapes into the atmosphere, and the need to include methane in future phases of the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) regulations is clear.

Currently, only CO₂ emissions are limited under the EEDI.

Posted on - 2020-08-04

Fiji Ships and Heavy Industries is only working on re-fitting local vessels and diversifying in an effort to keep its workers occupied and employed, and has been discussing with the various diplomatic missions representing nations of the region on how their vessels can come in for refitting and repairs.

https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/fiji-ships-and-heavy-industries-ltd-suffer-significant-losses/

Posted on - 2020-08-04

With the majority of the Pacific covered in water, China’s new AG600 Kunlong may be of particular interest, as it now qualifies as the largest seaplane in the work.

With development underway since 2009, by July of 2016 it was finished, and first lifted off from Zhuhai airport in December of 2017. It has now successfully taken off and landed on water, trialing in the Yellow Sea near Qingdao in a half-hour test flight. AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) is hoping to have the plane certified next year with first deliveries beginning in 2022.

At 39' tall, 121' long, with a wingspan of 128', the A600 Kunlong may carry 50 passengers up to 2700 miles with a payload of 53.5 tons. China seeks to provide both cargo and emergency services with the design. The potential military applications are undeniable, with a number of man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea territory, including Mischief Reef and Fiery Cross Reef now able to be serviced with resupply deliveries absent of functional landing strips.

https://jalopnik.com/china-has-built-the-largest-sea-plane-since-the-spruce-1844522834

Posted on - 2020-08-04