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20 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MAY 2014 MONITORING IS CONTROL I n January 2013, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) put into force new regulations intended to improve the energy effi ciency of ships over 400 gross tonnes (gt) on in- ternational voyages, including a require- ment to keep on board a ship-specifi c Ship Energy Effi ciency Management Plan (SEEMP). This initiative is intend- ed to reduce ship greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by encouraging ship operators to reduce energy consumption. Since that time, there has been much discussion within the shipping industry about the potential domestic enforce- ment of the SEEMP. Recently, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) expressed its intention to en- force the IMO SEEMP requirement for vessels over 400 gt on international voy- ages during vessel boarding by checking to see that the vessel has an up-to-date SEEMP. If the SEEMP does not exist or is outdated, the USCG intends to no- tify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Currently an SEEMP is not a domestic requirement for U.S. fl agged vessels en- gaged solely in U.S. trade. Although the SEEMP does not have any formal enforcement measures, it is in the best interests of ship owners and operators to develop and implement a plan by monitoring the vessel’s energy effi ciency, improving existing opera- tions and implementing new energy- effi ciency technologies as they become available and are appropriate to the ves- sel. In doing so, they will be able to reduce costs and improve operating margins while reducing the environmental im- pact of GHG emissions. Improving ship design and operation The new regulations were adopted in 2011 under the International Conven- tion for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL). These regulations have two components: • The Energy Effi ciency Design In- dex (EEDI) requirement specifi es GHG emissions limits to be met or exceeded for new ship construction. • The Ship Energy Effi ciency Man- agement Plan (SEEMP) requires ships to have an energy-effi ciency manage- ment plan aboard. For news and background on the de- velopment and promulgation of these regulations, visit http://www.imo.org/ MediaCentre/HotTopics/GHG/Pages/ default.aspx. The IMO considers CO2 to be a green- house gas and recognizes the fact that the amount of CO2 generated per kilo- watt of power produced depends on the effi ciency of the heat engine (diesel, gas turbine or steam turbine) and the hydro- gen-carbon ratio of the fuel (heavy fuel oil having a lower ratio than natural gas). Accordingly, the IMO’s Marine Envi- ronment Protection Committee (MEPC) has chosen fuel consumed per unit of ef- fective transport work as the measure of unit GHG emissions. The EEDI uses a comprehensive equa- tion to calculate a targeted consumption quotient [g/(unit-work)] as a standard for ship designers and owners to meet or better during the vessel’s design phase. In recognition of improving technolo- gies, the EEDI effi ciency target energy consumption (CO2 emissions) get more stringent with time. Implementing the required SEEMP is a four-step process as outlined in IMO’s “2012 Guidelines For The Development Of A Ship Energy Effi ciency Manage- ment Plan” (MEPC 63/23 Annex 9). The four steps for developing a ship-specifi c SEEMP are as follows: • Planning The planning process includes determin- ing the current status (baseline) of the ship’s energy usage and the expected energy effi ciency to be gained by imple- menting the plan. • Implementation Implementation of the energy improve- ment process described in the planning process includes defi ning the person(s) in charge of implementation and the in- corporation of a record-keeping system that will be benefi cial for self-evaluation. • Monitoring The ship’s energy effi ciency should be quantitatively monitored using an estab- lished method. The guidelines note that continuous and consistent data collection SEEMP Potential win-win for commercial vessels BY JOSE FEMENIA, P.E. SEEMP can make a fl eet more competitive in a diffi cult business environment while reducing its impact on the environment. 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