The selective silence of EU's Danish climate commissioner

The warmist New Europe Online has published an article ("Kallas speaks, Hedegaard hears no evil, EU Budget loses") about the failure of the European Union to include the shipping industry in the community's CO2 emission trading system:

Directive 2009/29 amending Directive 2003/87 so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading scheme of the Community, stipulates that if the International Maritime Organization (IMO), an organization controlled by ship-owners, does not adopt internationally binding rules on CO2 emissions reduction for the shipping industry by 31 December 2011, the European Commission should submit a legislative proposal to the European Parliament and the Council so that the new act will enter into force by 2013.

However, no such "legislative proposal" has emerged:

On the contrary, during the course of 2012 the Commission not only did not submit any proposal as ought to do but last October, the Commissioner responsible for Transport (who is not charged with the climate change portfolio but is associated indirectly as the Members of the Commission responsible for Environment, Maritime Affairs, Entreprises etc) announced to the press in London that the Commission has abandoned its plans to make a proposal for the inclusion of the shipping industry in the community CO2 emissions reduction system. Thus substantially depriving the EU budget of a significant revenue of several billions of Euros every year.

Danish climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard and her Climate Action would have been the people primarily responsible for making the proposal for inclusion of the shipping industry. The New Europe Online thinks that "the Commission services in matters of maritime policy are particularly compassionate to ship-owners".

New Europe Online bemoans Hedegaard's and her colleagues' lack of action. On the contrary, the failure to act should be praised. The less ETS, the better. However, it is interesting to note that the article is illustrated with a picture of one of Danish Maersk line's huge containers ships. Mrs. Hedegaard's silence is no mere coincidence. 

Another benefit of the shale gas revolution: A bright and clean future for shipping

The  M/S Viking Grace - to be delivered in January 2013 from the STX  Finland Turky shipyard - will be the largest passenger ferry to operate on liquefied natural gas (LNG), making it the most environmentally sound and energy efficient large passenger vessel in the industry to date. 

Two years ago, the world´s largest ship engine builder Wärtsilä´s Jaakko Eskola predicted a bright future for gas powered ships: 

The number of ships powered by liquefied natural gas may jump 10-fold within five years as anti-pollution rules force owners to switch to the cleaner- burning fuel, the industry’s biggest engine maker said.

“LNG is the future for shipping,” Jaakko Eskola, head of ship power at Helsinki-based Waertsilae Oyj, said by phone on Nov. 12 from Shanghai. Between 800 and 1,000 vessels may use the fuel by 2015, up from about 100 today, he said.

The recent upsurge in the number of LNG ship projects proves that Eskola was right:

“Increasing focus on LNG as a clean and cost effective ship fuel has brought forward initiatives throughout the shipping industry, preparing the ground for a more rapid introduction of LNG as fuel for ships in all segments,” said Mr. Remi Eriksen, COO of DNV Asia Pacific & Middle East. “We believe 500 LNG fuelled ships will be on order by 2015, several thousands by 2020,” he said.

“From a slow start, the interest in LNG as fuel is now very much on the increase. We see studies and projects initiated among national governments, major ship yards and ship owners. Key players throughout the shipping industry are assessing the benefits and risks of going for LNG fuelled vessels, either as conversions or new buildings. This greater interest is creating a momentum that in itself increases the speed in which LNG will be introduced to all segments of shipping.”

The fast growth of the LNG power sector has surprised analysts: 

Accelerating growth is what you would expect under these circumstances. What surprised us is the rate,” Tom Campbell, LNG-fuel analyst at Zeus,said. “High oil prices, impending emissions regulations and technical advancements are propelling the market faster than we expected.”

A key factor is International Maritime Organization Tier III emissions standards, which are slated to take effect in 2015-2016. The regulations require operators to reduce sulfur and nitrogen oxide emissions. For existing ships, after-exhaust treatment is proving more popular, but for newbuilds, operators are taking advantage of LNG’s unique properties.

“As LNG is better understood, architects are able to design ships specifically for LNG storage and propulsion,” Campbell said. “Firms such as Wärtsilä now offer integrated onboard fuel delivery systems and power units for shipbuilders.“

Zeus’ survey finds that LNG usage is growing beyond coastal ferries in Europe and offshore service vessels for the oil and gas industry, to large cruise ferries and container vessels while expanding geographically from Europe to North America and Asia. Currently projects underway in Belgium, Sweden, Finland, South Korea, Singapore, Japan and elsewhere have made efforts to offer LNG bunkering and incentives to support LNG-fueled marine technology.

LNG powered ships should be of particular interest for countries like the US and Canada, with their huge resources of shale gas: 

Taking North America as an example, the US and Canada are replete with very competitively priced gas as a result of its recent discoveries of shale and other unconventional gas. Powering North American fleets of OSVs, regional ferries, fishing boats, Great Lakers and inland waterway vessels with gas makes eminent good sense from a commercial point of view. 

The fast growth of clean gas power in ships is another testimony to the benefits of the shale gas revolution, which is paving the way for great energy solutions for all kinds of future transportation problems. And all this is taking place without any senseless and costly government or EU regulations! 

(image by STX Finland)

Finland and Eastern Europe in a deep freeze - Russia sends nuclear icebreaker to secure shipping

The world´s largest nuclear icebreaker "50 Years of Victory" is on its way to the Gulf of Finland

A high pressure area over Northwestern Russia keeps Finland and Eastern Europe in a deep freeze:  

The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) predicts severe cold to continue until at least next weekend. Early Monday, a new cold record for this winter was set in Kuhmo, where the mercury plunged to -35.4 degrees Celsius.

Eastern Finland is experiencing the bitterest cold. In the provinces of North Karelia, Koillismaa and Kainuu, temperatures hover around -30 to -35 degrees Celsius.

After a mild start to the winter, frigid air is now pouring into Finland from the east. This Russian blast will keep the country in the deep freeze all week, says FMI meteorologist Antti Jylhä-Ollilla.

Read the entire article here

 

So far the there is only moderate icing in the Gulf of Finland, but the situation will change if the cold weather continues. In an effort to avoid a repeat of the situation last year, when tens of ships were stuck in the ice, Russian shipping officials ordered the world´s largest nuclear powered icebreaker to assist in the Gulf of Finland. The Russian nuclear giant "50 Years of Victory" left its home port Murmansk last Wednesday, and now on its way to the Baltic Sea.

 

As we reported in a post last July, the Finnish and Russian goverments have decided to modernise their icebreaker fleets, not trusting the global warming predictions of the AGW alarmists.

 

(image by wikipedia)

Finland and Russia to modernise their icebreaker fleets - not trusting global warming predictions

Flashback: The Baltic Sea last winter:

"More than 60 vessels stuck in ice in Gulf of Finland"

"The Baltic Sea currently has the most extensive ice cover that it has seen in 24 years. On Thursday, 310,000 square kilometres of the sea were covered in ice, and the area is growing.
After the severe winter of 1987, the ice cover in the Baltic was nearly 400,000 square kilometres wide, which in practical terms means that the entire surface of the Baltic was effectively covered in ice. The entire sea has been completely frozen over just 20 times since 1720."

The global warming alarmists do not seem to have convinced the Finnish and Russian governments about ever warming winters:

Finland´s new government has decided to modernise its icebreaker fleet:

The programme of the new government contains a pledge to undertake replacement of outdated icebreakers. One matter under consideration is who will own the vessels. The present fleet is owned by Arctia Shipping, a state-owned company.

Finland has five traditional-type icebreakers and three multi-purpose icebreakers. The oldest is the Voima that has been in service since 1954. The most powerful icebreakers, the Urho and Sisu have been in service for 35 years and the most recent traditional icebreaker has seen 25 years of service.
The three multi-purpose icebreakers were constructed in the 1990s.
According to Ilmari Aro, an expert on winter shipping at the Transport Ministry, the Voima is to be replaced during the term of the present government. Arctia Shipping's CEO Vauraste says that the rest of the fleet is to be replaced by around 2020. The lifetime of the vessels can be extended with investment in repairs and maintenance.
A new traditional icebreaker carries a price tag of around 100 million euros. Multi-purpose icebreakers are a bit more expensive.
Icebreakers and their services are important because of Finland's heavy reliance on maritime shipping for exports and imports. Estonia and Finland are the only countries in the world where all of the nation's ports freeze over in the winter

Read the entire article here

Neither is the Russian government trusting the warmists´ predictions:

“A very important decision was made in connection with the situation in the Gulf of Finland this winter, to build icebreakers. Currently all the fleet used to escort ships in the ice, except for two icebreakers, is obsolete. The new icebreakers to be ordered should be built to optimized projects”, stated A.Davydenko.

Read the entire article here

PS

Both governments are, of course, basing their decisions to modernise the ice breaker fleets on the realities of the northern winter - not the climate scientists´ computers models. One must hope that the Finnish and Russian - as well as other - governments perform the same reality checks with regard to other areas involved in the global warming scam, too.

Why is the EU not tough on CO2 emissions from ships?

Denmark is the home of Mærsk, the world´s largest container shipping company

The European Union has taken (too) tough measures against CO2 emissions from cars, trucks and airplanes. But why has the EU been so passive with regard to emissions from ships (with estimated 5% of global greenhouse gases, and double the carbon pollution from aviation.)?

The key person for keeping shipping out of the CO2 emissions controls is the Climate Action Commissioner from Denmark, Connie Hedegaard. That is why the New Europe Magazine
recently sent an open letter to the commissioner:

There is something rotten in the Kingdom of “Denmark,” indeed, dear Commissioner, and in this case Denmark stands for certain Commission services responsible for CLIMA and MOVE. Otherwise, how can one explain that in legislating for the CO2 emissions tax on maritime transport, the Commission assigned the issue to the International Maritime Organization, IMO, while refusing to assign the same issue in aviation to the corresponding International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)?

As a consequence, aviation (which counts for 1.6% of global emissions) will be taxed as of 1 January 2012 while shipping (responsible for 2.7% of total emissions), God knows when will be taxed, if ever, certainly not before 2050 (according to your Communication COM (2011) 112).

The result of this situation, dear Commissioner, is that the EU budget is losing millions every day, which it will never recover, while you fail to exert any kind of control over an industry, which systematically and heavily pollutes the EU and the world. “Intellectually speaking” dear Commissioner, someone under your nose, has granted preferential treatment to the shipping industry with several billion Euros lost to the Community and Member States budgets every year.

Hedegaard has lately been speaking about a "possible" EU level proposal in case the IMO does not come up with a solution:

In a statement on 28 June, Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said it was "high time" for an agreement with the IMO.
"Much as we prefer a global solution, the member states and the European Parliament have asked the Commission to present a possible proposal to reduce shipping emissions for 2012 in the case the IMO fails to find a solution," she said.

Not very strong words, from this lady, who always has been demanding strong action against all kind of "polluters".

Could it be that there really is something rotten in the Kingdom of Denmark, as New Europe thinks?

Before trying to answer the question, it may be useful to know that Mrs. Hedegaard´s native country is the home of  Mærsk, the world’s largest container shipping company.