Posted on 23rd December 2014
Energy efficiency has become an important consideration for all companies working on the seas, with many organisations now realising the advantages that come with a more sustainable approach to transport.
With this in mind, a new project has been rolled out that is co-financed through the Ten-T Programme by the European Union (EU), which aims to move the industry towards more efficient operational models.
The project works by using the feedback from the GREENCRANES project, which demonstrated that efficient management of energy use, along with the use of alternative fuels, is plausible and can lead to substantial benefits.
SEA TERMINALS was launched after a kick-off meeting by Jose Andres Gimenez, who is the research and development project manager of the Valenciaport Foundation. At this event, there were several presentations from the project partners of SEA TERMINALS, including the Port Authority of Livorno, Global Service, Percro, Noatum and Amplia Soluciones.
What are the aims of SEA TERMINALS?
The project aims to develop a number of eco-efficient alternatives that are plausible from a technical, environmental and financial perspective.
SEA TERMINALS is planning to introduce purely electrical and hybrid equipment, while there are also plans to develop prototypes based on the use of liquefied natural gas as an energy source.
Baltic Ports Organisation, which is a partner of the project, released some description of the plans on its website.
“The development of a real-time operational management model that minimises existing bottlenecks in the operations of terminals by assigning different operational modes (eco, turbo, standby, etc…) to the equipment involved – this platform, termed the SEAMS Platform, will be capable of receiving live information from equipment and from the terminal operating system (TOS), calculating thereby the best mode of operation for each type of equipment at any given moment,” the site read.
Overall, SEA TERMINALS aims to allow the evolution of European ports towards a low-carbon operative model, showing the feasibility of eco-efficient alternatives via pilot projects that are carried out in real life operations.
Seminars and workshops are set to take part in a local port terminal to showcase how a LNG-fuelled vehicle can be used.
These would also showcase the energy efficiency of the prototypes and show how LNG can be used as a fuel for port-related vehicles.
The second of these will be organised by the Baltic Ports Organisation and involve the project partners’ representatives, along with relevant regional LNG stakeholders. It will focus on the technical aspects and conclusions of the project.
Reduce your emissions with Martek
While the SEA TERMINALS project highlights the importance of energy efficiency on the seas, there are many other ways shipping businesses can reduce their impact on the environment.
One device that could be particularly useful is Evolution EMS, which helps to ensure organisations work in line with best practices, reduce their costs and keep their shipping data secure.
As well as recording information, the device can identify trends and allow companies to identify the efficiency of their ship and make changes wherever they are needed.
Because laws change depending on region, the device includes information on shipping laws across the globe, ensuring that companies are always keeping within the law.
