EPCA ’08: Innovations needed to boost shipping

30 September 2008 13:12  [Source: ICIS news]

MONTE CARLO (ICIS news)--Better fuel, port and terminal efficiency is essential to ensure a more profitable and environmentally friendly chemical shipping industry, leading figures agreed on Tuesday.

 

“Innovation is the answer to the fuel crisis”, said Hans Feringa, the president of Stolt Tankers, on the sidelines of the European Petrochemical Association conference.

 

“Shipping is the lifeblood of globalisation and if these changes are not made it will have a direct impact on globalisation”, Feringa said.

 

“Weather routing, autopilot, new propeller coatings and better aqua-dynamics are just four examples of ways to conserve fuel and run chemical tankers more efficiently,” he said.

 

And with spiralling costs for new buildings, port employment and bunker fuels, owners in the shipping industry were thinking of alternatives to keep costs down, he added.

 

“Bunker prices are now 40% of total revenue and are ship operators’ largest cost. Combating these prices are at the top of our agenda,” Feringa said.

 

Other forms of energy would play an important part in the future of the chemical shipping industry, said Ken Bloch Soerensen, president and CEO of United Arab Shipping.

 

 “The use of nuclear energy, solar power, kites and eventually offshore terminals are some of the possibilities that we are exploring,” he said.   

 

Alternative and green energy sources, using larger vessels of 45,000 dead weight tonnes (dwt) and reducing waiting times were three methods that could be employed now and have an immediate impact, sources said.

 

The four-day EPCA conference ends on Tuesday.

By: Dan Horlock
44 20 8652 3214

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