PGGM Project
As part of its goal to retain a leadership role in ensuring a sustainable maritime industry, Evergreen Marine Corp. is part of an ambitious project to measure and monitor the distribution of greenhouse gases in the Pacific Ocean. Nine container ships from Evergreen Line were the first commercial ocean carriers that were equipped to measure marine hydrocarbon and halocarbon emissions as part of an international Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement (PGGM) project, which commenced in 2009.
Taiwanese scientists at National Central University with the cooperation of Evergreen Marine Corp., the National Science Council (NSC), the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) and the University of Cambridge initiated the PGGM project in 2008. The project combines data from Taiwan's FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC satellites. The FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC program is an international collaboration between Taiwan and the United States that uses a constellation of six remote sensing micro-satellites to collect atmospheric data for weather prediction and for ionosphere, climate and gravity research.
Global climate change represents arguably the most serious environmental issue facing mankind today. It has implications for global political stability and the global economy. Reliable predictions of the future climate using climate models are a central and fundamental requirement for determining future mitigation strategies.
Likewise, air quality has become a global problem. Emissions are transported over national and continental boundaries and influence air quality elsewhere. The scientific need for representative in-situ observations has been expressed in clear terms in assessments by the IPCC and international science panels. High-quality routine observations from in-service aircraft have proven invaluable as they provide detailed vertical information of tropospheric ozone composition in the tropopause or lower atmospheric region. Tropospheric ozone is a greenhouse gas and initiates the chemical removal of methane and other hydrocarbons from the atmosphere.
Thus, its concentration affects how long these compounds remain in the air which is of large importance for climate change, the hemispheric distribution of air pollution and the impact of aviation.
Aims of PGGM
The PGGM (Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement) project aims at establishing the following:
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Installing CO2 Monitoring Equipment on M.V. Ever Ultra
Taiwan infrastructure under the lead of National Central University with two commercial partners is based on the experience gained in the past two decades within the European research projects MOZAIC, under the lead of the French CNRS and IAGOS and German FJZ. The PGGM project also based on the experience gained from the Japanese CONTRAIL project, under the lead of the Japanese NIES. PGGM has the goal to equip 10-20 longhaul Boeing and Airbus in-service aircraft with autonomous instrumentation for measurements of atmospheric greenhouse gases. An important aspect is to reach global coverage.
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Combining data
PGGM combines data from FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC satellites, commercial aircrafts and commercial containerships operated by Evergreen Marine Group to build a three-dimensional distribution of greenhouse gases over the Pacific.
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PGGM Project Timeframe
For the Boeing aircraft, the Boeing 747-400s are equipped with instruments for monitoring the carbon dioxide concentration. PGGM is collaborating with the European IAGOS project for the IAGOS instruments to be installed on A340-300. For the Boeing aircrafts, PGGM will use the Japanese CME instrument, which has been certified to fly on B747-400s and B777-200s, respectively.
Phase 1 of this project runs from 2008 to 2010. The first IAGOS Pacific fly was launched in 2009 using the A340-300. The first IAGOS instrument to fly on-board A330 is scheduled to launch in summer 2010. The first CME instrument on-board a Boeing aircraft is scheduled to launch into action in late 2008 or early 2009. The container ship measurement is scheduled to launch into action in late 2008 or early 2009.
The instruments on aircraft and containerships are expected to operate for more than 10 years. In doing so, PGGM will be able to produce a three-dimensional greenhouse measurements over the Pacific region. These data will be very important for estimating the total emissions of greenhouse emissions in the Pacific regions. These data will also represent one of the key contributions from Taiwan to the international community in the context of global warming and climate change.
Wang Kuo-ying, director of NCU's Center for Environmental Studies, said prior to the Ever Ultra's launch that the project would for the first time for generating invaluable data from in-service containerships and aircraft, as opposed to fixed measurement stations. This is an unprecedented effort that will over the next 20 years observe the global distribution of greenhouse gases, which will put Taiwan's greenhouse gas observation on the same track as international studies.
The Evergreen Group is committed to playing its part in the battle to restrict global warming. Striking a balance between providing transport services and being environmentally sensitive is not easy but Evergreen's strong sense of social responsibility will ensure that the company will seriously consider every possible way of minimizing the industry's and its own global footprint. This will also enable its customers to develop greener supply chain systems.
Evergreen's S-type "Greenships" were the first to incorporate many new environmental features well beyond current international environmental requirements. These include a double-skinned hull with all fuel tanks situated within the transverse bulkhead spaces, thus minimizing the risk of oil pollution or fire as a result of grounding or collision. A high-capacity oily water separator enables the oil content of wastewater to be reduced to just 15ppm. Larger separator bilge oil and bilge oil holding tanks provide more storage capacity, enabling Greenships to maximize the amount of waste that can be held for ultimate disposal in specialized shore facilities.
The project is touted as a sign of Taiwan's determination to join international forces in battling global warming and Evergreen's commitment to taking a leadership role in this matter.
Reference
Evergreen Seafarer Training Center
Evergreen's dedication comes from the top and filters through every level of our organization. People are our industry's most valuable resource. So, Evergreen established the 2,850 square meter (30,677 sq. ft) Evergreen Seafarer Training Center under the guidance of Group Chairman Dr. Chang Yung-fa. The goal is to polish the professional skills of group crewmembers and avert the occurrence of accidents or environmental pollution at sea and to conform with the international regulations as the 1995 amendments to the STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) Code, and standards governing port safety inspections.
Superior Training
Since seafarers' training is the mainstay of all Evergreen operations, training takes place regularly aboard every ship for officers and crew for a range of subjects: emergencies, fire and safety drills, and meetings to review the latest regulations and environmental practices.
The anchoring ground, however, for worldwide Evergreen training is the Seafarer Training Center in Taiwan led by a full-time staff of more than 20 highly experienced professionals, including a director, a captain, chief engineer, various systems engineers and instructors. ESTC was awarded ISO-9001: 2000 certificate by Det Norske Veritas (DNV), which recognized the Center's compliance with standards governing "Rules for a Maritime Training Center" as well as certificates for "Rules for a Maritime Simulator Center" and "Rules for Maritime Simulator Equipment".
The center houses some of the most sophisticated training aids in the industry, including fully-functional ship training simulators, including a bridge simulator, a propulsion plant simulator, a main engine control system simulator, multi-media debriefing rooms, a library, a medical care training room and classrooms, along with simulation training equipment, for example:
- A Ships Bridge Simulator, as real as it is on ship, provides computer-based, 360-degree full-function instruction.
- An Ownership Cubicle comprised of three bridges, each with image projection and navigation controls.
- A Projection Theater Main Bridge Simulator with surround image-projection, sound effects and simulated navigation controls.
- Engine Systems Simulators to train our seamen to operate ships safely, efficiently and cleanly.
- And a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System Simulator with eight stations to help familiarize trainees with standard operating procedures.
In addition to Evergreen's own strict operating standards for safety and anti-pollution, the center meets the stipulations of the STCW, the International Convention on Standards Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and ISM, the International Safety Management Code.
Instruction is not limited to the center. Classes are brought to our ships and ports and instructional materials are designed at the center and distributed to our other training facilities and sent to ships for on-board instruction.
Green Concerns Require Energy
Our managers and staff have plans for the future and devote energy to environmental concerns. Globally, Evergreen is exceeding port safety and anti-pollution requirements in every category, whether mandatory or voluntary. In the future, as other ports and nations increase their standards for air and water quality, other carriers will be following in our wake.
Since established in 1999, Evergreen Seafarer Training Center has been endeavoring to fulfill our training policy, which includes upgrading professional capability and working attitude that encompasses ensuring as well the safety of the crew, the ship and our customers' cargo.
Preventing marine pollution and marine accidents through organized training courses and practical exercises reinforces the professional knowledge of our crew.
Also, ESTC provides Computer Based Training programs and materials, like "SOPEP", "OPA 90", "Fuel Oil Handing & Pre-treatment", "Waste & Garbage Management", "Shipboard Sewage Treatment Plants", offer the crew and staff to do the self-training.
The Evergreen Seafarer Training Center has set up two real equipment of BWS (Bilge Water Separator) in Dec. 2005, both was conform with IMO MEPC (International Maritime Organization Marine Environment Protection Committee), our crews can familiarize these equipment and actually practice the operating procedure before they go on board.
