At the 70th MEPC meeting, the IMO passed a resolution limiting all marine fuels worldwide to a sulfur content of no more than 0.5% by 2020. There is no doubt that this decision represents a major challenge for the global shipping industry. SOx emissions by the Evergreen Fleet totaled 83,945 tons in 2019. Starting in 2020, the sulfur content of fuel oil should be less than 0.5% mm by weight; especially in special SOx emission control areas, the sulfur content of fuel oil should be reduced to 0.1% mm. Centering attention on sustainable development, Evergreen Marine undertakes to implement the environmental protection policy, so as to reduce the fuel sulfur content. In response to the 2020 global sulfur limit, Evergreen Marine has installed SOx scrubbers and purchased low-sulfur fuel to reduce SOx emissions.
SOx emissions in the past 3 years
| Emission intensity (g / TEU - KM) | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOx | 0.95 | 0.947 | 0.926 |
SOx Annual Emission
Installation of SOx scrubber
In response to the 2020 global sulfur limit released by the IMO, Evergreen Marine has designated the personnel to visit flue-gas desulfurization (SOx scrubber) equipment manufacturers since 2017. In 2018, the Company started to plan on refitting the existing ships that are suitable for the installation of SOx scrubber equipment; newly built ships have been installed with SOx scrubber equipment and denitrification equipment that meets the Tier III requirements during construction. The installation of SOx scrubber equipment and denitrification equipment is followed by the repair and maintenance of such equipment. Our ship crew members are trained by equipment manufacturers for the operation and repair and maintenance of SOx scrubber equipment and denitrification equipment.
During the installation of a SOx scrubber, the main cabin structure is segmented and elevated to place the huge SOx scrubber in the hull; an exhaust pipe is connected to guide exhaust from the main and auxiliary engines to the tower. The filler in the tower (ultra two-way stainless steel) is used to increase the contact area between the exhaust and seawater, further separating sulfide from flue gas and bringing it into the sea. The scale of installation is tremendous.
Early stage of installation
Mid stage of installation
Late stage of installation
Ships at sea
Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships (MARPOL) has NOx emission standards for marine diesel engines. The emission controls are divided into three phases: Tier I, Tier II, and Tier III.
NOx emission standards under Annex VI of MARPOL
| Tier | Effective period | NOx emission standards, g / kWh | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine speed < 130 revs | 130 revs ≤ Engine speed < 2000 revs | Engine speed ≥ 2000 revs | ||
| Tier 1 | January 1, 2000 ~ December 31, 2010 |
17 | 45．revs0.2 | 9.8 |
| Tier 2 | January 1, 2011 ~ December 31, 2015 |
14.4 | 44．revs0.23 | 7.7 |
| Tier 3 | After January 1, 2016 | 3.4 | 9．revs0.2 | 1.96 |
NOx emission standards (Unit: g / kWh)
Comprehensive NOx emission controls are implemented by the Evergreen fleet during ship construction, equipment upgrades, and voyages to ensure proper emission controls at all times. New ships are installed with main engines and generators that meet the low-NOx emission rate requirements for Tier I, Tier II or Tier III, as appropriate. All the calibration, replacement with spare parts, or refitting that may affect the NOx emission rate are carried out according to the technique file of the manufacturer. The parameters of the main engine (or generator) are recorded in the Main Engine (or Generator) Record Book for the administration of the port state to check, if needed, to ensure compliance with the emission standard specified in the international convention. D-type, E-type, U-type and S-type ships in the current Evergreen fleet conform to the Tier I emission standard. L-type and B-Type ships conform to the Tier II emission standard.
Built with a new generation of more efficient and eco-friendly design, 8 new 12,000 TEU F-type ships will be delivered in 2020. They are one of the few ships in the industry that meet the IMO's Tier III NOx emission standards. Compared with the Tier II emission standard, NOx emissions are reduced by 76%. It also manifests Evergreen Marine's long-term commitment to environmental protection.
NOx emissions in the past 3 years (Unit: g / TEU-KM)
| Energy intensity (g / TEU - KM) | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOx | 1.252 | 1.226 | 1.183 |
NOx Annual Emission
Shore operations
Kaohsiung Terminal Div. uses diesel (E-RTG) gantry cranes / empty container stackers, and gantry cranes are powered by municipal power when the operation permits. The consumption of municipal power increased from 85% in 2018 to 86% in 2019. As empty container stackers are currently unable to be powered by municipal power, old engines will be replaced with environmentally-friendly ones to reduce NOx emissions.