In order to reduce the emissions of the ships it is better to limit the power of the engines rather than to slacken speed of navigation



The next world-wide conference of the CIMAC (International Council on Combustion Engines), than will hold from the 10 on 14 June next ones to Vancouver, will to light have between the main topics the technologies of the engines to combustion for the naval propulsion of the new norms introduced in 2016 from the International Maritime Organization that preview a lowering from 3.5% to 0.5% of the maximum limit of the sulfur tenor in fuel to marine use, norms that will take effect next 1° January(on 28 October 2016).

In sight of the conference the CIMAC has anticipated some observations on the effect that such norms could have on the industry of the shipping, also as a result of the decision of April 2018 of the IMO that exhorts the field of the marine transport to halve the gas emissions greenhouse within 2050(on 13 April 2018). An ulterior step - it has specified the association that represents the world-wide constructors of engines to combustion - that "is received with favor from the entire community of the constructors of engines" and that "has marked clearly a change of paradigm". The improvements of the existing technologies - it has stated in fact the CIMAC - will not be sufficient in order to reach these objectives. "Only through the intersettoriale cooperation and a greater attention regarding the research & development in technologies to emissions zero as batteries, synthetic cells to fuel or fuel - it has observed the association - the marine transport will have a possibility to reach objective 2050 of the IMO. 2050 that can seem distant, but for the community of shipping it are not".

In particular, the association has evidenced that "a ready magical formula does not exist in order to face the challenge of objectives IMO. Some promising technical solutions exist - it has explained the CIMAC -, as the ships alimentary to fuel battery or cells, but today they are able to not to for example assure the propulsion of ships as the portacontainer. It is always necessary - it has found the association - to hold account of the final user. Some technologies can have the potential one of development in order to become practicable solutions for the marine transport short beam, while there would be need to plan of others in order to satisfy the requirements of the oceanic marine transport".

According to the CIMAC, moreover, "current changes in existence as the passage to the which liquified natural gas is necessary and useful, but would have to be considered solo as "technologies bridge", since always they are based on fossil fuel. Synthetic hydrogen and fuel bio or to climatic impact zero - it has still found the association - could be considered a solution, but currently they are still far the being competitive. Other ideas can consist in the innovative planning of the ships, with more efficient hulls and integration and the optimization of the systems, so as in a wider digitalisation, included the optimization of the ports of call in the ports and more in general terms of the supply chain. All this - it has observed the CIMAC - demands a participation still more wide of the parts. There is therefore need of the consent regarding specific activities of research & development, with objectives very defined that they avoid the dilution of the efforts caused pursuing at the same time more directions and therefore wasting precious resources. To such care - it has emphasized the association - he is vital the support of the regulation organisms and this means financing of the search. But first of all a total and clearly stable legal picture is necessary, than it does not predetermine some specific technical directions. Only a decisional process that is seen as neutral by the point of view of the technology has the possibility to attract the necessary investments all over the world".

The CIMAC has evidenced also the necessity to introduce other measures in the short term, but it has informed that some of these could have undesired consequences, not stimulating the technical progress and the passage to new technologies, as for example - it has specified the association - to impose the reduction of the navigation speed. For the CIMAC, "these measures they must take part of a wider range than instruments, they must be specifically focused on the less efficient ships and to take part than a fan of solutions between which the shipowners they can choose. Moreover - the association has rimarcato - it would have to be reflected on the fact that the power limitation could constitute a way very more effective in order to face this problem. In fact the reduction of the power of the engine offers the possibility to reduce the maximum speed of the ship and to optimize the payload points and ideal. Such a measure, based on a power limitation on the ship - it has concluded the association - would intrinsically assure an advantage relatively to the speed with a better yield and a better planning".