OOCL - Reducing Emissions

Reducing emissions

OOCL is fully committed to reducing air emissions from our vessels. In 2001, we voluntarily began a fuel saving program, which is the most effective way to cut down on greenhouse gases (especially CO₂). Initiatives include:

	Weather-routing systems to provide shorter routes safely
	Optimum trim (balance of cargo) and minimum ballast water; helping to minimize fuel consumption
	Fuel injections and exhaust valve timing control for better efficiency
	Shaft generator and exhaust gas economizer for generating electricity
	Regular maintenance to keep the ship clean and free of marine growths such as barnacles, algae and mollusks. Maintenance includes polishing the propeller and hull, and monitoring engine performance.

We also conducted a Shore Power Study (in 2003) and a Sea Water Scrubber Study (in 2005) to study ways in which we could reduce our emissions at port and at sea.

In 1992, five years in advance of the Montreal Protocol - an international treaty designed to protect the earth's ozone layer - OOCL chose to change the design of its refrigerated container machinery in order to eliminate the production of CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons). Today, OOCL only uses CFC-free refrigerants for all of our reefer containers.

OOCL's newest reefer containers also have the lowest power consumption in the industry, and we maintain fuel efficient gensets for operating reefer equipment. All our containers have been applied with tin-free paint on the outside.

Initiatives to reduce sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions

	Apart from strictly complying with the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA)’s 1.5% sulphur requirements, we ensure the average sulphur content of our fuel is well below the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) prescribed standard of 3.5%. We achieved an average sulphur content of 2.7% in 2011.
	We use 0.5% sulphur fuel in California according to CARB regulations
	We voluntarily complied eight months early with the Port of Long Beach “Clean Truck Program”. From January 1, 2008, OOCL stopped using pre-1989 trucks for all port moves between Southern Californian terminals and off-dock rail ramps, again helping to reduce emissions.

Initiatives to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx)

	Since 2000, all our vessels have been installed with environmentally-friendly NOx-controlled propulsive engines
	Advanced slide fuel injection valves, reducing NOx by 30%, are being adopted

Reducing emissions at our terminals

Since 1994, OOCL-operated Long Beach Container Terminal Inc. (LBCTI), in California, has had an ongoing Fleet (referring to trucks) Modernization Program in place in order to maintain the most efficient, and lowest-emission yard tractors and Terminal Utility Vehicles. From 2006, the terminal voluntarily converted to low emission fuel.

At LBCTI, the diesel vehicle age has a 10-year maximum, ensuring the cleanest and most modern vehicle fleet available. LBCTI was the first marine terminal to equip its yard tractors with ‘On-Road Certified’ engines for additional emissions reduction, and today, the fleet includes 35% of these tractors.

All possible diesel powered equipment has been retrofitted with the only ‘California Air Resources Board (CARB)-Verified Diesel Oxidation Catalyst’ (DOC) available which reduces particulate matter emissions by as much as 50%.

LBCTI has also converted its entire terminal fleet fuel supply to a ‘CARB-Verified Alternative Diesel Fuel’ (O2 Diesel), which exceeds the requirements of ‘Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel’, producing the best ratio of reduced emissions to fuel used.

In late 2006, the Port of Long Beach began developing and testing a low-emission hybrid engine for use in tractors and possibly other equipment to see if they are an economically viable alternative to the current generation of diesel engines.

Cranes in terminals can load or unload containers weighing up to 50 tons in one minute, which can produce a lot of wasted energy. Capturing and reusing some of that energy could mean reduced fuel usage.

With this aim, in May 2008, LBCTI purchased four additional “Regen” units for their rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes in the Port of Long Beach. Regen units are manufactured by Vycon Inc and are designed to capture, store and supply electrical energy during a crane's operational cycle.

Based on the performance of their first two Regen systems, in operation since December 2007, LBCTI is retrofitting the remainder of their AC powered RTG cranes. These units will make a significant impact in reducing the emissions generated by the cargo handling equipment at LBCTI, while also saving on fuel. According to Vycon Inc, the systems can help cut fuel consumption by 25%, and cut diesel emissions by more than half.

Kaohsiung Terminal, Taiwan

In May 2005, OOCL-operated Kaohsiung Terminal in Taiwan (KAOCT) converted the entire container yard to a ‘green’ enterprise; discontinuing its nine straddle carriers for six rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMGs), a conversion which began in 2003. There are now a total of 14 RMGs in the terminal. Run electrically and on a fixed-rail system, these RMGs are emission-free, quiet and provide a much safer working environment at the port.

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