Merchant shipping often uses some of the highest sulphur content fuel used commercially with the result that ships currently produce substantial air pollution. Now a new International Maritime Organization plan will attempt to reduce ship pollution.
From the press release: The London-based International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN agency that regulates the shipping industry, has adopted a plan to dramatically reduce air pollution from ships that sail within 370 km (230 miles) of the U.S. and Canadian coasts. Starting in July of 2010, diesel fuel sulphur limits could not exceed 10,000 ppm. By 2015, this limit will be reduced to 1000 ppm. For those non U.S. Flag vessels, the North American ECA rules will become enforceable in August 2012.
The regulation will force ships to use more refined fuels that will cut sulfur levels by 98%, thereby reducing Sulphur Oxide (Sox) emissions and diesel particulate emissions by 85%. The lower sulphur diesel fuels will increase the vessel operator’s fuel expense significantly. The EPA expects that fuel meeting the 1000 ppm Sulphur limits will be 40% more expensive than the current marine fuel in use. EcoEmissions (OTCQB:ECMZ) CIS(TM) system addresses these problems now by changing the efficiency of the engine, reducing fuel consumption rates and helps recover these costs, as well as reducing harmful emissions.
According to the December 23, 2009 U.S. Congressional Research Service Report on Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas From Ships by James McCarthy, “Ocean-going ships generally use bunker fuel, a fuel that contains a high level of contaminants: the average fuel used by ocean-going ships contains 27,000 parts per million (ppm) sulfur, for example—almost 2,000 times as much as would be allowed in trucks operating on U.S. roads.”
“These rulings by the IMO have a huge impact on the shipping industry. It means significant restrictions to the shipping industry as to how much they pollute the air, as well as the water,” was the first comment by Paul Masson, Vice President of Business Development, EcoEmissions Systems. “Going ‘green’ isn’t an option anymore — it’s being regulated by the International community. At EcoEmissions Systems we have developed an innovative product that addresses and is directly involved to help solve the problem. It is a patented Catalyst Injection System (CIS(TM)) that is installed on diesel engines, that not only cuts back significantly on polluting emissions, but also saves money on fuel.
“We are already installed on tugboats, fishing boats, luxury yachts. By fall 2011, EcoEmissions expects to be conducting Engine Tests on large cruise and cargo ships with a well-recognized test partner. EcoEmissions has been developing a specific Catalyst (CIS(TM)) product to work on the diesel engines employed on these larger ocean-going vessels.
“In 2009 EcoEmissions conducted a test protocol on the Spirit of Endeavour, a 105 passenger cruise ship primarily used in Alaska, where environmental preservation is extremely important. We used Kral Flowmeters (a system that accurately reads engine fuel consumption) on both engines and ran one engine with the CIS(TM) system and one without, so that we had a control engine. After 3100 hours of run time — a year on the water — they saved almost $17,000 on fuel, AFTER deducting the costs of the installation and the catalyst. The owners have the CIS(TM) on both engines now — next year they’ll save more than $36,000. As a result of the success that they experienced on the Endeavour, the cruise company also installed the CIS(TM) on two other passenger ships — that’s a lot of money added to their bottom line for a simple installation.
“EcoEmissions intends to concentrate on the maritime market and expand from there. There are almost 150 ports in the United States alone. That’s a lot of boats and a lot of pollution. And a lot of potential customers. We know the catalyst injections system works, we’ve proven that it works, and we’ve proven that it will save our clients money.
“It makes sense to be proactive and install the CIS(TM) onto engines now and start to save money on fuel and reduce pollution. Why wait until 2012 to improve air quality and to increase profitability?”
About EcoEmissions Solutions – EcoEmissions Solutions, Inc.’s (OTCQB:ECMZ) proven patented emissions-reducing Catalyst Injection System(TM) (CIS(TM)) offers a global solution for diesel engines used in heavy industry and large marine applications around the world. The pre-combustion system (the only patented system of its type in the world), injects a platinum-based catalyst (nano) solution into diesel engine cylinders producing a more complete burn of the diesel fuel. Simply installed without modifications to the engine itself, the results are more power, lower fuel consumption, dramatically reduced pollution and an extension of engine life. The ongoing consumption and replacement of ECMZ catalyst as part of normal diesel engine operation, provides ECMZ with an ongoing revenue stream that increases with the number of engine units installed. Eco’s technology is patented, has further patents pending and is trademarked. For more information, please visit the SEC’s EDGAR system or www.ecoemissions.com, send an email to info@ecoemissions.com or call 1 (877) 934-3735 (877) 9-DIESEL.
