Singapore Based APL on Course to Cut Key Carbon Emission on Its New Vessels

Container carrier APL said today it’s on course to reduce a key carbon exhaust measure 30% by 2015 from its global shipping operations. The Singapore-based line said an influx of new vessels, running at reduced speed, puts the target within reach.

By 2015, APL said its fleet will produce 130 grams of carbon exhaust for every TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of cargo transported one nautical mile. That would be a 30% reduction from emission levels in 2009, when outside auditors first calculated APL’s carbon footprint.

“We’re changing the profile of our fleet with larger, more efficient ships that will significantly curb exhaust emissions,” said APL President Kenneth Glenn. “It’s the most effective way we know to make global trade environmentally sustainable.”

APL said it will deploy 32 new vessels in the next three years. It said the ships will be significantly more fuel efficient than its existing fleet, resulting in reduced emissions. What’s more, the ships will run at less than full speed, further curbing exhaust.

The first two of the new vessels – each with 10,000 TEUs of container-carrying capacity – arrived last December. Two more are due in April.

APL said it is undertaking additional steps to curb carbon exhaust emissions that include:

• Optimising vessel trim, speed and routing;
• Improving maintenance on vessel hulls to reduce drag in the water; and
• Upgrading cargo handling equipment at APL terminals;

Carbon emissions act as a shield that traps heat in the earth’s atmosphere. It’s believed that the resulting greenhouse gas effect contributes to global warming. According to industry figures, international shipping produces 2.7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Container shipping is estimated to be responsible for about 25% of that amount.

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Source: APL, April 4, 2012