Publication: How to salvage new fuels in ports and harbours
Henk Smith and Amanda Drinkwater wrote a featured column in the September-October edition (2023) of magazine ‘Ports and Harbors’.
Ports & Harbors edition
September-October 2023
As the maritime industry seeks to rapidly advance the uptake of alternative fuels, salvage experts Henk Smith and Amanda Drinkwater of Marine Masters discuss the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in the ports sector.
1. Establishing an emergency response plan is vital to derisking port operations
Although bunkering in ports will likely have its own mitigation measures in place, vessel incidents involving new fuels may have significant consequences for commercial operations, marine pollution, tourism, routing, marine traffic, coastal communities and fishing activities in both short and long terms. Ports intending to court business from early movers on future fuels would therefore benefit from a proactive strategy foregrounding rapid response. This may require additional staffing of these ports by well-skilled personnel and standing arrangements with salvage contractors.
2. Despite risk, larger ports are likely to have an early commercial advantage
The operational capacities of large ports mean they can often meet the specific demands of shipowners at the cutting edge of new technologies. Bunkering of alternative fuels is likely to grow from established bunkering hubs, granting those ports a competitive advantage when it comes to servicing vessels operating on ammonia, methanol, hydrogen or any other future fuels. This will mean greater income for ports that can lay out full services for vessels with alternative fuels while implementing proactive strategies for risk, and a challenge for non-bunkering ports that may lack the infrastructure and institutional knowledge on alternative fuels. Smaller ports are likely to face a chicken and egg dilemma – vessels using alternative fuels are less likely to call at ports that lack the relevant expertise and infrastructure to safely accommodate and service them, and ports are less likely to invest in alternative fuel training and infrastructure without a clear demand signal.
3. Multifuel vessels will bring more complex operations
Ships with hybrid or multifuel operations offer flexibility with bunkering but add a further layer of complexity for salvage operations. Crew will need proper personal protective equipment, training and upskilling to ensure they can recognize pertinent warning signs and can act in the moment to mitigate the impact of an incident, where possible. They will also need to provide essential information to the salvage team regarding the location and volume of fuels on a ship, and the condition of the tanks they are stored in, at the earliest opportunity to ensure the safety of all stakeholders.
4. Ports will need more staff with broader expertise
Just as greater fuel variety will necessitate diverse infrastructure within ports, more port staff will also be needed with specialized knowledge. As the risk and complexity of operations in a port grows, so too will demand for services at hand to deal with a greater range of situations. Ammonia spill response requires different skills and equipment to fuel fire response, which has separate considerations to battery fires – all eventualities will need to be covered to safeguard port operations, human health and the environment. Smaller ports could make use of third parties for expertise and assistance.
5. Ports may be encouraged to advocate for supportive, risk-aware local legislation
In an incident involving alternative fuels, time will be of the essence. Previous delays in response in a traditionally fueled casualty scenario, such as disharmony between P&I clubs and hull & machinery insurers, could be unacceptable where the implications of marine pollution are far more immediate. Although rare, certain national legislations may afford a port the ability to implement their own rapid salvage response. For example, the port of Rotterdam has a mechanism whereby if 15 minutes pass without communication regarding an incident, the port will take control and charge the shipowner for any work done with an added 15% premium. As alternative fuels raise the stakes in casualty situations, ports may find themselves advocating for legislation empowering them to enact timely incident responses to limit commercial and environmental impact.
6. Collaboration key to limit the impact of pollution
Although there are immediate implications for the ship, bunker and port facilities in the event of a vessel incident, the consequences may be far further reaching with future fuels. Rapid responses can limit or mitigate the impact of an incident but depending on the level of contamination surrounding regions may be impacted. As the current spreads the effects, fishing, food sustainability, tourism, vessel routing and other commercial activities may see reverberations. While conventionally ports are more likely to compete with other ports in their vicinity, these circumstances suggest potential benefits arising from strategic partnerships that would seek to limit the impact of fuel casualties in the region.
7. Salvage operations will evolve in future
Newbuilds using alternative fuels will soon enter service with proprietary technologies and unique vessel designs, while existing ships may have undergone retrofits that change the location of fuel storage and supply systems. Salvaging these vessels may require information from new stakeholders – such as energy providers and shipyards – to be brought into the fold. Provisions must be made to ensure that beyond crew familiarity, relevant port personnel and salvage teams have ready access to the information they need to safely control a given situation.
8. Salvage operations will evolve in future
As we move into a multifuel future, there are currently no known waste disposal contractors in the salvage industry with operations that account for alternative fuels. While this, no doubt, presents a significant opportunity for waste disposal contractors seeking to distinguish themselves and their services, uncertainty regarding the safe collection, transport and disposal of future fuel-contaminated materials present a logistical challenge for the moment.
9. Establishing training for the salvage industry can help improve safety
Although seafarers require additional certification to work on specialized tankers, no corresponding certification is required for those working to salvage these specialized tankers. Although at Marine Masters we ensure that salvage crews are trained and upskilled, the lack of established training standards in salvage and wreck removal may have consequences for risk and safety when dealing with future fuels. As commercial shipping seeks a global transition, estimating that over 800,000 seafarers will need training or retraining to handle alternative fuels, the salvage industry has an excellent opportunity to implement our own training standards and support for salvage crews.
10. Simple operational changes may offer solutions
Lithium-ion battery fires have become a relatively familiar scenario for the salvage industry. Our operations usually prioritize keeping the container offshore, employing a salvage grab to separate it from the vessel and extinguishing it by any means available. Acting quickly can mitigate damage and avoid total loss for the vessel. However, container ships may choose to stack containers so high that the grab is unable to reach the impacted container, resulting in the fire spreading and inflicting greater damage to the vessel and pollution for the region. Ensuring that this is not the case can allow for a quicker and more effective response in the event of a battery fire.
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