Global container shipping leader APL today announced major initiatives to improve California’s air quality.

The world’s eighth-largest container carrier, APL said it has teamed with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and four California air quality management boards, to test innovative fuel emulsification technology that could reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides from vessels by as much as 20 percent and become a shipping industry standard.

APL and its partners will also test marine engine technologies – including slide valves and a next-generation lubricating system – that could further cut down on pollution from exhaust.

In addition, APL said that it has begun using cleaner-burning, low-sulfur diesel fuel in the auxiliary engines of its 23 vessels regularly calling the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland. They’ll use low-sulfur fuel in their auxiliary engines, which provide power to the ships when they’re in port.

Taken together, the initiatives are expected to have long-term air quality benefits for coastal communities by cutting down exhaust from ocean-going container ships.

“As leaders in this industry, we have a responsibility to address the impact we have on the environment,” said John Bowe, President of APL in The Americas. “We’re working on many fronts to lessen that impact, and we’re grateful for the support of CARB, the EPA, the ports and air quality management agencies.”

APL’s approach to cleaner air includes a three-year demonstration project aboard the container ship APL Singapore that will be monitored by the University of California, Riverside. The project will test two technologies that are being installed on the vessel. They include:

• Water-in-fuel emulsification – a process that injects water into the fuel burned by the ship’s main engine to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, which can cause smog and ozone; and
• Slide valves in the engine’s cylinders, which will prevent fuel from leaking in the combustion process, thereby ensuring a more complete burn of fuel and further cutting emissions.

APL is also deploying another new technology -- a lubricating system that cuts cylinder oil consumption in marine engines by 20 to 50% to provide another level of emission control.

The demonstration project begins in February. Initial test results are expected about one month later. If they indicate that the emission-reducing technologies are effective – and not harmful to marine engines – APL said it could retrofit other ships with the devices.

Copenhagen-based MAN Diesel, which manufactured the APL Singapore’s main engine, has said it will consider making fuel emulsification a standard feature in future production if the test is successful. MAN is the world’s largest marine engine manufacturer.

“The shipping industry is exploring a number of innovative approaches to curb vessel emissions and reduce the impact on the environment” said Wayne Nastri, Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. “Our goal for this project is to prove that it can be an effective means of addressing emissions from large ships.”

Bowe announced APL’s environmental initiatives during a briefing aboard the 863-foot APL Singapore at Global Gateway South, APL’s 300-acre marine terminal at the Port of Los Angeles. The APL Singapore -- which can carry the equivalent of 5,100 20-foot containers – travels monthly to Los Angeles and Oakland from ports in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Seven partners have contributed a total of $1.3 million to finance the fuel emulsification demonstration project aboard the APL Singapore. They include the EPA, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District, and the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District. The funding pays for the retrofit of the APL Singapore and testing of the new technology.

A fuel homogenizer has been installed in the APL Singapore’s engine room to produce the emulsification. The unit injects water into the bunker fuel used by the vessel’s main engine and continually agitates the mixture to keep oil and water from separating.

It’s estimated that for every 1 percent of water introduced to the bunker fuel, nitrogen oxide emissions from the ship will be reduced by 1 percent.

Over the course of the demonstration project, APL and its partners intend to achieve an 80 percent to 20 percent mixture of fuel to water. If the theory holds, nitrogen oxide emissions should be reduced by 20 percent. Particulate matter emissions should be reduced, as well.

The demonstration project will not only measure emission reduction, but also will monitor the effect of emulsified fuel on a marine engine. This monitoring will help determine the long-term viability of using emulsified fuel in container shipping fleets.