On Wednesday 21 March 2012, PRS acting together with  Maritime Academy in Szczecin organised a seminar devoted to reducing  noxious ship exhaust emissions in Baltic ports and at sea  as one of  milestones in  the BSR Innoship Project "Baltic Sea cooperation for reducing ship and port emissions through knowledge- & innovation-based competitiveness "

The Seminar was attended by representatives of the Polish Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy, shipowners, scientists, design offices (bureaus), shipyards and companies dealing with construction, modernisation and retrofitting of ship machinery  systems, insurance companies, ship engine producers and manufacturers of exhaust gases treatment systems.

The aim of the Seminar was to build an information exchange platform as well as  development of knowledge about reducing noxious emissions from ships on the Baltic Sea and in the region ports by and presenting and sharing information about binding regulations and methods for reducing emissions from ships in the Baltic Sea and its ports.

The first session was devoted to legal aspects of reducing emissions in ports. The Session which covered IMO and EU requirements for reducing emissions from ships, the latest IMO requirements greenhouse emissions from ships, the LNG proposal in Baltic ports in response to new IMO requirements, as well as the role of ports in waste management of ship scrubbers on the example of  Port Gdynia, was moderated by Ms Magdalena Jabłonowska, Department for Maritime Transport and Shipping Safety Director.

Presentations given during the second Session moderated by Prof. dr. hab. inż. Czesława Dymarski from Gdańsk University of Technology involved scientific aspects of alternative technologies for exhaust emissions, non-thermal plasma catalytical installation, contemporary techniques and methods for reducing  NOX i SOX emissions from ships as well as concepts and a review of contemporary solutions for land supplied electric power to ships at berth.

The third Session was run by Dr inż. hab. Wiesław Tarełko, prof. nadzw. of Gdynia Maritime University. Addresses by industrial sector representatives regarding exhaust catalyser and exhaust recirculation systems developed for MAN B&W slow rotating engines and MAN medium rotating engines, exhaust emission reduction solutions by Alfa Laval Aalborg, installation and conversions to gas of existing combustion engines, as well as "NOR - System" devices for NOx emission reduction on ships and SOx reducing scrubbers met with great interest.

The last Session was devoted to classification and technical issues under the chairmanship of Prof. Andrzej Adamkiewicz, of Maritime Academy in Szczecin. The subjects covered operational aspects of marine diesel engines fuelled by low sulphur content fuel, operational threats to ship boilers fed with low sulphur fuel and a study analysing the need to modernise the European fleet by refitting onboard machinery with equipment to reduce toxic exhaust emissions from ships.

The seminar was accompanied by a presentation of children’s’ art works prepared for the art contest entitled “Stop global warming over the Baltic Sea”. The Art Contest works now decorate the Main Hall in PRS building B.

The contest was announced in December 2011 in Primary School no 16 in Gdańsk during a PRS a talk given to the pupils belonging to the school circle of the Sea and River League. The subject theme of the talk focused on noxious exhaust emissions to the atmosphere on land and at sea, global warming and their adverse impact on human life and the natural environment. The talk and art contest were arranged by PRS in cooperation with the Gdańsk Branch of the Sea and River League under one of the BSR InnoShip tasks targeted at educating children and youth on environmental issues and promoting protection of the Baltic marine environment. During the Seminar lunch break official results of the Contest Jury were announced and prizes awarded to particular contestants by sponsors and organisers

The first prize ex aequo was founded by Stena Line –a round cruise  „Sweden in a day”for 2 persons – and was awarded to 11-year old Emilia Wenzel from Pałac Młodzieży in Gdańsk for the work entitled. „The dying natural environment”. The other prize ex aequo, founded by Polferries – Polska Żegluga Bałtycka, was awarded to 12 year Łucja Dylewicz for the work „Fish shoals or garbage”. More information about other awarded persons and prises can be found on PRS website http://www.prs.pl/__files/parent196/protokol_jury.pdf

Several awards - trips on sailing ships on the Hel Penisula were sponsored by Żegluga Gdańska.

The Seminar was held under the patronage of the Polish Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy, the Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodeship and Polish Shipowners Association.

The Seminar and related events for children were organized by PRS as part of  BSR InnoShip project, as part of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Flagship Project 4.2, that addresses the acute common challenge of the Baltic Sea countries and the key maritime stakeholders – how can we work together to minimize ship-based air pollution, while aiming at optimizing competitiveness of the maritime industry.

More information about the project can be found at project web page.:  http://www.baltic.org/projects/bsr_innoship/