Norwegian insurer Gard has issued an alert dealing with the issue of fires in containers caused by Seed Cake. Seed Cake carried in containers can self-heat and spontaneously ignite, endangering both crew and vessel.

The carriage of Seed Cake cargoes continues to cause confusion and the potential for mis-declaration remains high with the consequent risk of fire onboard. Recently, a container ship entered with Gard was about to depart its port of loading when the crew observed smoke coming from one of the portside bays. An inspection of the area confirmed that a fire had developed inside one of the containers. The crew used one of the ship’s water mist lances to penetrate the container on fire, and the ship’s fire hoses for boundary cooling and protection of nearby structures and containers. Due to the early detection and the immediate response and action by the crew, the fire was quickly extinguished.

While investigations into this incident are still ongoing, the initial report states that the container on fire carried a cargo of “Copra Expeller Meal/Cake”, the residues remaining after oil has been extracted from the coconut. It also suggests that the cargo was not declared as dangerous goods (DG) by the shipper. As the cargo most likely falls under the definition of “Seed Cake”, it should have been declared as DG Class 4.2 under the IMDG Code.

Seed Cake is the term used for pulp, cake, pellets, expellers or other cargo where oil has been removed from oil-bearing seeds, cereals or other commodities with similar properties, including all such types of seed meal. It is principally used as an ingredient in animal feeds. Common for all these cargoes is that their production processes are unable to remove all oils and fats from the plant material. This residual oil gives rise to the hazardous properties of Seed Cake and the cargo can be prone to self-heating and spontaneous ignition. The higher the moisture and oil content of the cargo the higher the risk of self-heating and spontaneous ignition.

While Seed Cake with UN Numbers 1386 and 2217 falls under IMDG Code Class 4.2, substances liable to spontaneous combustion, it is not uncommon that this commodity is presented for shipment under a different trade name and declared as not subject to the provisions of the Code. Copra Expeller Meal/Cake, the cargo involved in the fire incident described above, is one such trade name and other common names include Animal Feed, Groundnut Meals, Palm Kernel Expellers, Peanut (Oil) Cake, Peanut Meal, Seed Meal (Oily), Soya Bean Meal, and Sunflower (Seed) Meal.

The maritime industry has recently seen a number of casualties involving fires in containers and statistics suggest that the frequency of fires emerging from containerized cargo is not going down. The incident above exemplifies the risks associated with mis-declaration of any type of dangerous goods. It also illustrates how swift action from the crew can be the difference between a small fire and a large-scale casualty.

To improve safety during the carriage of Seed Cake in containers, and to ensure it is properly declared, packaged and carried, CINS (the Cargo Incident Notification System) and the International Group of P&I Clubs (IG) have published a joint industry “Guidelines for the Carriage of Seed Cake in Containers.” The practices set out in these guidelines are intended to supplement the requirements of the IMDG Code and individual operators’ procedures for the safe stowage and carriage of these products. In addition to giving details of the issues arising from the carriage of Seed Cake in containers, the guidelines also provide advice about container selection, packing and stowage on board ship.

It is worth noting that the guidelines recommend that shippers declare and document all types of cargoes that meet the specific criteria for Seed Cake set out in the IMDG Code, including those cargoes that have been tested and allowed to be offered for shipment not under the provisions of the Code. Such cargoes should also meet the same requirements for container selection, packing, inspection, stowage and segregation as for Seed Cake that is classified as dangerous goods in Class 4.2.

Gard is advising ship operators to familiarise themselves with the guidelines and implement proactive measures to reduce the likelihood of a fire involving dangerous goods and higher risk cargoes. Remember, the correct labelling and onboard stowage of volatile or dangerous cargoes can go a long way towards reducing the risks of fires in containers.

Hamburg looks set to benefit from state funding after Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) said it will approve substantial amounts of funding for three key hydrogen projects as part of the implementation of the National Hydrogen Strategy. Their purpose is to facilitate Germany’s transition to a hydrogen economy over a period of four years. The three projects are the serial manufacture of large-scale water electrolysers (H2Giga), the offshore production of hydrogen and secondary products (H2Mare) and technologies for the transportation of hydrogen (TransHyDE).

More than 240 partners from the scientific and industrial sectors are working together on the key hydrogen projects. Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) is one of these partners and can now draw on an additional €2.3 million to test new transportation technologies for Green Hydrogen. “An important question in the development of hydrogen technology is the widespread availability of this energy source,” explained Dr. Georg Böttner, who is responsible for HHLA’s hydrogen project. “HHLA, too, is searching for the best answers to this question, which is why we are involved in the key TransHyDE project.”

Hydrogen is rarely used at the same location where it is manufactured. TransHyDE is tackling this problem and wants to develop a holistic approach to the production, transportation and use of hydrogen. Together with other partners, HHLA is examining the various transport options here and is involved in the TransHyDE projects “Mukran” and “Helgoland” on the islands of Rügen and Heligoland, respectively, where the transportation of hydrogen in high-pressure containers as well as via LOHCs (liquid organic hydrogen carriers) is being tested.

MAN Energy Solutions has announced that its MAN B&W ME-GA engine – the latest addition to its dual-fuel portfolio – has landed 40 orders since its market unveiling in March 2021. The company attributes the order surge to the market’s demand for the latest generation of Otto-cycle, two-stroke engines and the low levels of methane slip it can unlock.

Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President and Head of Two-Stroke Business, MAN Energy Solutions, said, “We had high expectations for the ME-GA upon its launch as we recognised a strong desire – primarily from the LNG carrier market – for an alternative to our successful ME-GI engine. Judging alone by the fact that ME-GA has won references from all three major shipyards in Korea, these expectations have been met and even exceeded.”

Thomas S. Hansen, Head of Promotion and Customer Support, MAN Energy Solutions, said, “As industry leaders committed to lowering emissions, the ME-GA comes with our high-pressure EGR as standard, a technology we have refined over the past decade. The increased focus on methane-slip reduction – as well as other operational/technical benefits – has established EGR technologies as the new standard for contemporary LNG-carrier design featuring Otto-cycle engines.”

As its pre-mixed combustion results in low NOx emissions, the ME-GA engine is inherently Tier II and Tier III compliant in gas-operation mode. EGR enables the significant reduction of methane slip, while simultaneously improving fuel efficiency in both gas and fuel-oil operation. Ultimately, EGR actively reduces emissions and improves efficiency in both Tier II and Tier III.

Foldager added, “The ME-GA engine is just MAN Energy Solutions’ latest initiative to decarbonise shipping and further the maritime energy transition to sustainable fuels. Our dual-fuel engines continue to act as standard bearers for environmentally-friendly, reliable propulsion-technology with their seamless switching between fuels. Ultimately, we expect the ME-GA to become standard among LNG carriers.”

MAN Energy Solutions aims to start testing the first, commercial ME-GA design by the end of this year, with the first engine delivery scheduled for early 2022.

In November 2020, MAN Energy Solutions announced that it would offer its proprietary EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system as an emissions solution for the ME-GA. EGR is a NOx-emissions-reduction technique that ensures IMO Tier III-compliance in diesel mode for the ME-GA.

The company reports that EGR will enable the ME-GA to reduce specific gas consumption by ~3%, and specific fuel-oil consumption by 5%. It will also significantly reduce methane slip by 30 to 50% and improve the stability of the Otto-cycle combustion process. EGR will enable the ME-GA to meet Tier III requirements in both fuel oil and gas modes without additional aftertreatment.

The ME-GA EGR solution is an engine-integrated design that interacts with the exhaust gas before the turbocharger and can be integrated into existing engine-room designs since the EGR unit itself does not change the engine footprint. Its design-similarity to that of ME-C engines’ EGR systems will lower its price point, since the supply chain and components are already matured. The volume requirements of the ME-GA EGR system are also significantly lower with, for example, less pipework required than for low-pressure EGR solutions.

Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries has obtained AIP (Approval In Principle) certification for the basic design of ‘VLCC for Ammonia fuel Ready’ from classification society DNV.

The ammonia-ready notation reflects the fact that the ship’s hull structure, fuel tank specifications and risk assessment can be readily converted for operation on ammonia.

With this classification approval, Samsung Heavy Industries said it is speeding up its commercialisation of ammonia by providing effective solutions to shipping companies who are considering building or remodelling ammonia-fuelled ships.

“We are very happy to work with SHI in this innovative ‘Fuel Ready’ VLCC concept,” said Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime. “DNV has been pioneering the research and development of viable future marine fuels, including ammonia. As a trusted voice to tackle global transformations, our role is to support the industry in bringing new low-carbon ship designs to life in a safe and sustainable manner.”

The AiP incorporates the attributes S (structure) and Ti (tank installed). A high-level verification of ammonia applicability for the C-tanks installed onboard the VLCC was also performed. At the time of newbuild, the vessel will still be subject to a full review of documentation requirements pertaining to the applied rules.

Since July 2019, Samsung Heavy Industries has been conducting joint research on ammonia-fuelled ships under the so-called Castor Initiative with global partners including Malaysian shipping company MISC, MAN Energy Solutions, Norwegian ammonia supplier Yara and the Singapore Port Authority. It has already received AIP certification for the basic design of the ammonia fuel-propelled Aframax class crude oil carrier.

Samsung Heavy Industries aims to commercialise an ammonia fuel propulsion ship by 2024 by independently developing an ammonia fuel supply system and completing detailed design. Ho-Hyeon Jeong, head of Samsung Heavy Industries’ technology development division, said, “The current global shipbuilding and shipping market is an important time to prepare for carbon neutrality. We will focus on research and development so that eco-friendly technologies such as ammonia and fuel cells developed by SHI can play a central role in paradigm changes.”