World News
Port of Rotterdam Supports New Oil Absorbing "Sponge"
The Port of Rotterdam says that, with the help of its Port Innovation Lab, start-up company Oil Spill Cleaning & Rescue Solutions (OCRS) has developed a liquid polyurethane solution that acts as a composite "sponge" to help clean up smaller spills.
The solution is said to be designed to be sprayed on a spill, at which point, the sponge can be removed from the water, retaining the oil and leaving the water.
OCRS, which was founded by Frans Vandepoele, Bruno Valkeniers, and Henk Smith, notes that the solution is harmless, and both the oil and sponge can be recycled following separation.
While the inventors say the sponge can assist in the clean up of thicker layers of oil, the main focus is on smaller spills where it says there are currently no efforts made to clean them up.
OCRS says it is currently carrying out tests on the product.
"As a first product for the maritime sector, the founders are focusing on a kind of 'oil extinguisher,' something like a fire extinguisher that can be used by crews of smaller recreational and commercial vessels to clean up oil that has been spilled," explained the Port of Rotterdam.
At the end of July, Port of Rotterdam announced that Netherlands-based We4Sea BV (We4Sea) was working to achieve a 100 million tonne reduction in the shipping industry's annual CO2 emissions by improving fuel efficiency using existing onboard equipment, including voyage data recorders (VDR) and sensors.
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| VLSFO | MGO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $/mt | +/- | $/mt | +/- | |
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| Houston | 461.50 | 1.50 | 610.50 | 1.00 |
| Fujairah | 504.00 | 4.50 | 716.50 | 1.00 |
| Global 20 Ports Average | 532.00 | 1.00 | 708.00 | 1.00 |
| Global 4 Ports Average | 486.50 | 1.00 | 634.50 | 1.50 |
| Global Average Bunker Price | 570.50 | 1.00 | 755.50 | 2.00 |
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