Teekay has been awarded the Clean Shipping Award 2009, in the category of Clean Air, by Nor-Shipping. The Clean Air award recognizes a company’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In the final stages of crude oil production, gas needs to be separated from oil. However, a small amount of gas will remain in the oil when it is discharged into tankers for transportation. Some of this gas will be emitted into the air during the loading process as well as during the voyage.
Kenneth Hvid, President Teekay Navion Shuttle Tankers and Hans Richard Hansen, Vice President Technology Development represented Teekay at the prize giving ceremony that was held this June at the Nor-Sipping Conference in Oslo.
Hans Richard Hansen, Vice President Technology Development, who led the project, highlights: “Tests have shown that emissions are limited if oil is transported at a pressure equal to or higher than in the last production stage separator. The new systems, which have increased cargo tank pressure, were successfully tested on our shuttle tanker Navion Hispania and found to be suitable for a general application on oil tankers.”
Teekay will implement the new systems on its four Great North shuttle tanker newbuilds: Amundsen Spirit, Nansen Spirit, Peary Spirit, and Scott Spirit. These vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2010 and 2011 and they will be the most sophisticated shuttle tankers ever built.
“Winning this internationally recognized industry award is a great achievement for Teekay,” commented Kenneth Hvid, President Teekay Navion Shuttle Tankers. “Our success was a result of collaboration among technical teams, who once again proved that dedication, innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit can make the difference.”
Mr. Hvid continued, “By developing and implementing new environmental solutions, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to be an industry leader in environmental practices.”
Director of Nor-Shipping, Tollef Schiander also commented: “The Norwegian shipping industry is internationally recognized for being a pioneer in the development of solutions and technologies to manage a broad range of environmental issues. The Clean Shipping Awards will serve to support these efforts and reward any company with the vision and expertise to develop good environmental solutions.”