A study to estimate the benefits of removing market barriers in the shipping sector

This report presents the results from a study to estimate the benefits of removing market barriers in the shipping sector, including with the use of a transparent monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system. It has been commissioned by DG Climate Action in support of its work to assess potential revisions to the Regulation for the MRV of CO2 emissions from maritime transport (“the EU MRV Regulation”)

A framework to evaluate hydrogen as fuel in international shipping

The shipping industry is today challenged by tighter regulations on efficiency, air pollution and the need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The decarbonisation of the global energy system could be achieved with the use of alternative energy and fuels, and so a widespread switch to the adoption of alternative fuel in shipping could be experienced within the coming decades. Lately, many scenarios of alternative fuels in shipping have been investigated. Among the options of alternative fuels with different propulsion technologies, hydrogen with marine fuel cells (FCs) represent an example of such an alternative fuel. This paper proposes a framework to examine a possible transition path for the use of hydrogen in shipping within the context of decarbonisation of the wider global energy system. The framework is based on a soft- linking the global integrated assessment model (TIAM-UCL) and the shipping model (GloTraM). Initial results from this work-in-progress describe the trajectories of hydrogen prices, the characteristic of the hydrogen fleet and the consequences for shipping CO2 emissions, the hydrogen infrastructure requirements, the use of hydrogen in other sectors, and the consequences for global energy system CO2 emissions

Zero Emission Vessels transition pathways

The reports seeks to understand the milestones and enablers over the required timeframe to create the necessary conditions for the evolution of different pathways towards decarbonisation. It considers how cost, operating profile and policy measures could influence this and identifies milestones over time with regards to the safety, technical, social, economic and environmental aspects of the potential zero-emission vessels (ZEVs) and the associated supply of the zero-carbon fuel options

Global Marine Fuel Trends 2030

Global Marine Fuel Trends 2030 central objective is to unravel the landscape of fuels used by commercial shipping over the next 16 years. The problem has many dimensions: a fuel needs to be available, cost-effective, compatible with existing and future technology and compliant with current and future environmental requirements. In a way, one cannot evaluate the future of marine fuels without evaluating the future of the marine industry. And the future of the marine industry itself is irrevocably linked with the global economic, social and political landscape to 2030

The potential of hydrogen to fuel international shipping

Today the way energy is produced and consumed is under debate as it is increasing the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG), which can cause dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. This means that a de-carbonisation of the global energy system is required. Shipping represents the biggest global low cost international freight transport service, and today it accounts for about 3% of the world's total GHG emissions. Such a percentage is projected to increase by 50% to 250% in the period to 2050. The projected shipping emissions trajectory, therefore, does not seem compatible with the de-carbonisation of the global energy system necessary to meet the internationally agreed goal of reducing the emissions in all sectors and ensure that the temperature rises in 2100 will not be greater than 2_C degree. Since shipping energy demand is mainly satisfied by fuel oil, recent new regulations on efficiency and air pollution have been introduced (EEDI, SEEMP), and instruments that would cut GHG emissions from shipping are under discussion. In the short term (5-10 years) the industry is aiming to reduce its emissions through a combination of technological and operational developments, however in the long term a switch to an alternative fuel may be required. Among the options, hydrogen with fuel cell systems (FCs) is seen by many as one of the long term solutions. Its attraction is not only for its zero operational emissions but also for the higher efficiency that could be achieved on board. Hydrogen and FCs are also seen as promising technologies that can support climate change and energy security goals in several sectors of the energy system. The most attractive uses of hydrogen within the context of a de-carbonization of the energy system are: for storing renewable energy, for heating, and as fuel for the transport sector. Moreover, it can increase the operational flexibility as it can connect different energy sectors and energy transmission and distribution networks. The energy and the shipping systems are interrelated, so if the de-carbonisation of the global energy system could be achieved with the use of alternative energy and fuels including hydrogen, the same could be experienced in shipping with a widespread switch to the adoption of hydrogen as alternative fuel within the coming decades. The purpose of this thesis was to learn more about the potential for hydrogen as a future fuel in shipping. The focus is on a computational modelling approach that is considered to lead to new useful contributions. This study proposes a framework based on a soft-linking technique to examine the potential of using hydrogen in shipping. The framework connects together a global integrated assessment model (TIAM-UCL) and a shipping model (GloTraM). GloTraM is a bottom-up shipping simulation model that is used to evaluate pathways towards a low carbon shipping system; TIAM-UCL is a bottom-up energy system model that is used to investigate possible pathways to reduce the energy and carbon density of the global energy system. The first objective of this study is the development of a new modelling approach that soft-links two existing models in order to improve the modelling representation of hydrogen take up in shipping. The hypothesis is that the model linkage is more representative for exploring specified scenarios, forecasting investment decisions for hydrogen powered ships in conjunction with the hydrogen infrastructure development than the two separate models. The second objective is the analysis of the possible use of hydrogen under specific scenarios in order to understand at a global level the implications of providing and using hydrogen in shipping. The hypothesis is that the model linkage is able to explore the broader circumstance in which it would be possible to see an uptake of hydrogen in shipping and what it might mean for the contribution of shipping in avoiding 2_C of warming. Based on this objectives, this research aims to answer the following research questions: Can an integrated framework that combines two different models improves the modelling representation of hydrogen uptake in shipping compared to the current representations found in the literature? What type of results does the integrated framework provide regarding the potential of hydrogen to compete with LNG and current marine fuels to fuel international shipping? Under what circumstance would hydrogen be able to compete with LNG and current marine fuels in shipping and what would be the main economic and environmental implications? The comparison between the results of the independent and the integrated framework simulations of a specific set of scenarios has highlighted the capability of the framework of modelling the investment decision for ships powered by hydrogen in conjunction with the development of a hydrogen supply infrastructure with a more robust approach compared with the energy and shipping models. Evidence of the modelling improvement was found in: the ability of the model to simulate the equilibrium between marine fuel prices and demands, the ability of the model to capture the dynamics between the carbon price and the shipping fuel mix (how these outputs influence each other), the ability to generate fuel price projections that overcome the limitation of the linear property of the energy system model, the ability of capturing the dynamics between the transport demand among regions and the fuel mix evolution of the global feet. Moreover, a number of circumstances for the potential uptake of hydrogen over LNG were found in this thesis; the key circumstances are: the introduction of an emissions cap in shipping, a competitive hydrogen price and investment costs of hydrogen technologies on board ships (fuel cells and hydrogen storage technologies), and finally the supply of hydrogen mainly based on natural gas and biomass with CCS technology or electrolysis in case of an absence of CCS. The main implication of a switch to hydrogen is that shipping emissions would be reduced significantly over time. This topic was identified as being of importance to assist ship owners and fuel providers in understanding the potential of use of hydrogen in shipping, and to assist policy makers in the development of effective GHG policy for shipping and in understanding the implications of using hydrogen in shipping within the context of a de-carbonised energy system. It is hoped that information from this study may be useful in creating awareness of the potential that hydrogen might have in shipping and in creating incentives for further research required for exploring this option from different perspective. Moreover, this study explores the application of a relative new modelling technique of soft-linking two existing models. The experience engaged in developing such a link could be useful to educators and modellers interested in the soft-linking modelling approach

Policy implications of meeting the 2C climate target

The inherently global nature of shipping has (certainly in the past half century) dictated the regulation of the shipping sector. Both the IMO and the ICS have affirmed their position that the regulation of shipping must, first and foremost, be the responsibility of agents at the global multilateral level. One interpretation of this is that shipping should be viewed akin to a sovereign nation in its own right. This position has significant implications for the responsibility of the sector as a whole in responding to the challenges posed by climate change. In the first instance, both the IMO and the ICS have established that the shipping industry is committed to its responsibility for reducing its carbon emissions, however it is also asserted that any response must be proportionate to shipping’s share of the total global emissions. Mitigating against dangerous climate change has conventionally been associated with maintaining temperature rise at least under a 2°C threshold, and that framing is also used in this paper. Scenarios of future shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions suggest that under current policy, shipping emissions are expected to rise significantly – by 50 to 250% (IMO 3rd GHG study, 2014). This paper follows from the work of Smith et al (2015) presented in MEPC 68 that explores alternatives to the current expectations of shipping’s CO2. The shipping system model GloTraM is used to generate future scenarios up to 2050 under current policy, an imposed bunker levy, and under a cap and trade emission trading scheme with the cap set to shipping achieving a consistent proporition of the overall 2°C emission budget. The impact of these different scenarios on fuel mix, technology, EEOI and carbon price is then explored

Zero-Emission Vessels 2030: How do we get there?

Fossil fuels provide society in general, as well as shipping, with a high-density and low-cost energy source that is comparatively easy to store, handle and transport. We have had decades to optimise the design, maintenance and operation of the shipping system to suit the fossil ‘paradigm’. But the world is changing. It is, therefore, unsurprising that when looking for a non-fossil, zero-emission and sustainable energy source, as we must urgently now do, it’s difficult to see an obvious ‘silver bullet’

Management of childhood headache in the emergency department. Review of the literature

Headache is the third cause of visits to pediatric emergency departments (ED). According to a systematic review, headaches in children evaluated in the ED are primarily due to benign conditions that tend to be self-limiting or resolve with appropriate pharmacological treatment. The more frequent causes of non-traumatic headache in the ED include primitive headaches (21.8-66.3%) and benign secondary headaches (35.4-63.2%), whereas potentially life-threatening (LT) secondary headaches are less frequent (2-15.3%). Worrying conditions include brain tumors, central nervous system infections, dysfunction of ventriculo-peritoneal shunts, hydrocephalus, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and intracranial hemorrhage. In the emergency setting, the main goal is to intercept potentially LT conditions that require immediate medical attention. The initial assessment begins with an in-depth, appropriate history followed by a complete, oriented physical and neurological examination. The literature describes the following red flags requiring further investigation (for example neuroimaging) for recognition of LT conditions: abnormal neurological examination; atypical presentation of headaches: subjective vertigo, intractable vomiting or headaches that wake the child from sleep; recent and progressive severe headache (< 6 months); age of the child < 6 years; no family history for migraine or primary headache; occipital headache; change of headache; new headache in an immunocompromised child; first or worst headache; symptoms and signs of systemic disease; headaches associated with changes in mental status or focal neurological disorders. In evaluating a child or adolescent who is being treated for headache, physicians should consider using appropriate diagnostic tests. Diagnostic tests are varied, and include routine laboratory analysis, cerebral spinal fluid examination, electroencephalography, and computerized tomography or magnetic resonance neuroimaging. The management of headache in the ED depends on the patient's general conditions and the presumable cause of the headache. There are few randomized, controlled trials on pharmacological treatment of headache in the pediatric population. Only ibuprofen and sumatriptan are significantly more effective than placebo in determining headache relief

Ictal epileptic headache: When terminology is not a moot question

open7noThe relationship between headache and epilepsy is complex and despite the nature of this association is not yet clear. In the last few years, it has been progressively introduced the concept of the “ictal epileptic headache” that was included in the recently revised International Classification of Headaches Disorders 3rd edition (ICHD-3-revised). The diagnostic criteria for ictal epileptic headache (IEH) suggested in 2012 were quite restrictive thus leading to the underestimation of this phenomenon. However, these criteria have not yet been included into the ICHD-3 revision published in 2018, thus creating confusion among both, physicians and experts in this field. Here, we highlight the importance to strictly apply the original IEH criteria explaining the reasons through the analysis of the clinical, historical, epidemiological and pathophysiological characteristics of the IEH itself. In addition, we discuss the issues related to the neurophysiopathological link between headache and epilepsy as well as to the classification of these epileptic events as “autonomic seizure”.openParisi P.; Paolino M.C.; Raucci U.; Vecchia N.D.; Belcastro V.; Villa M.P.; Striano P.Parisi, P.; Paolino, M. C.; Raucci, U.; Vecchia, N. D.; Belcastro, V.; Villa, M. P.; Striano, P