Sustainability News

Repower Surge Dealerships, service facilities and accessories manufacturers are carving out new niches with repowering projects

Owners of new and used boats are turning to repowering projects in surprising numbers, leading to increased market share for outboard manufacturers and accessories makers alike. “Worldwide, that’s our business,” says Steve Van Dyke, territory manager for Tohatsu America Corp. “It’s all about repowering.” Perhaps no company has picked up more sales through repowering than Suzuki. A little more than four years ago, Suzuki partnered with Mastry Engine Center of St. Petersburg, Fla., to start offering repower services. It has grown into 10 licensed facilities around the state that employ about 200 people.

Innovative device filters micro-plastics from engine cooling water

Suzuki announced what it says is the world’s first microplastics collecting system for outboard motors on Thursday as part of the IBEX Online virtual trade event. The system consists of an inline filter installed on the engine’s cooling water outflow, where it collects microplastics and other tiny bits of debris sucked in by the engine as it operates.

BATTERY VS. DIESEL: WHY WE NEED BOTH AS WE MOVE INTO A GREENER FUTURE

It’s the debate of the hour: Diesel or battery power? Here’s an honest answer: They’re two vastly different power sources, and there’s a time and place for each. This is a separate discussion from the renewable energy debate, as the electricity powering a battery engine could very well be sourced from a coal plant instead of a wind farm. Rather, this is a discussion of the various benefits and drawbacks of battery energy and diesel energy — and which is the better choice for various applications.

First hydrogen-powered yacht premieres in Monaco

What is being touted as the world’s first hydrogen-powered yacht designed by Hynova Boat premiered last week in Monaco during the Planetary Health Week Capital Yachting Experience. The French company launched ‘New Era’ from the La Ciotat Dockyard near Marseille on 18 September for the 124Nm maiden voyage for the show’s 21 September opening.

Sustainability Takes Center Stage for World Maritime Day

This year, the IMO has selected sustainability as its focus for World Maritime Day, centering its message on "sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet." The day's online conference event will showcase industry leaders as they reflect on their work towards a sustainable shipping sector.

Monaco electric boat earns prestigious environment solution label

Congratulations to Monaco electric boat company Lanéva for earning the ‘Efficient Solutions’ label of the Solar Impulse Foundation for their elegant, high performance dayboat. The Foundation is the creation of Bertrand Piccard, the man who co-led the team that completed the first solar powered flight around the world in 2017. He started the Efficient Solutions designation as a way to guide people to the best new ecologically oriented products and services and ‘boost the adoption of profitable solutions that protect the environment‘.

Ro-pax vessels achieve savings with FuelOpt propulsion automation

(GOTHENBURG, Sweden) — Ro-pax operators Color Line and Bohai Ferry have confirmed that fuel savings achieved through the use of Lean Marine’s FuelOpt propulsion automation system have exceeded expectations. FuelOpt achieves real-time fuel savings by controlling vessel propulsion and making sure that propulsive power is optimized automatically based on the set commands on power, speed, fuel consumption or a combination thereof. This removes costly variations in speed and power caused by human operational factors, allowing the vessel to achieve optimal fuel consumption at every given point throughout a voyage.

Canadian firm launches “world’s first” marine fuel cell module

Canadian company Ballard Power Systems has launched what it claims is the industry’s first fuel cell module designed for primary propulsion power in marine vessels. Its FCwave fuel cell product is a 200kW unit that can be scaled in series so that it can provide power outputs up to the multi-megawatt power level.

NEW ANALYSIS OF VW SETTLEMENT FUND PROJECTS SHOWS STATES MAXIMIZING CLEAN AIR BENEFITS WITH INVESTMENTS IN NEW GENERATION OF DIESEL TECHNOLOGY

Nearly $3 billion in funds set aside as part of the 2015 Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust settlement are being heavily invested in the new generation of clean technologies, and new diesel options are proving a popular choice that is delivering the bulk of environmental benefits, according to analysis by the Diesel Technology Forum and confirmed by other sources.

Volvo Penta Stage V

It may seem out of place, or out of time, to talk about Stage V just now that the EU moratorium has become official. Yet at Volvo Penta, where the wait for the Big Bang of electrification, scheduled for 2021, hasn’t waned, attention to reducing exhaust emissions is also, and above all, focused on the endothermic engine.