With the worldwide call for conservation of the global environment getting louder than ever, discussions regarding the pollution of seawater and the atmosphere are gaining momentum in the maritime transport community, and this eco-mindedness is also reflected in the ongoing work of the IMO to formulate tighter rules. Connectedly, technological development initiatives focusing on environmental issues in the shipping and shipbuilding industries are rapidly increasing, and R&D attempts are made in many countries to address air pollution from NOx, SOx and CO2 emissions and ocean pollution by ballast water discharges. On top of these environmental problems, economic circumstances are also changing on account of soaring bunker oil prices, and therefore many ships have been developed embodying not only the fruits of R&D achievements but also new concepts in energy conservation technology that is directly relevant to CO2 cutbacks.
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