Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to monitoring of naval vessels' exhaust gas emission.

Background of the invention

By January 2015, all naval vessels in the Emission Controlled Area (ECA) of the Baltic Sea, North Sea, English Channel and waters 200 nautical miles from the coast of US and Canada will need to reduce their sulfur emissions to 0.1%. Naval vessels will be required to either use a distillate, an alternate fuel, or install a scrubber that removes sulfur from the exhaust after combustion. The legislative requirements are laid down in Annex VI to the MARPOL (Marine Pollution) Convention. The MARPOL Convention also sets limits on nitrogen oxide emissions from ship exhausts and prohibits deliberate emissions of ozone depleting substances. Designated emission control areas (ECA's) set more stringent standards for SOx, NOx and particulate matter.

However, for countries with thousands of ships passing through international waters, but close to their national shores, it will be impossible to enforce or even spot check naval vessel's compliance with these regulations. Furthermore, the costs would be so prohibitive on a national level as to make it nonviable.

It is therefore desirable to provide a system for enabling enforcement of these regulations, and a method for enforcing these regulations. Summary of the invention

AIS (Automatic Identification System) is intended, primarily, to allow ships to view marine traffic in their area and to be seen by that traffic. The AIS signals are not directed to a specific receiver, but rather, can be received by any receiver within reach of the broadcast transmitter and technically capable of receiving the signals. This requires a dedicated VHF AIS transceiver that allows local traffic to be viewed on an AIS enabled chart plotter or computer monitor, while transmitting information about the ship itself to other AIS receivers. Port authorities or other shore-based facilities may be equipped with receivers only, so that they can view the local traffic without the need to transmit their own location. All AIS transceiver equipped traffic can be viewed very reliably this way, but is limited to the VHF range, about 10-20 nautical miles. AIS was developed as a high intensity, short- range identification, and tracking network; but it has been shown also to be detectable from space. The latter makes it very useful for the purpose of the present invention.

A first aspect of the present invention relates to the use of Automatic Identification System signal monitoring for regional, national, or global naval vessel exhaust gas emission monitoring; wherein an AIS signal emitted by an AIS transceiver/transponder comprises information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed.

A second aspect relates to a system for regional, national, or global naval vessel exhaust gas emission monitoring comprising:

- one or more satellites adapted for receiving an AIS signal emitted by a naval vessel; wherein the AIS signal comprises information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed;

- one or more ground stations adapted for receiving information from the one or more satellites; wherein the information comprises data on one or more naval vessels' exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed.

Without requiring specific satellites to be deployed, the proposed use and system according to the invention allows for a global coverage, based on existing AIS infrastructures, and produces reliable and enriched information about the naval vessels exhaust gas emission.

In one or more embodiments, the monitoring of the AIS signal is performed with a satellite and/or a naval vessel. In some situations, where satellite coverage is low, it may be an advantage to use other naval vessels for monitoring the AIS signal.

In one or more embodiments, the naval vessel performing monitoring relay the received AIS signal to a satellite.

In one or more embodiments, the system for regional, national, or global naval vessel exhaust gas emission monitoring further comprises a naval vessel performing monitoring, and wherein the naval vessel relay the received AIS signal to a satellite.

In one or more embodiments, one or more ground stations are adapted for receiving information from the one or more satellites and/or naval vessels; wherein the information comprises data on one or more naval vessels' exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed. Thereby, the received information may be stored at a central unit, and specific information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission for a specific emission control area may be distributed to the relevant authorities.

In one or more embodiments, the one or more satellites and/or the one or more ground stations, based on the information received in the AIS signal, are configured to estimate the time period the exhaust gas emission has exceeded a pre-set threshold value within a specific territorial water. This information is important in order to know how severe the specific naval vessels' emission has affected the environment; but also in order to know how grave the violation is.

In one or more embodiments, the AIS signal emitted by an AIS transceiver/transponder, comprising information regarding a naval vessel, is used to estimate the time period a naval vessel is present within a specific territorial water; and provided that the measured exhaust gas emission exceeds a pre-set threshold value for a specific time period within a specific territorial water, the estimated time period is used to calculate a fine or sanction. In one or more embodiments, the one or more satellites and/or the one or more ground stations are configured to use the estimated time period the exhaust gas emission has exceeded a pre-set threshold value within a specific territorial water to calculate a fine or sanction. In one or more embodiments, the data on exhaust gas emission comprises information on exhaust gas levels of NO _x , SO _x , ozone depleting substances, CO, CO ₂ , and/or O2.

A third aspect relates to the use of an Automatic Identification System transceiver/transponder for broadcasting data on exhaust gas emissions from one or more engines on a naval vessel. In one or more embodiments, the data on exhaust gas emission is synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed. In one or more embodiments, the Automatic Identification System transceiver/transponder is positioned on the vessel from which the exhaust gas emission is measured.

In one or more embodiments, the data on exhaust gas emission comprises information on exhaust gas levels of NO _x , SO _x , ozone depleting substances, CO, CO2, and/or 0 ₂ .

In one or more embodiments, the Automatic Identification System transceiver is positioned on a different naval vessel from which the exhaust gas emission is measured.

A fourth aspect relates to a system for measuring and broadcasting data on exhaust gas emission from one or more engines on a naval vessel comprising:

- a detection unit configured for detecting and identifying types of airborne solid, and/or liquid particulates and/or gases in the exhaust gas from one or more engines on a naval vessel; and

- a data processing unit comprising:

a) a processor configured for synchronizing the data on exhaust gas emission with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed, as a function of time, and

b) an AIS transceiver/transponder configured for transmitting an AIS signal comprising information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed. In one or more embodiments, the system further comprises a database for locally storing the information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed. This may be an advantage, if no satellite coverage is available, and no other naval vessels are within reach for AIS signaling. As soon as satellite coverage is restore, the information may then be transmitted.

Brief description of the figures

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a system for regional, national, or global naval vessel exhaust gas emission monitoring according to the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention

The general aspects of the invention is described in the following as a solution to how relevant authorities may obtain information about naval vessels' exhaust gas emission within a specific emission control area.

A detection unit configured for detecting and identifying types of airborne solid, and/or liquid particulates, and/or gases in the exhaust gas is mounted in the vessel's exhaust stack. The detection unit may comprise a probe sensor, such as a laser scattered light measuring device.

Nitrogen oxides are compounds of nitrogen and oxygen. They are important greenhouse gases and one of the compounds responsible for the generation of acid rains. Oxidized sulfur species, such as SO2, SO ₃ , and H2SO4, may contribute to the formation of aerosols and clouds in the atmosphere. Both nitrogen oxides and oxidized sulfur species may be present in the exhaust gas of naval vessels. Many techniques of laser spectroscopy may be used for NO _x and SO _x detection. Such techniques make it possible to detect the presence of a substance based on the phenomena of scattering, emission or absorption of optical radiation.

The detection unit further comprises means for analyzing the data obtained from the probe sensor. The means for analyzing the data obtained from the probe sensor may be connected to the probe sensor by wireless connection or by optical fiber.

The detection unit is also in communication with a data processing unit. The data processing unit comprises a processor and an AIS transceiver/transponder. The AIS transceiver/transponder comprises information about the naval vessels i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed. A GPS receiver may be incorporated into the AIS transceiver/transponder.

The processor is configured to synchronize the data on exhaust gas emission with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed, as a function of time. The synchronization is important in order to obtain information about the exact position, date, and time period the gas emission took place. The AIS transceiver/transponder is configured to transmit an AIS signal comprising information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission synchronized as a function of time with at least one of the naval vessels' i) geographical position, ii) direction, and iii) speed. Automated transmission of information regarding a naval vessels' gas emission is thereby performed without any personnel involved on the vessel. The information is received by a monitoring system. A schematic view of a system for regional, national, or global naval vessel exhaust gas emission monitoring according to the present invention is shown in Figure 1.

As can be seen in Figure 1 , information regarding a naval vessels' gas emission is transmitted from the naval vessel 1 , and received directly or indirectly by a satellite 2. The indirect route is via another naval vessel 3 that relay the AIS signal to the satellite 2.

The satellite will deliver the received information to a ground station. In this case, the ground station 4 is a data center that store all the information. Authorized users 5 will be able to access the data, depending on their defined role within the system. An enforcement officer will be able to look at data relating to their jurisdiction (ECA) or get a worldwide view of traffic and data. The system will show which naval vessels have the system installed; and all naval vessels with no system installed will be showed in special coloring, making it easy to detect non-unit-bearing vessels. The ground station will process the data, and identify the most polluting naval vessels in descending order in the ECA, or within any port in the ECA. The ground station will enable the enforcement officer to generate ad hoc reports, custom designed as need may dictate.

Specific information regarding a naval vessels exhaust gas emission, for a specific emission control area, may be also be distributed directly to the relevant authorities.