SCHIFFSTECHNIK | SHIP
SCHIFFSTECHNIK | SHIP TECHNOLOGY In the rescue operation to decarbonise shipping, what is needed above all, besides speed, is a joint approach »Everybody has to lean in« Decarbonization is probably the greatest challenge humanity has ever faced. No shipping company, not even the maritime industry as a whole can succeed without a broad collaboration of shipowners, managers, fuel suppliers, financers and customers Currently, 25 % of newbuild orders set to be fueled by alternative low or zero emission fuels. »It is a good start, but we now need to accelerate that. And we need a solid safety foundation, especially when it comes to new fuels that are so far immature in shipping, such as hydrogen and ammonia,« said Knut Ørbeck- Nilssen, CEO of DNV – Maritime recently at a DNV-organized expert conference on the future of maritime fuels. »This is where class societies haven an essential role to play – working with owners operators, regulators, shipyards and a diverse range of stakeholders to insure we can face an uncertain future with confidence.« The challenge that decarbonization and thus the development of new fuels poses is highly complex. Classification society DNV sees collaboration as the only way to drive the maritime industry towards a truly sustainable future, said Ørbeck-Nilssen, meaning »stakeholders coming together across industries, segments, disciplines and borders with a commitment to a common purpose. A commitment to solving the greatest challenge of our time: decarbonization. This is a task, that not one player, not even one industry can approach in isolation. You can’t do it alone and shipping can’t do it alone,« he said. Ørbeck- Nilssen compares it to a rescue operation at sea: »Everybody has to lean in. The future is uncertain, but our objective is not. It is not a competition or a race, it is a rescue operation.« Søren Toft, CEO at major container liner company MSC agreed: »It really requires collaboration and coordination rather than individual leadership. We probably need to see both,« he said, adding that »tackling climate change is not a nice-to-have, it is an essential and a license to operate in the future.« Toft believes that shipping must and can decarbonize fully by 2050. »Given that the economic live of a ship is typically more than 20 years, obviously we also need to start acting now, because we 26 HANSA – International Maritime Journal 03 | 2022
SCHIFFSTECHNIK | SHIP TECHNOLOGY »It is not a competition or a race, it is a rescue operation« Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV – Maritime © DNV while shipping volumes grow and emissions across the industry are increasing. »What we are trying to do right now is to make sure that emissions are decreasing relative per TEU or ton carried. That will not reduce the emissions in absolute terms. So, we must continue to do our part to mitigate the impact of climate change while we continue to operate responsibly meeting the increasing demand for global trade,« Toft said. MSC has reduced its relative CO 2 emissions by more than 44 % since 2008. »Improving the efficiency of our fleet will remain a key element of our strategy going forward. We are not saying: it is now net-zero fuels or nothing. No. For a number of years to come, continuing energy efficiency will still be very important.« »We cannot be in a situation where suddenly all our assets are obsolete« Søren Toft, CEO of MSC © MSC cannot be in a situation where suddenly all our assets are obsolete,« he said. Martha Lamp Sandvik, VP Ocean Industries at DNB bank, a partner of the Norwegian green shipping programme, observes a change in the way companies work in their effort to decarbonize as they have to rely on collaboration: »The industry is going from internal innovation to open innovation, that is incredibly positive.« She pointed out the advantages of being a partner in collaborative innovation projects: »You get to discuss risks and thoughts on a much earlier stage than you would if a project would be developed internally. It is risk reducing, it is cost efficient and it is a great way of testing thoughts and solutions.« Still, »future fuels« are – future, with only a few alternatives already available Action over perfect solutions »I just want to make the very clear statement: Yes, we need to develop future fuels that are net-zero. But we have to, in parallel, continue on the energy efficiency measures, because the ships we have today will continue to be in operation for years to come,« Toft was convinced. The company recently deployed air lubrication systems to about 30 newbuildings, that promise to cut 1.6 mill. t of carbon over the lifecycle of the ships altogether. MSC’s efforts also include an increased use of digital route planning, exchange with customers as well as regular robotic hull cleaning. In its fleet and order book the carrier tries to keep flexibility and make sure that the ships are ready for the future fuels. »We are studying different options including ammonia, methanol and hydrogen. The reality is that it may take years, maybe even a decade before we can propel the whole fleet with carbon neutral fuels. We are, at this point, not ruling out any option that will help us to decarbonize,« Toft stated. LNG will be an important transition fuel, he believes, be it in the form of »traditional LNG«, Bio-LNG or synthetic LNG. DNB manager Sandvik sees the bank as a »transition bank«. »Financers cannot exclusively focus on green solutions, they also have to finance the transition. There is a lot of emission reduction potential in companies that cannot be classified as »green« under the EU taxonomy today. Sustainable finance has to be inclusive,« she said. WE ARE READY FOR THE FUTURE FUELS. OUR PASSION. YOUR SAFETY. - since 1956 - HANSA – International Maritime Journal 03 | 2022 27
