The decarbonization of shipping is an ongoing goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping to net-zero by or around 2050, which is the goal of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).[1] The IMO has an initial strategy. This includes the practice of lowering or limiting the combustion of fossil fuels for power and propulsion to limit emission of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Background

International trade of goods is primarily sea-based, followed by pipeline, air, and then rail/truck. Most sea vessels that transport goods use diesel or fuel oil, generating carbon dioxide. The maritime shipping industry transported almost 11 billion metric tonnes of cargo in 2022, which accounts for nearly 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions.[2] These emissions and potential oil spills can pose chronic risks to coastal regions, marine life, and ultimately ocean health in terms of pH and ecological diversity. A decrease in pH would make the oceans more acidic, lower free carbonates (which are a component of shellfish and corals exoskeletons/scaffolds), and decrease CO2 conversion to carbonates.[3] These are some of the environmental effects of shipping.

Issue

Since marine shipping moves nearly 80% of goods by tonnage and the trend of shipping is expected to double and may triple by 2050, decarbonization strategies are critical in tackling global warming and marine health.[4] Many major shipping entities have pledged to cut carbon emissions with the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.[5] An industry forum called the "Getting to Zero Coalition" has set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, which cannot be met by a single approach.

In 2021 the Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that governments and shipping industry leaders, such as Maersk, Mediterranean Shipping Company, and France’s CMA CGM "have shown interest in decarbonization projects."[6][7][8][9] In 2021 the European Union (EU) signaled "strong policy support for maritime decarbonization through their ‘Fit For 55’ (FF55) proposal, a package of 14 legislative proposals."[10]

Groups that represent more than 90% of the global shipping industry have called for a globally applicable carbon tax on the shipping industry's emissions, in order to provide financial incentives for implementation of new technologies, and provide necessary funding for research and development.[11]

A 2021 article states that extensive research and development is needed, as well as retrofitting and operational changes.[12] The rapidly changing industry response to decarbonization can be monitored in a weekly newsletter,[13] several conferences,[14][15][16] and a two day overview online course.[17] "Delay beyond 2023 would mean the future transition for international shipping is too rapid to be feasible," says Alice Larkin. "It has to be all hands on deck for international shipping now.”[12]

Proposed solutions

Various approaches have been proposed or implemented, such as the use of low carbon feedstocks (methanol, ammonia) or hydrogen and electrification with energy storage, construction of ships with lighter materials with high tensile strength, and digital operations for enhanced transport efficiency and container ship packing.[18] Some ships are partially automated with a skeleton crew to reduce the potential for human error, using telemetry based on ship onboard sensors, cloud computing, and machine learning or neural network-based decision-making.[19]

In larger shipping operations, a digital twin is created to simulate the trajectory based on real data from the actual ship, allowing operational managers to predict future scenarios and make decisions. These tools must be transparent yet safe to avoid hijacking and interference with other ships or transport, while also being low-cost for most operators to deploy and maintain.[20]

Electric ships are useful for short trips. Sparky, an "all-electric 70 tonne bollard pull harbor tugboat", is "the first e-tug of its type in the world." Sparky was christened in Auckland in August 2022.[21] The world's first hybrid tugboat, the Foss tug Carolyn Dorothy, began operation in 2009 in the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach.[22][23] The tour boat Kvitbjørn, ("polar bear"), operates in Svalbard, just a few hundred miles from the North Pole, piloting a newly developed Volvo Penta hybrid-electric propulsion system.[24] In June 2022, the Danish electric ferry Ellen made a record 90 km voyage on a single charge.[25]

Net zero fuels could be used,[26][27] for example in ammonia or hydrogen-powered ships. Green hydrogen and ammonia produced from zero-carbon electricity (solar or wind power), are "the most promising options ... to decarbonize shipping" in 2022, according to the World Bank.[26] Biofuels can be net-zero fuels if "the production of fuel removes a quantity of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere that is equivalent to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during combustion."[26][28] On July 21, 2022, Carnival's AIDAprima "became the first larger scale cruise ship to be bunkered with a blend of marine biofuel ... made from 100% sustainable raw materials such as waste cooking oil, and marine gas oil (MGO)."[29] As of April 2022, "ammonia, methanol and methane are viable deep sea shipping fuels, while compressed and liquid hydrogen are not", according to a World Economic Forum article.[30] The world's first hydrogen-powered tugboat was launched in May 2022, at the Astilleros Armon shipyard in Navia, Spain, and is scheduled to enter service in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in December 2022.[31][32] Dual fuels engines, fuel storage options, and retrofit readiness[33] are important to ensure adaptability.[30][34] Stena was the first shipowner in the world to retrofit a large vessel for methanol, converting its ro-pax Stena Germanica in 2015.[35][36] Stena is partnering with methanol producer Proman and with MAN Energy Solutions to retrofit engines for dual-fuel operation on diesel and methanol.[37][38]

Wind power is a traditional choice for shipping. Wallenius Marine is developing the Oceanbird, a cargo ship powered by wind that can carry 7,000 cars."[39] K Line is installing Seawing wind propulsion systems on five of its bulk carriers. The kite parafoils, which fly about 300 meters above the sea level, are estimated to reduce emissions by about 20%.[40]

Nuclear marine propulsion has been suggested to be the only long-proven and scalable propulsion technology that produces practically zero greenhouse gas emissions.[41] Small modular reactors for shipping are being investigated in South Korea.[42]

The European Investment Bank invests in port infrastructure to improve sustainability and reduce global transport chain emissions, including efforts that mitigate pollution from moored ships, such as shoreside electricity and ship garbage receiving facilities. Between 2018 and 2022, the Bank funded €1.3 billion on ports.[43][44][45]

References

  1. ↑ "Climate change: Shipping agrees net-zero goal but critics chide deal". BBC News. 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
  2. ↑ "Decarbonizing Shipping | UN Global Compact". unglobalcompact.org.
  3. ↑ "Decarbonizing maritime shipping". MIT Technology Review.
  4. ↑ Brennan, Chris. "Air, Sea, Truck, or Rail: What's the Best Shipping Mode in 2022".
  5. ↑ "IMO (2020) Work on GHG Emissions". IMO. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19.
  6. ↑ Reinsch, William Alan (2021-04-13). "Hydrogen: The Key to Decarbonizing the Global Shipping Industry?". Washington, D.C.: Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  7. ↑ Munoz, Tony (2021-05-31). "Decarbonizing Shipping: A Conversation with Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  8. ↑ Baker, Marcus. "Deep Dive on Decarbonization of Maritime Industry". New York, NY: Marsh McLennan. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  9. ↑ Mallouppas, George; Yfantis, Elias Ar (2021). "Decarbonization in Shipping Industry: A Review of Research, Technology Development, and Innovation Proposals". Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 9 (4): 415. doi:10.3390/jmse9040415. ISSN 2077-1312.
  10. ↑ ""Fit" for Decarbonizing Maritime Shipping: Improvements Needed to Fuel EU Maritime Proposal to Meet coZEV Corporate Climate Ambitions". Washington, D.C.: The Aspen Institute. 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  11. ↑ Josephs, Jonathan (2021-04-21). "Climate change: Shipping industry calls for new global carbon tax". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  12. 1 2 "Shipping Industry Needs More R&D to Meet Decarbonization Goals". Plantation, FL: The Maritime Executive. 2021-11-03.
  13. ↑ "Shipping Decarbonization Weekly Insights". Breakwave Advisors. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  14. ↑ "IMO-Singapore Future of Shipping Conference: Decarbonisation 2022". IMO. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  15. ↑ "3rd Decarbonizing Shipping Forum". www.decarbonizingforum.com. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  16. ↑ "SHIPPINGInsight Conference: The Unsung Heroes of Shipping's Decarbonization". ISACOL S.A.S. Ship Agents in Colombia. 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  17. ↑ "Decarbonizing Shipping (online training). Online blended learning training course that gives an overview of the realistic options that exist to meet the 2050 targets for CO2 reduction". DNV, Det Norske Veritas. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  18. ↑ "Home". Poseidon Principles for Financial Institutions. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  19. ↑ "Decarbonizing Maritime Transport (2018) International Transport Forum". 27 March 2018.
  20. ↑ McDonagh, Gray (2021). "Decarbonising ships, planes and trucks: An analysis of suitable low-carbon fuels for the maritime, aviation and haulage sectors" (PDF). Advances in Applied Energy. 1: 100008. doi:10.1016/j.adapen.2021.100008. S2CID 234247965.
  21. ↑ "Electric Tug Sparky Chistened in Auckland". Marine Propulsion. 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  22. ↑ "New Foss Hybrid Tug Steals the Show in LA". Professional Mariner. September 9, 2009. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  23. ↑ "Second Foss Hybrid Tug Headed to SOCAL". Marine Propulsion. 2012-01-19. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  24. ↑ "Svalbard Tour Boat Ushers New Technology—And a New Business Model". Marine Propulsion. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  25. ↑ "Danish Electric Ferry Completes World-record 90km Voyage on a Single Charge". Marine Propulsion. 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  26. 1 2 3 Islam, Roumeen; Englert, Dominik (2022-03-16). "Infrastructure Podcast | Decarbonized Shipping". World Bank. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  27. ↑ "Decarbonization of the shipping industry". CIBC Capital Markets. November 10, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  28. ↑ Brown, Jennifer; Casarotto, Edoardo; Debatin, Maximilian; Ritsch, Nicola (2021-07-01). "Zero-carbon shipping: A sea of opportunities for developing countries". World Bank. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  29. ↑ "Carnival's AIDA Cruises Makes Biofuels Foray". Marine Propulsion. New York, NY: New Wave Media. 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  30. 1 2 Bourboulis, Stamatis; Krantz, Randall; Mouftier, Lara (2022-04-11). "3 actions the industry can take to decarbonize shipping". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  31. ↑ "Hydrotug: World's First Hydrogen-powered Tug Launched". MarineLink. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  32. ↑ "Hydrotug: World's First Hydrogen-powered Tug Launched". Marine Propulsion. 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  33. ↑ Bourboulis, Stamatis; Krantz, Randall; Mouftier, Lara (2022-05-09). "Alternative fuels: Retrofitting ship engines". Global Maritime Forum. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  34. ↑ Premack, Rachel; Williams, Melissa (2022-08-11). "A Shell executive reveals how the energy giant wants to decarbonize the shipping industry". FreightWaves. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  35. ↑ Ajdin, Adis (2021-10-21). "Stena gets into the methanol retrofit business". Splash247. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  36. ↑ Haines, Chantal (2021-10-22). "Stena partners with methanol producer for wide-ranging retrofit solution". Marine Industry News. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  37. ↑ "Stena Partners with Proman to Develop Methanol Retrofit and Supply Solution". Marine Propulsion. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  38. ↑ "MAN, Stena and Proman Join on Methanol Retrofit Project". Clean Shipping International. 2022-08-11. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  39. ↑ Masterson, Victoria (2022-07-26). "From electric ferries to wind-powered boats: here's how the shipping industry can decarbonize". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  40. ↑ "'K' Line Orders Airseas Kites for Three More Ships". Marine Propulsion. 2022-07-20. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  41. ↑ "Shipping industry should consider nuclear option for decarbonizing: experts". S&P Global. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-11-06.
  42. ↑ "South Korean partnership to develop SMR-powered ships : New Nuclear - World Nuclear News". world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 2023-09-10.
  43. ↑ European Investment Bank (2023-08-17). Clean oceans and the blue economy Overview 2023. European Investment Bank. ISBN 978-92-861-5518-5.
  44. ↑ European Investment Bank (2022-06-28). Sustainable transport Overview 2022. European Investment Bank.
  45. ↑ Kwasniok, Ronja (1921-09-29). "European Investment Bank (EIB)". Changing Transport. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
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