Decarbonising maritime transportation is no simple undertaking. About 60 000 merchant ships trade internationally and sail the world’s oceans. They operate on carbon-rich fuels such as heavy diesel, with massive carbon emissions – and the industry has been under pressure to decarbonise faster.The International Maritime Organization (IMO), responsible for the environmental impact of ships, has adopted an ambitious target for the maritime industry – GHG emissions must be halved by 2050.In January last year, the UN agency further introduced IMO 2020 as a regulation – a rule that limits the sulphur in the fuel oil used onboard ships operating outside designated emission control areas to 0.50% m/m (mass by mass) – a significant reduction from the previous limit of 3.5%.Most shipping lines agree – the big goal is clear, but the route to achieve it is not. “What is beyond question is that shipping must fully decarbonise – and no one is suggesting otherwise,” said Bud Darr, executive vice president of maritime policy and government affairs for the MSC Group.Participating in an online conference on the subject, Darr said it was questionable how ready the shipping industry was to committing to a particular date to decarbonise. “That remains very speculative, but I think what is clear is that the industry is pulling together and collaborating to determine how we do this. My opinion is that there is no single answer as yet on how we are going to achieve these decarbonisation targets, but it will require our industry to have an open mind as a range of solutions will be required.”Berit Hinneman, who heads up decarbonisation at AP Moller Maersk, agreed, saying there was no silver bullet. A range of fuel solutions would have to be introduced to reach the targets.“But as carriers, we have no other option but to adhere to the call to decarbonise – especially in light of our customers increasingly demanding sustainable supply chains.”She said Maersk was on track to deliver the world’s first carbon-neutral liner vessel in 2023 – seven years ahead of the initial 2030 target, demonstrating that industry was fast-tracking attempts to decarbonise. The vessel would operate completely with green methanol, said Hinneman. One of the biggest challenges facing carriers remains around fuel. Sourcing an adequate supply of carbon-neutral methanol within the current set deadlines will not be easy.“We are pursuing several fuel options at present. We foresee multiple fuel solutions existing alongside each other in the future. We are looking at biofuels, which we are already using, green methanol and ammonia, although the latter still faces some technical and safety challenges.”Whilst green methanol has been identified as a viable solution for carrier vessels, the challenges around higher cost and adequate availability, however, persist.According to Dominik Schneiter, head of research and development at Winterthur Gas & Diesel, fuel lies at the heart of decarbonising. “It is not the combustion engines that are the problem but the fossil fuels that power them – and that is where we need to find solutions.”He said the company had research and development programmes into methanol and ammonia solutions, while it was also behind the powering of the world’s first container vessel with liquefied natural gas.FN4588SDWe foresee multiple fuel solutions existing alongside each other in the future.– Berit Hinneman “
