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VIEWPOINT
Shipping needs to make the leap to a new era of cross-industry collaboration, says Laurent Leblanc of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore
COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE
Laurent Leblanc Senior Vice President Technical and Operations, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore
Shipping is operating within a new normal. Even before covid-19 triggered unprecedented social and economic change, we were already dealing with the impact of IMO2020 and facing the challenges of transitioning an industry to actively prevent and mitigate the impacts of climate change. This era of multiple crises: a global public health crisis, a crewing crisis and the climate crisis all point to the need for increased collaboration in the face of great challenges. Only by working closely together and committing significant resources to joint endeavours will we be able to succeed as an industry. Shipping is facing global challenges. We need to decarbonise our entire operations (with the transition from analogue to digital a key cog in achieving that goal), while also adapting to new market economics. Whether it is choosing a pathway from the plethora of future-fuel options, or the often-complex array of technological innovations at shipping’s disposal, shipping needs clarity in its direction of travel.
ACHIEVING TARGETS
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has outlined its greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction targets for 2030 and 2050, which aim to reduce CO2 emissions, as an average across international shipping, by at least 40% by 2030, pursuing efforts towards 70% by 2050, compared to 2008; and that total annual GHG emissions from international shipping should be reduced by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008. These ambitious goals will not be achieved without a broad, collaborative industry effort. The sector must focus its collective minds on the fuels, energy and propulsion systems needed to supply the dense energy that ships need. To power ships today and for the immediate future, gas — principally LNG — represents the start of the transition as a viable alternative available for shipping to reach IMO’s 2030 targets, but more must be done. This needs to be led by fuel experts providing the research and insight
C L E A N S H I P P I N G INTERNATIONAL – Autumn 2021
