GLOBAL NEWS ROUND-UP

Smart Green Shipping’s (SGS) Winds of Change project to develop its groundbreaking FastRig technology has been selected as one of the recipients of £60m in funding from the third round of the UK government’s Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC3).

The funds will be used to develop a new UK-designed-and-built wing sail, a 20m high “FastRig” installed on board a vessel, bringing the maritime industry closer to efficiently harnessing wind power for propulsion.

This latest funding displays growing support for the FastRigs technology, which recently secured a £1.35m investment from MOL Drybulk Ltd (MOLDB) and Scottish Enterprise, building on the £1.8m grant from Scottish Enterprise last year, with £3.2m match-funded by the private sector.

The CMDC3 was announced in September 2022, funded by the Department for Transport and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. As part of the CMDC3, the Department allocated £60m to 19 flagship projects supported by 92 UK organisations to deliver real world demonstration R&D projects in clean maritime solutions.

Projects will take place in multiple locations around the UK,, from as far north as the Shetland Isles and as far south as Cornwall.

The CMDC3 is part of the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions’ (UK SHORE) flagship multi-year CMDC programme.

In March 2022, the Department announced the biggest government investment ever in the UK commercial maritime sector, allocating £206m to UK SHORE, a new division within the Department for Transport focused on decarbonising the maritime sector.

UK SHORE is delivering a suite of interventions throughout 2022-2025 aimed at accelerating the design, manufacture and operation of UK-made clean maritime technologies and unlocking an industry-led transition to net zero.

Making Connections

Accelerating digital development and evolving expectations are driving demand for maritime connectivity, presenting both challenges and opportunities for the global shipping industry.

The shipping industry needs to take a strategic approach to connectivity in order to meet its evolving business needs. This was the ethos of a interactive seminar on the state of play in the maritime connectivity market hosted by Inmarsat and moderated by Joshua Flood, co-founder and senior research consultant at Valour Consultancy.

The Future of Maritime Connectivity session explored the reasons for, and ramifications of, soaring connectivity demands in the sector.

Invited to provide their unique perspectives on the topic were Dr Phanthian Zuesongdham, head of division, port process solution and lead co-ordinator smartPORT, digital maritime and ITS, Hamburg Port Authority; Florian Liebetrau, director IT – marine and maritime operations, Hapag-Lloyd; and Marco Cristoforo Camporeale, senior director, growth markets, Inmarsat Maritime.

In his introduction to the seminar, Flood described the period since the onset of the covid-19 pandemic as “the perfect storm of conditions that would have caused adversity to many other industries, but created a real boom in the maritime connectivity market”.

With crew stranded at sea requiring connectivity to communicate with family and friends and to access entertainment, telemedicine and training services, the pandemic “propelled digital strategies forward by about five years”, he explained.

Emphasising Flood’s point while offering the shipowner’s outlook, Hapag-Lloyd’s Florian Liebetrau commented: “We generate a lot more data today than we did a few years ago, and we do a lot more with that data. Satellite communications were previously a peripheral element of our fleet operations but are now becoming a central component – in terms of both crew welfare and data collection and transfer.”

This trend is reflected throughout the industry, with Inmarsat’s Marco Cristoforo Camporeale revealing that maritime data consumption has risen almost threefold since before the pandemic and by 70% in the past year alone.

However, as the industry’s reliance on connectivity grows, so does the threat to cyber security: in the last 12 months, cyber attacks have increased by 80%, added Camporeale.

According to Dr Phanthian Zuesongdham of the Hamburg Port Authority, the issue of cyber security concerns not only onboard IT, but also operational technology (OT). “The equipment and components aboard modern vessels are more intelligent than ever, collecting large volumes of data and producing numerous insights,” she said. “This leaves ships more exposed to cyber-attacks, so there is a clear need for cyber-security strategies to apply to OT as well as to IT.”

While the advancement of maritime connectivity creates more vulnerabilities to digital threats, a robust network connection also provides a platform for effective cyber-security measures and solutions, explained Camporeale.

“Through our reliable, industryleading VSAT services, we deliver a solution that goes beyond compliance to consider every aspect of cyber security,” he said. “First, we segregate IT, OT and crew networks, then we deploy unified threat management to monitor and combat all threats on a single device. Finally, we provide crew with cyber-security training to further minimise risk.”

Another challenge associated with the growing demand for maritime connectivity is the cost and complexity of contracting more than one service provider for vessels that operate in various locations.

“One of the main concerns that we have is the integration of systems,” Liebetrau explained. “Having a ship operating around the world with multiple IP addresses and different connectivity backbones is expensive and complicated. Ideally, we would have one integrated product that allows the vessel to switch automatically to whichever technology is needed depending on where it is sailing.”

Camporeale acknowledged the need for an enhanced network as the solution.“Connectivity already brings a competitive advantage in areas such as crew recruitment and fuel efficiency,” he said.

“In a survey commissioned by Inmarsat, one in three seafarers identified onboard internet as the most important factor in deciding which company to work for, while digital technology has been shown to cut fuel consumption by up to 18% by leveraging the insights shipping companies collect from vessel and machinery data.”

“Shipping will need to connect and exchange more in the years ahead,” he continued. “The networks are becoming more sophisticated to meet this demand, while connectivity is the lifeblood of digitalisation in the maritime industry.

“Many technologies, such as voyage and port call optimisation, automation, condition–based maintenance, and other, are required to work together to deliver impacts that affect change in shipping. But when orchestrated and combined within an interconnected system, digital technologies can give rise to significant gains in efficiency, customer value, and profitability.”

Hst Unveils Hybrid

HST Marine, a subsidiary of Purus Wind, has welcomed the arrival of its second UK- built hybrid-electric crew transfer vessel (CTV), HST Frances, at a ceremony attended recently by Nusrat Ghani MP, from the UK Department for Business and Trade, and senior British maritime industry leaders.

HST Frances is HST Marine’s second hybrid electric CTV. The 25m vessels can carry 12-24 industrial personnel, and its hybrid electric propulsion system cuts fuel consumption by 30%, compared with similar CTVs powered by diesel engines. It follows the delivery of HST Ella in 2021, the industry’s first vessel of this type and recipient of the 2022 EMCAs Green Technology Award. Both vessels were designed by UK naval architect Chartwell Marine and built at UK shipbuilder Diverse Marine on the Isle of Wight. The HST Frances will also be British crewed for domestic projects.

“As wind power becomes an integral part of the net zero energy mix, the growth of sustainable offshore wind operations relies on strengthening the efficiency and environmental performance of their value chains. Meeting the rising demand for new, clean support vessels is part of the solution, and we are already taking a leading role on this,” says Tom Nevin, HST Marine CEO and head, Purus Wind.

Marine Energy Merger

BMS United Bunkers, Bunkernet, and SBI bunkering BV, all leading marine fuel supply companies, have announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement to create Baseblue, a provider of marine energy solutions.

This merger will result in a larger and financially more reliable company that can offer complete and dependable marine energy solutions to a much broader clientele. Baseblue will offer a wider range of services, including alternative fuels, emissions trading, and digital optimisation.

“Baseblue brings together the best of the three leading brands to deliver a more comprehensive bunkering management proposal in the market. We are committed to delivering real unrivalled value through tailormade services,” says Lars Nielsen, Baseblue CEO.

The new company will have offices in Greece, Argentina, Cyprus, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. It will aim to help its customers to navigate the transition to alternative fuels as the shipping industry aims to decarbonise.

“Baseblue can provide up-to-date knowledge and guidance on upcoming legislation, the availability and supply of alternative fuels to help businesses meet their emissions reduction targets. This comprehensive approach is helping customers switch to cleaner, more sustainable operations,” says Dave Gregory, managing director of Baseblue North Europe.

Biofuel For Freight

DB Schenker is expanding its green ocean freight services and has secured an arrangement to use 12,000 metric tons of biofuel component for all of its own consolidated cargo, less-than-container load (LCL), full-container-load (FCL) and refrigerated containers (reefer containers), from MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company .

The amount of biofuel purchased is enough to save an additional 35,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents (CO2e) along the entire production chain (well-towake) in the market. The equivalent of around 30,000 standard containers (TEU) may be shipped with netzero CO2 emissions, depending on how the fuel is used during navigation.

The purchase agreement signed recently represents one of the largest carbon insetting biofuel deals between a freight forwarder and a shipping company. It sets out the use of certified sustainable, second-generation biofuels –derived from used cooking oil – instead of conventional fossil-based marine fuel.

The 12,000 metric tons of biofuel component will be blended between 20 and 30%, resulting in approximately 50,000 metric tons of blended biofuel to be used in MSC’s container ships.

The agreement allows DB Schenker to offer its customers an off-the-shelf product that enables net-zero ocean transport. Biofuel can be used for regular ocean freight operations without adjusting a ship’s infrastructure or supply chain, making it a particularly convenient solution.

MSC Biofuel Solution is designed to be a win-win approach to move from ambition to action. MSC bunkers sustainable biofuel and clients benefit from the CO2 savings, passing them on throughout the shipping value chain. This differentiates the programme from carbon offsetting initiatives that focus on future emission reductions outside the shipping industry.