CSI Winter 2022

and

Service

Approvals

UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency

European Commission Directive 2008/67/EC of 30th June 2008, amending Council Directive 96/98/EC on marine equipment (4th Amendment) Annex 2, A2/2.1On board NOx monitoring and recording devices, MARPOL 73/78 Annex VI regulation 13 and the NOx Technical Code.

ATEX Protea P2000

Certficate Number: Baseefa 18 ATEX 0060X Markings: II 2 G Exdb IIBT* Gb

Certificate of Design Assessment Protea P2000

RINA Rules for the Classification of Ships - Part C “Machinery, Systems and Fire Protection”, Chapter 3, Section 6, Tab.1 and IMO Res. MEPC.259(68) Chapter 6 “Emission Testing” as well as the relevant requirements of Revised MARPOL Annex VI and NOx Technical Code 2008.

Lloyd’s Register - Type Approval Certificate

Protea P2000

Sub-Brand

T6 Ta -20˚C – +40˚C T4 Ta -20˚C – +60˚C

IEC Protea P2000

Certificate Number: IECEx BAS 18.0040x Markings: Ex db IIB T*Gb

International Association of Classification Societies

Concerning Electrical InstallationsIACS E10 Test Specification for Type

LR Rules & Regulations for the classification of ships (July 2014) LR Test Spec No.1 (2015)

IMO Resolution MEPC 184(59) - 2009 Guidelines for exhaust gas cleaning systems

IMO NOx Technical Code (2008)

MCERTS Protea P2000

MCERTS Performance Standards for Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems

Product Conformity Certificate No: Sira MC 050060/12

Sandra Speares

Editor,

Clean Shipping International

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

As the regulation drive continues, companies and organisations are coming up with solutions to reduce emissions in order to meet new targets. This has meant analysis of traditional working practices to see where improvements can be made.

This has led to some positive news stories. For example, engine manufacturer Wärtsilä announced in November last year that its customer Carisbrooke Shipping had made a saving of 600 tons of CO2 emissions since the beginning of the year using its fleet optimisation solution.

It will be important to maintain momentum over the coming years. This has been a problem in the past when new regulations have been mooted, but implementation has fallen by the wayside, or companies and organisations adopted a tickbox approach and failed to follow through on driving forward effective change.

As maritime companies come under pressure to prove that they are taking sufficient steps to make emission savings, technology has a major role to play in ensuring that systems’ efficiency is enhanced to the maximum. Companies need to be able to access full information about the voyages their ships make, and every step of the process from production to delivery of the product to the end user. This has meant an increase in collaboration between companies that would normally be in competition, although remain in competition in certain arenas.

Another question that remains on the table is which power source will ultimately win out. There have been many moves to ensure the flexibility of systems to take alternative power sources so that they will be able to shift from one to the other if necessary. There have also been moves by systems providers using liquefied natural gas (LNG), for example, to ensure a move to synthetic production of the gas in the future.

That said, pressures resulting from current market conditions mean that traditional fuels continue to be in demand. Dual fuel systems also offer a degree of flexibility, while low-sulphur solutions can be used as a stop gap while zero sulphur solutions are developed and targeted for investment.

NYK, for example, has set a long-term target of net-zero emissions of greenhouse gas by 2050 for the group’s ocean-going businesses and aims to launch zero-emission ships that run on low-environmental-load marine fuels, such as ammonia or hydrogen, in the future. In the meantime, it is positioning LNG as a bridge solution until future zero-emission ships are realised.

Developments in areas such as wind power also continue apace, particularly as global shipping implemented the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rules from 1 January 2023. Innovative marine engineering consultancy BAR Technologies and front-running green maritime technology provider Yara Marine Technologies have announced that the ‘first cut’ of the steelwork that will form the first production run of BAR’s pioneering WindWings has been completed.

Much will be riding on companies’ ability to adapt to changing market conditions. We hope that you enjoy reading about some of these new innovations and collaborations in this latest edition of Clean Shipping International

For anyone concerned about or responsible for the safe handling and storage of bulk materials in ports and on the sea Course Leader: Mike Bradley, Professor of Bulk and Particulate Technologies and Director of The Wolfson Centre, University of Greenwich

For anyone concerned about or responsible for the safe handling and storage of bulk materials in ports and on the sea Course Leader: Mike Bradley, Professor of Bulk and Particulate Technologies and Director of The Wolfson Centre, University of Greenwich

THE SCRUBBER MAKER

Our new U-Type scrubber system is weatherproof for outdoor installation adjacent to the existing casing/funnel. This enables substantial savings in installation cost and less than 14 days off-hire in most cases. The system is based on the well known open tower energy efficient design from our inline scrubber and comes with an identical easy-to- use control system with remote access.

WWW.PURETEQ.COM

CARBON CAPTURE

Our patented carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) and parallel production of hydrogen is unique, as it merges two operations in one combined process. The ESTECH technology provides cost-efficient capturing of carbon dioxide (CO2) and optimal Power-to-X integration between CO2 capture and hydrogen production all based on green electrical power with no thermal heat requirement.

Cost effec tive Continuous Emission Monitoring System for installation af ter the scrubber

MES 10 02 measures SO2 / CO2 direc tly in the exhaust pipe, which ensures fast and accurate measurement. It is eas y to install, requiring only compressed air, data cable and power. Crew inter vention and special training isn’t needed. Operational costs are minimum with few consumables

Key benefits

• Compac t In situ CEMS

• Onsite calibration per formed by crew in 10 min with one small bot tle of span gas

• Eas y installation, operation, and maintenance exclusively by crew

• Real-T ime measurements using UV and IR lights

• Covid19 has affected the maritime business and sending technicians around the world is not feasible anymore. MES 1002 design ensures easy onsite calibration and change of consumables on the CEMS can be performed by vessel’s crew on site.

• On site gas calibration performed by crew ensures less administrative tasks for the operator. There are no service technician hours, travel time or rental equipment invoiced. This guarantees low cost for operators on the SO2 / CO2 CEMS.

• MES 1002 is ideal for monitoring SO2 / CO2 gases at the outlet of the Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS) or Scrubber. It can withstand the harsh sulphury acid in the scrubber tower.

Don Gregory Director, Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems Association

IS DECARBONISATION THE RIGHT PATH?

The term decarbonisation is becoming a popular expression in the maritime climate change debate. It is simple to understand and, as such, can be universally recognised. Carbon is bad as it creates CO2 and we want less of that in the atmosphere. But as I am sure you all know, decarbonisation means the removal of all greenhouse gas (GHG) agents from the atmosphere and also those GHG agents that multiply the effects of GHG agents. An example of the multiplication factor is leakage of hydrogen into the atmosphere, which multiplies the lifetime of methane in the upper atmosphere.

So is it simply enough to discuss decarbonisation or is the focus on decarbonisation a distraction that risks failing to achieve the climate change goal, which is in the main halting the build up of CO2 and then taking active global steps to reduce the concentration in the atmosphere. Clearly, there are other climate change agents as mentioned above, but decarbonisation is principally about halting the increase in CO2 and then taking steps to remove it from the atmosphere.

The real challenge is how we go about tackling climate change. Decarbonisation makes the solution sound simple. Regulators love such simple slogans and simple descriptions of the solution or action needed. The reality involves human beings, habits, behaviours and prioritisation.

There are three key areas that the word decarbonisation and other simple slogans or solutions do not hit. They are:

» Ignore industry needs, behaviours or cultures at your peril.

» Perception and beliefs that overrule sound science and sound engineering will have a huge societal cost in stranded investments and delayed progress.

» Incremental reductions in GHG today will make tomorrow’s targets more achievable. You will all, I hope, have heard of wet scrubbers, or exhaust gas cleaning systems. Today, there are some 5,000 ships fitted with scrubbers to meet the regulated reductions in emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx).

Early scrubber work was undertaken by Shell in the 1990s and then followed up by BP in the 2000s. Selecting scrubbers as a solution to mitigating SOx emissions was not a backof-a-cigarette-packet calculation. At the time,

there were some industry associations such as Intertanko, calling for mandatory use of marine gas oil (MGO). Why? Because it was an easy option, but one that had not been analysed in any detailed respect.

The assessment at BP looked at all aspects of marine energy, including the options for future prime movers, energy supply infrastructure and cost, consumption of marine energy, the commercial drivers, and so on. It was effectively an assessment of industry behaviour and reasons for it.

Before the turn-of-the-century high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO), selection was driven by lowest cost energy source that was widely (globally) available. Other considerations included energy density, ease of handling on board, a relatively safe energy source and easily applied as a marine fuel. Ignore these requirements at your peril as it has not changed.

Refining HSFO to remove sulphur, the discontinuation of the supply of HSFO, the use of other fuels readily available – such as liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), methanol – and the application of emulsions and/or additives were all evaluated very carefully and holistically. The two-year study concluded what is still relevant today: all the other options had disadvantages that outweighed their respective low sulphur emissions benefits.

At the time, around 2002, low cost and widespread availability of HSFO used with an environmentally sustainable technology to mitigate or eliminate SOx emissions proved to be the ideal option. Bear in mind that at no time were SOx emissions and the general constituents of combustion of HSFO over the sea considered harmful. The scrubber simply short-circuited the natural cycle of SOx emissions to air and their subsequent washing into the sea by precipitation. The solution prevented SOx emissions precipitating on land, which was the driver back in the early 1990s for reducing emissions of SOx. Let us also be aware that emissions of SOx occur in nature both through biological events and earth events such as volcanic emissions.

I contrast the work done to address the SOx precipitation on land problem with the menu of alternative fuels solutions. There seems to be a paucity of alternative fuels and the

ones which we hear of lack any due diligence or research.

To remind you of the alternative fuels that are currently the only ones discussed;

» Ammonia

» Methane (actually it is normally not pure methane and has lots of other compounds included)

» Methanol

» Hydrogen

» Biofuels

As far as I can ascertain, none pass muster on the criteria of low cost, and wide availability. Add to that the dimensions of energy density, suitability for use on board ship and other considerations and these fuels fail miserably!

Are there no other options for a suitable energy source?

Today we know that cost continues to drive behaviours. Despite ‘green’ credentials, I can example that by the fact that very few dual fuel ships are now burning LNG due to its high cost. LNG is a classic example of ignoring industry needs, behaviours, and so on at your peril.

At the time in the early 2000s when it was reported to the EU that some 40% of the global fleet consume some

60% of marine bunkers, the wellto-wake CO2 footprint of HSFO was calculated to be between 5% to 20% less than an MGO. The figures were reported to the International Maritime Organization’s Secretary General in the cross-industry study he had commissioned.

The larger ships with large bunker consumptions have, in many cases, retrofitted scrubbers and many new builds today are fitted with scrubbers as standard. Those decisions have mitigated by at least 5% of CO2 emissions that would have occurred if instead of using HSFO the ships had burnt very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO).

If scrubbers had been universally adopted, the maritime industry would have already decarbonised by at least 5%. Scrubbers met industry needs and as a lucky by-product also significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared with low sulphur fuels.

The foregoing covers my first and third point regarding recognising and creating solutions that meet the industry’s fundamental needs and the outcome has been an incremental and early saving in CO2 emissions.

My second point relates to the worrying trend for sound science,

data, expertise and experience to be subsumed by perception and –may I say it without meaning to be demeaning – misguided beliefs.

There is a perception promoted by groups that are against the use of HSFO that scrubbers transfer pollution to the sea, simply shortcircuiting the atmospheric path. The truth is that the assumption is correct, but the perception of harm to the marine environment has not been verified or validated. I can speak on all the environmental assessments that have been done that have not indicated harm.

There is also a perception promoted that there are ‘dirty fuels’ and ‘clean fuels’.

What does dirty mean? Does it mean incomplete combustion? Does in mean soot, condensed organic vapours, or metal oxides? Does it mean laughing gas or hydrochloric acid? Does in mean cyanide? Does hydrogen in the marine environment burn totally clean with no toxic compounds?

The answer is all combustion has a preponderance to produce unwanted and sometimes toxic or harmful emissions.

“The maritime industry is hamstrung by emotional judgements driving business decisions. This is surely a recipe for financial disaster and the road map to failure when attempting to meet climate change challenges”

In the absence of nuclear or some non-oxidation process for creating mechanical power, we have to accept that all fuels are dirty. But we can deal with the various by-products of combustion by exhaust gas after-treatment. One of the very promising technologies uses electrostatic charges to charge particles and fluids to very effectively capture them, remove them from the gas stream and neutralise their harmful effects. Other technologies actually split the harmful, again neutralising the harmful effects of the compounds if released to the atmosphere.

Today, there is cost-effective technology that can reduce unwanted harmful emissions to almost zero, even when using low-cost HSFO which has the added lower CO2 footprint.

However, the perception pervades that scrubbers and HSFO are bad –despite no science or data to back the perceptions.

So, my second point is that the maritime industry is hamstrung by emotional judgements driving business decisions. This is surely a recipe for financial disaster and the road map to failure when attempting to meet climate change challenges.

Capturing some of the CO2 from combustion on board ship, known as carbon capture (CC), is now possible. Will perception and beliefs regarding scrubbers prevent this very effective solution from reaching commercial application? Scrubbers are needed to prepare the exhaust gas for CC.

Behaviours, beliefs and incremental solutions are much more likely to achieve the climate change goals than decarbonisation.

GLOBAL NEWS ROUND-UP

DNV recently hosted the Nordic Roadmap project’s inaugural conference at Høvik with speakers from across the maritime value chain providing insights on the topic of future fuels for shipping. The conference put the spotlight on the project’s latest research, with a sharp focus on concrete initiatives that will drive the decarbonisation of shipping.

Funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers and with strong regional support from all the Nordic countries, the Nordic Roadmap project is focused on establishing a Nordic co-operation platform to facilitate knowledge sharing, pilot projects, studies to build experience in new fuels, establish “green shipping corridors” and the enabling infrastructure.

Opening the event, DNV Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen stressed that the success of maritime decarbonisation hinges on close collaboration, trust and continuous learning: “No one player or industry can approach decarbonisation in isolation, nor is it a transition that can be done at the

same time across the globe. We have to start somewhere.

“In the Nordics, we have a tremendous opportunity to drive progress and set an example others can follow, with learnings that can be duplicated beyond our borders. As wealthy countries we have the resources and must exercise that responsibility.”

In his address, Sveinung Oftedal, specialist director, Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, highlighted the positive impact the project can have beyond the region: “With its strong traditions for cooperation, stable green policies and innovative maritime cluster the Nordics is ideally placed to lead the way in the decarbonisation of shipping. Through the Nordic Roadmap project financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, we will stimulate collaboration and innovation within the Nordic maritime industry to create solutions that will drive the energy transition forward.”

Karl Arthur Bræin, chief commercial officer at Amon Maritime, offered insight

Decarbonisation is firmly on the radar of the industry, with a raft of initiatives and projects that are helping the move towards net zero

into the company’s work with leading technology, commercial and financial partners, to realise the first ammoniapowered ships and ammonia bunker terminals: “We believe in building demand for ammonia early by showing producers that a maritime off-take exists. We hope this encourages the supply side to accelerate global production of green or blue sustainable ammonia.

To give the various stakeholders confidence that they are making the right business decision, we need predictable government policies. Contracts for Difference is an important tool to create price parity with traditional fuels, mitigate uncertainty and establishing a market for ammonia as a maritime fuel.”

Björn Garberg, national coordinator for domestic and short sea shipping at Trafikverket, delivered insights from a market study on green shipping corridors and underlined the important role governments can have in facilitating industry partnerships: “Dialogue with the industry is key to driving progress and build scalable solutions. No one wants to or should have to take on the whole financial risk that the energy transition brings.

Sharing the risk is the only way to success and at Trafikverket we are ready to play our part in helping industry stakeholders come together and form partnerships.”

SUSTAINABLE RECRUITMENT

Maritime HR, recruitment and executive search expert Spinnaker, has revealed the results of its 2022 shore-based salary survey, comprising 41,000 jobs in the industry.

The results show 192 jobs have either “environment”, “environmental”, “sustain”, “sustainability”, “governance”, “transition”, “carbon”, “ESG”, “Chief Environmental Officer” or “change” in the title.

While this number does not sound particularly high, the data reveals that 29% of maritime organisations have at least one role dedicated to transforming business practices towards a more sustainable approach. This is in contrast to just five years ago, when environmental, social and

governance (ESG) issues were mostly dealt with by marketing and PR departments rather than sustainability specialists. The maritime industry is making headway and taking action to prioritise sustainability, even if change is slow.

Teresa Peacock, managing director – executive search at Spinnaker, comments: “Although the numbers of sustainability-focused jobs don’t look high on the surface, progress is being made. On an almost weekly basis we have clients approaching us looking for candidates with sustainability experience and we’ve seen this kind of new-market dynamic before – think the dot-com era and the rapid growth of the liquefied natural gas sector.

“While the current holy grail is sustainability and maritime experience, there are only so many of these people to go round. This may explain the lower amount of dedicated sustainability jobs, as organisations must import people from other sectors, invest in existing people or poach from within the industry.”

The shore-based salary survey was prepared in October 2022, with responses provided by 88 shipping companies, comprised of Maritime HR Association members.

ANTI-PLASTIC CAMPAIGN

BIMCO has launched a campaign to raise awareness and help support the removal of single-use plastic bottles from ships.

Today, even if plastics on board ships are sorted, managed and discharged to shore in a proper way, mismanagement of waste on land means it can still reach the ocean. With up to 1.75bn plastic bottles a year being used on board ships, BIMCO believes removing unnecessary plastics is the industry’s best option to help remove a source that may end up reaching the ocean.

As a first step, BIMCO has partnered with Ocean Bottle on co-branded reusable bottles, which symbolise the change needed within the shipping industry; ships moving from singleuse plastic bottles to sustainable alternatives such as onboard water supplies or larger dispensers.

“We’ve learned from members who have successfully implemented initiatives to remove single-use plastics bottles from their ships that providing crew with a reusable bottle, alongside other actions, can make a big difference. More than half of the companies that recently completed a BIMCO survey are already providing such bottles,” says Dr Bev Mackenzie, head of intergovernmental engagement at BIMCO.

The organisation estimates that an onboard system is a quarter of the cost of providing water in single-use plastic bottles and can pay for itself in just one year. In addition, BIMCO evidence suggests that refills can save around 2,355kg of CO2 emissions per ship per year.

Refilling a bottle from a modern system also supports crew welfare as today’s alternatives provide good quality, safe and tasty drinking water.

“While solutions exist, we still have work to do and will be working with our members to support them in selecting onboard systems and bottles to best suit their needs. What we do know is that our industry’s small steps in phasing out single-use plastic bottles could have a big impact,” Mackenzie says.

Every bottle bought by BIMCO will fund the collection of 11.4kg (more than 1,000 single use plastic bottles in weight) of Ocean Plastic from the worlds most polluted waterways.

Plastic is collected by locals from some of the worst affected coastal communities, such as the Philippines, Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, India, and Indonesia, who then exchange the plastic for money or receive digital credit to swap for tuition, tech goods, healthcare, and micro-finance.

This infrastructure is made possible with help from partners Plastic Bank, Plastics for Change and rePurpose who set up collection sites and ensure transactions to collectors are secure through traceable technology.

The BIMCO/Ocean Bottle branded bottles will be distributed among key stakeholders, leaders, and volunteers over the months to come to help address single-use plastics on board and spread the campaign message.

GUIDE TO GHG

The International Chamber of Shipping has officially launched the first edition of an essential new guide to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships.

The guide will help decision makers chart their way through the major technical and operational changes required to achieve the reduction targets for 2030, agreed by the UN International Maritime Organization.

EMISSIONS TRADING

German shipowners have welcomed the provisional agreement on EU emissions trading for shipping agreed recently.

“We welcome the fact that the long phase of uncertainty about the concrete design of the EU emissions trading scheme and its application to maritime transport has now come to an end and that shipping companies will be finally able to plan accordingly,” says German Shipowners’ Association CEO Dr Martin Kroeger.

“However, with a view to achieving our ambitious climate targets, we are still of the opinion that an international market-based measure within the framework of the International Maritime Organization would be more effective.

“It remains important not to use the revenues from the EU emissions trading system to plug other holes in the EU budget. The revenues from emissions trading must urgently be used for research and development of alternative fuels and their market readiness,” continues Kroeger.

“Therefore, it is a positive step into the right direction that the industry’s position was followed in the negotiations and that it was agreed to earmark funds specifically for the shipping sector under the EU Innovation Fund.

“Achieving the goal of maritime energy transition will only be possible, if we can make a market-ready technology commercially viable as well as accessible to a broad mass of ships worldwide. As shipping does not produce fuel itself, we can only look for solutions together. In terms of the percentages of the phase-in period, we would have liked to have as shipping industry a little more leeway. But we also understand that in the end a compromise must always be found.

“The shipping industry will not be able to tackle the major task of decarbonisation alone. All stakeholders must be on board. European shipping companies are facing considerable additional financial burdens as a result of the EU measures. Shouldering this burden and remaining competitive at the same time is a challenge, which the shipping industry must not be left to deal with alone.”

The file on the revision of the EU Emissions Trading Directive has not

yet been completed. Since not only shipping, but also other sectors are being negotiated in this dossier, the final green light can only be expected within the coming weeks.

AVOIDING GREENWASHING

In a briefing by law firm HFW, Olivier Bazin and Jason Marett discuss how commodity traders and other users of commodity trade finance instruments can reduce greenwashing risks.

On the morning of 31 May 2022 German police raided the Frankfurt offices of German investment fund DWS and Deutsche Bank as part of a probe into allegations of greenwashing.

This followed an investigation by BaFin, the German financial regulator, and a probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US.

In October, HSBC was censured by the UK Advertising Standards Authority for making environmental assertions that omitted material information about its financing of activities that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

These enforcement actions are focused on prevention of fraud and investor protection in financial services and it is clear that trade finance is not immune.

As ‘green’ and sustainabilitylinked trade finance has surged in the past two years, so too have risks of greenwashing. Put simply, greenwashing occurs when a company falsely claims that something is greener that it really is. Everyone can agree that greenwashing is bad – it hurts investors as well as those companies engaged in genuinely ‘green’ or sustainable activities or financings. Ultimately greenwashing makes it harder to improve the sustainability of our economies because the legitimacy of genuine sustainability efforts is undermined, the company says.

Until recently there have been relatively few consequences for companies that engage in greenwashing. Industry players are now seeing an increasing risk of civil claims (eg from NGOs) or regulatory action against companies that make misleading green claims.

YARA MARINE: COLLABORATING ON GREEN FUTURES

As we emerge from COP27 with renewed determination to achieve our decarbonisation goals, it is imperative that we have buy-in from stakeholders across the supply chain. This includes building the right company cultures to nurture sustainability, writes Aleksander Askeland, chief sales officer of Yara Marine Technologies.

With 2022 drawing to a close, it is heartening to come together as an industry to review progress we have made over the last year. While there is clearly a great deal to still accomplish, shipping is already establishing clear progress on certain emission targets.

For example, incoming regulations such as the Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) will help us achieve emission reductions for operations. Meanwhile, EU ports

have shown renewed interest in the advantages of shore power, and discussion on the production, infrastructure and adoption of future fuels within maritime is proceeding apace. These factors all indicate that maritime is making progress in the collaborative journey to net zero.

However, while ambitions are underway to make decarbonisation feasible, adoption and familiarisation of greener technology and skills appear to be on a much slower timeline. While strong leadership may accelerate this timeline to an extent, leadership by itself cannot instill change from the ground up.

In short, we need the buy-in of stakeholders and individuals across the board to ensure that sustainability is here to stay – and I believe that company cultures will have a strong role to play in this process.

DESIGNING TECHNOLOGIES RIGHT

It is likely that renewed interest in environment, social and governance (ESG) across multiple industries –especially maritime – is the result of recognition of the interlinked nature of these elements, leading us to refer to it as a singular concept: ESG. We cannot talk about infrastructure, fuels and technology without acknowledging that workers in these sectors will determine the final uptake of these fuels and technologies. Their comfort and understanding of change will impact whether vessels are able to run efficiently and smoothly, and changes to this process will inevitably lead to long term market shifts and pressures.

In other words, upskilling and the Maritime Just Transition task force must underpin maritime’s

“We need the buy-in of stakeholders and individuals across the board”

Aleksander Askeland, CSO, Yara Marine Technologies

evolving relationship with ESG and decarbonisation.

This global workforce upskilling must be safety-led, equipping workers to handle our wide variety of vessel types, ages and operating contexts. Seafarers and shore-based staff will be expected to keep pace with rapidly changing regulations, fuels and technologies, making ease of use a critical factor. Speaking as a green technology provider, smart equipment cannot deliver its intended purpose unless it caters to the needs of the human element.

We will need to find ways to streamline design so crew can easily understand how best to use these systems to lower emissions, harness all available functions and deliver results. At the end of the day, each piece of new technology has a learning curve before anyone can operate it as per design specs for maximum efficiency. Therefore, building an additional timeframe for familiarisation and ensuring simplicity will vastly increase accessibility of the technology for crew, and lead to the best possible results.

CULTIVATING COMPANY CULTURES

For people to succeed in their jobs, they must work in supportive environments – and values must permeate every level. But building grassroot commitments to sustainability cannot stop there – it must also be part of our company cultures across the board. Organisations must account for the needs of seafarers and shore-based staff throughout their processes, so that we are collectively doing right by the people driving our industry.

This ethos is something we truly embrace at Yara Marine Technologies. Our awareness that our goals as a green technology provider are largely in line with the needs of our workforce, goes beyond the creation of a compelling ESG strategy or marketing our solutions: it is a core value that underpins every decision we make and action we take.

There can be no doubt that addressing climate change will be part of the lived experience of everyone across the globe, including our current

and future workforces. Therefore, our calls for action and our drive to make real change are also an investment in the continued safety and quality of life of our own colleagues – as well as of our families and friends.

We also acknowledge the important role that our own workforces play in creating industry-wide change, which will have global impact. The ability to design technologies and solutions that will deliver maritime’s decarbonisation transformation is no small feat and requires foresight, project planning, discussion, testing and the flexibility to see goals for greener operations evolving over time. These values must be nurtured if they are to take root and prove fruitful in a challenging, fast-evolving environment.

LEADING CHANGE TOGETHER

Collaboration is the most important ingredient in the formula for successful change. The actions of a single entity are usually limited, but when partners work together, the efficiencies of scale combined with the diversity in approaches can deliver robust results. More importantly, it also delivers trust and shared values.

The low-carbon future of maritime is collaborative and connected, relying on long-term partnerships to deliver insight into ongoing operations and facilitate knowledge sharing. This will prevent different groups from wasting resources by reinventing the wheel and speed up both the pace of technology and its acceptance across the sector.

Nurturing relationships with our internal teams and external stakeholders (such as customers, partners, regulators and even some of our competitors) will plant the seeds of a brighter future for maritime. And – given its role as the primary means of global trade – will ensure that maritime can deliver the materials and goods needed for nations to meet their commitment to the Paris Climate Accords and prevent global warming from impacting every living being on this planet.

Change is never easy, but we can shape the direction that the future takes. For our team at Yara Marine Technologies, we stand ready to do the best we can with the resources we have today. We hope you will do the same.

For more information, visit: yaramarine.com

SCUBBERS UPTAKE SLOW BUT SURE

What is the market for scrubbing technology in the coming years? According to Anders Skibdal, chief executive of PureteQ, the market for scrubbing technology “practically died during the pandemic”. The main reason was the low spread between high sulphur fuel oil (HSFO) and compliant fuels. As the world began reopening, the price span became more in favour of scrubbing technology and “with the war in Ukraine the price span went ballistic – but so did freight rates”.

Today, he says, the price span is still in favour of scrubbers, but still relatively few orders for new scrubber systems have been placed. There is, however, a steadily increasing demand for quotations and feasibility studies for installing scrubbers for all types of ships – even smaller ships.

“Owners that have not presently installed scrubbers are now considering reducing operating expenditure by installing scrubbers. Charterers are pushing

shipowners to install scrubbers and multiple negotiations are ongoing to solve the cost of installing them.

“Freight rates have been very favourable in most segments of shipping, but in containers freight rates are now more realistic, thus this segment is beginning to opt for scrubber systems.”

Skibdal says a “perfect storm” has hit the world, with war in Europe, growing inflation, lack of workforce and market volatility. “We see growing consumption of fossil fuels all over the world. This is not going to make a green/clean transition any faster, as people have other priorities.

“Hence many shipowners are beginning to realise that the new fuels with reduced carbon, such as methanol, are not going to be available for shipping in scale for years to come.”

Furthermore, he says: “The cost of these new fuels is going to be very high and the lower energy density requires expensive modifications. With the carbon intensity indicator (CII) being implemented and most

Use of exhaust gas cleaning systems continues to be a major part of investment by shipping companies – despite the setbacks of the last year or so

ships reducing speed, owners and charterers are forced to look for ways to reduce costs.“

The best solution is, of course, to reduce energy consumption, by implementing the various energy saving technologies that are already on the market, he explains.

Sails, wings and solar panels are favoured as they have an immediate impact on the CII and may prolong the number of years at a ‘C’, or even better, rating, as this is based merely on calculation and not actual performance.

Scrubbers are not favoured by these calculations, but do create a much bigger real saving on fuels, he explains.

New fuels also require exhaust cleaning. Methanol will require some technology to clean for particle emission and “a scrubber is a perfect conditioner for wet electrostatic precipitation”, Skibdal says.

Ammonia, meanwhile, emits much higher amounts of nitrogen oxides, which also must be cleaned. Both fuels require a huge portion of pilot fuel, which most probably will be fossil and therefore require cleaning, he says.

The biggest future use for scrubbers is as a pre-treatment of exhaust gas before carbon capture. Scrubbers have transformed into absorbers, which in turn are used for any kind of solventbased carbon capture.

“The prospect of onboard carbon capturing (OCC) is promising. OCC

technology does not exist in any scale yet, but many companies including PureteQ are in the development phase and once the infrastructure is in place, I am sure that development will speed up,” he concludes.

SAFE BULKERS ADDITION

Greek shipowner Safe Bulkers has put in an additional order for Alfa Laval’s PureSOx exhaust gas cleaning system for ships in the fleet.

In recent years, Safe Bulkers has retrofitted Alfa Laval PureSOx exhaust gas cleaning systems on 20 of its bulk carriers. The company has just installed its 21st PureSOx scrubber, and four more retrofits are scheduled through the first half of 2023.

Safe Bulkers is expanding the retrofit programme for exhaust gas cleaning within its fleet. Having now retrofitted an open-loop PureSOx system on MV Pelopidas, the company will retrofit equivalent systems on four capesize bulk carriers: MV Aghia Sofia, MV Lake Despina, MV Maria and MV Michalis H. Alfa Laval’s deliveries for the vessels, which are each roughly 180,000DWT in capacity, will extend to April 2023.

“When we first made the choice to retrofit Alfa Laval PureSOx systems in 2018, we were convinced that it was a good investment,” says Dr Loukas Barmparis, president of Safe Bulkers.

“Today’s increased price difference between low-sulphur and high-sulphur

fuel shows that we were correct. We are protecting our margins in a time of uncertainty while simultaneously protecting the environment. Through comprehensive sampling of effluent washwater from open-loop scrubber systems, independent laboratories using Environmental Protection Agency or International Organization for Standardization methods have shown that there is little or no impact from the washwater concentrations.

“Retrofitting large equipment like a scrubber will always involve challenges,” says Barmparis. “What makes the difference is the supplier’s commitment to finding a solution. Having already done 21 retrofits with Alfa Laval, we can say with confidence that the cooperation works – just like the PureSOx technology. Both the support and the results are consistently excellent.”

To take full advantage of the partnership, Safe Bulkers has an Alfa Laval Service Agreement in place for its PureSOx systems. Comprising spare parts packages, sensor exchanges, connectivity and more, the agreement will now be expanded to cover the additional vessels.

“We take no chances with our compliance at Safe Bulkers,” Barmparis concludes. “Service is an important safeguard, and we know that we can rely on Alfa Laval’s expertise. The support we receive means that we can always be certain of fulfilling our obligations.”

EXYTE ACQUISITION

Exyte has completed the acquisition of Airgard, a US-based specialist in exhaust gas cleaning technology.

Airgard is a market leader in the development and manufacturing of wet scrubbers, which are used globally by many key players in the semiconductor industry.

“The acquisition of Airgard will strengthen Exyte’s position to support our customers with technical solutions for their exhaust management, also in light of the increasing standards that come up with environmental, social and governance regulations and requirements,” says Dr. Wolfgang Büchele, chief executive of Exyte.

PureteQ Scrubbers are a bridging technology for onboard carbon capturing

PURETEQ: THE SIMPLE SOLUTION TO A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

PureteQ has designed, delivered, and commissioned built-to-fit maritime scrubber systems for ships since 2014. Today our scrubber programme handles a load of up to 100MW. All scrubbers come with optimised design and our well-known, userfriendly control system with real-time remote access. We still design the smallest scrubber in the business, we have proven shorter installation time and we offer an easier-to-use product with lower maintenance cost. Energy performance is superior due to the patented hydrodynamic fluid distribution system that allows for no interior obstructions.

HOW TO CHOOSE A COST-EFFECTIVE SCRUBBER DESIGN

It has become ever-more complicated to choose a scrubber design to match the ship’s actual trade pattern. The most important factor for many shipowners is capital expenditure (CAPEX), but once installed, operating expenditure (OPEX), technical performance and after-sales support become important factors.

CAPEX: in principle, there are three costs that comprise the total cost of installation:

1. Cost of the scrubber system, including main components

2. Cost of installing the plant, including cabling and piping, as well as structural work

3. Cost of off-hire

When selecting which maker or design is the best for the vessel, one should always consider the total installation cost and not merely individual costs. Because of high freight rates, the off-hire costs are, in many cases, by far the highest cost when installing a scrubber system. It is therefore of outmost importance to choose a scrubber design that is easy and fast to

install and requires minimum changes to existing structures.

OPEX: the highest cost is fuel consumption of operating the seawater pumps, zero-leak air fans and other scrubber-related equipment. First priority should therefore be to evaluate the energy efficiency of the scrubber system – not only what has been said by the manufacturer when negotiating the contract, but also that the scrubber maker measures and reports the energy consumption, hence providing proof of actual power consumption at various loads. So far, there are just three scrubber makers in the world that measure energy consumption. The second priority is to ensure that the scrubber maker has been diligent when choosing components with the

lowest possible life cost – not just the cheapest purchasing price.

Technical performance: the first priority is to ensure that the scrubber system can regulate automatically for the lowest possible energy consumption at various loads, matching the trade pattern of the vessel. Some brand designs have constraints on how much the waterflow can be regulated and still clean the gas. Other brands have constraints in the functionality of the software, which is not easily fixed. Most scrubber makers have outsourced software to third-party suppliers, which do not always understand the needs on board a ship.

At PureteQ, we take great pride in having the most advanced software

An installation of a scrubber tower. PureteQ’s scrubber programme can support ships of any size or trade pattern and handles a load of up to 100MW

developed and supported in-house by our proficient engineers. Most of the time, it is not necessary to be in physical attendance as many issues may be supported or fixed remotely.

Additionally, the PureteQ system is designed to automatically upload data to a cloud-based platform for optimisation and reporting of system performance across your scrubber fitted ships to provide peace of mind to shipowners and operators.

Choice of scrubbers: one should not choose a specific brand of scrubber for the wrong reasons. If a system promises new features such as onboard carbon capture, be sure to ask the cost per ton of CO2, as well as the amount of CO2 being captured, and energy consumption of such a system. Most scrubbers may be retrofitted with a carbon capture feature when such technologies become readily available for energy efficient onboard carbon capturing and the infrastructure for handling CO2 becomes available. A SOx scrubber is considered a pre-requisite for installing any kind of solvent-based carbon capture.

After sales support: today, PureteQ is by far the world’s largest service provider for all brands of scrubbers. PureteQ has offices in Europe and Asia and from there, our trained marine engineers are dispatched from the nearest location. In Japan and Singapore, we have moved from shared offices to our own facilities with better equipped and larger offices, training rooms and workshops. We have facilities to refurbish cells and sensors in both locations, as well as in Europe, and the service business is steadily growing.

During the past quarter, PureteQ has added more than 100 scrubber-fitted ships to our client list and many more are following suit to save costs.

VIEWS OF THE FUTURE

It is by now evident that focus has moved from pollution towards climate change and almost all shipowners of any size have pledged to a zerocarbon future.

Recently, it was decided to include shipping in the European Carbon Trading System, providing further incentive to buy new fuels or

invest in on-board carbon capture. Implementation of carbon intensity indicator (CII) have by now caused many shipowners to invest in energy saving technologies to prolong life of existing assets, such as air lubrication, solar panels, rudders, new paint, sails, and foils.

The majority of existing ships will be forced to lower their speed by derating engines, which in turn means less trade and further focus on saving costs. The cost of energy in any form is very high, and the spread between high sulphur fuel oil and compliant fuel is consistently high.

Furthermore, shipowners realise that it may take some years before alternative fuel and on-board carbon capture technologies become available for shipping.

We therefore see that the scrubber market has gradually been picking up again. Even owners who have not previously invested in scrubbers are now requesting quotations for scrubber systems. Some owners are being pushed by charterers who want a lower operational cost of the asset. The trend is still to request open-loop scrubbers, as most of the fuel is consumed at high sea. It is also a trend to go for simple-to-use and fast-to-install scrubber systems.

In view of the scarcity of energy, it is of great importance that we all become more energy efficient and make use of whatever technology is available to reduce climate change. PureteQ Group is committed to continuously invest a major part of our earnings in R&D to provide optimisation of existing technologies, as well as new technologies within the fields of carbon capture and power-to-x.

For more information, contact: Anders Skibdal, CEO PureteQ Group

Tel: + 45 4017 1400 Email: anders@pureteq.com pureteq.com

PureteQ WMS013 includes a user-friendly control system with software enabling retrofit to existing EGC systems. We offer our clients free-of-charge cloud-based software for environmental performance reporting and optimisation of scrubbers across fleets

CR OCEAN: A SILVER LINING IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM

It would seem as if one cycle of bad news morphs into another one in what appears to be a never-ending spiral of violence, wars, health, and economic worries. And yet some of us manage to find hope: We’re making strides in protecting our oceans, a vital resource of unlimited need but limited life.

Protecting the ocean environment was the raison d’être of the MARPOL convention, which since 2010 has implemented a series of protocols that have ended in the actual reduction of Sulfur emissions, which has meant cleaner air for millions of people who live in and around coastal areas.

Given that shipping traffic ranks high in the list of polluters, how is MARPOL managing this monumental task? By setting strict standards and allowing multiple choices to ship owners. Use premium, Low Sulfur Fuel, or use exhaust cleaning technology. As additional benefits to using exhaust gas cleaning technology (scrubbers), dangerous particulates have been reduced and exhaust gas has been prepared for future decarbonization technologies.

At CR Ocean Engineering we have been doing our share in helping industries and the environment since 1917 with various innovating technologies including exhaust scrubbers. As part of that history, the CROE team has been manufacturing scrubbing systems for many decades, gaining valuable experience that forms the basis of today’s CROE system.

Our scrubbers are available in three standard configurations, customizable to a ship’s requirements:

» Open-loop (hybrid ready): once through scrubber using sea-water

» Closed-loop: a recirculating scrubber using freshwater with caustic

» Hybrid: a combination of both designs for maximum flexibility CROE Scrubbers normally replace the silencers, are small in size, have compact configuration and have flexibility of design.

Some of the features of the CROE scrubbing systems include:

» Option of bottom entry I-Type, side entry L-Type or our U-Type entry

designs to better fit any funnel configuration and simplify engine exhaust gas duct with or without a bypass.

» Strategically configured exhaust gas inlet and scrubber drainage to eliminate any potential water backflow to the engine.

» Eliminated circulation water storage from bottom of scrubber vessel to a separate tank at a lower elevation to reduce weight at the higher elevations, improving stability.

» Alloy construction (external and internal) to extend the life of the system and to allow the exhaust gas to travel through the scrubber system at high temperatures in case of dry-run conditions without a bypass.

» Used proprietary internals designed specifically to increase contact area with lower liquid flows to save on typical pumping costs associated with some scrubber designs.

» Proprietary Caustic-Assist™ feature for Open-Loop assist operating in low alkalinity areas.

CROE© scrubber at the factory

Nick Confuorto, Senior Advisor

The CROE design has proven to be very reliable and effective for the clients.

While until recently, the primary focus for the CROE sales team has been the 0.1%S and the 0.5%S regulations on fuel sulfur content (as issued by IMO effective January 2015 and January 2020 respectively), the CROE research team has been busy developing new technologies for fine particulate reduction (PM<2.5µ), black carbon reduction, CO2 capture and sequestration and a totally new dry system that will eliminate wash water discharge.

While a handful of ports have implemented restrictions on the use of Open Loop Scrubbers, several independent studies that have shown that this discharge is not harmful to the sea nor to the sea life. To avoid conflicts on this issue, CROE partnered with Oberlin Filter to provide an easily-integrated wash-water filtration system to remove sludge in a non-hazardous dry form, streamlining the process to discharge cleaner water filtrate back in the body of water.

Furthermore, the use of scrubbing systems has a much smaller carbon footprint than using low sulfur fuels such as VLSFO and MGO. Additionally, burning Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (LSFO) increases the overall fuel costs for the vessel. Using low sulfur fuels, an already scarce commodity, will increase, rather than decrease, the ship’s environmental impact for CO2 and the very dangerous PM<2.5.

At CROE, we’ll continue helping our clients by speeding up yard work, reducing processes to the maximum. To this end, our new designs can be installed outside of the ship’s funnel and allow for greater prefabrication prior to the ship arriving at the site.

So those are the good news –good news in a sea of turbulence. And this protection of our oceans couldn’t come in at a better time. Because the world will always need shipping. Clean shipping will help save lives while making life better for all.

For more information, contact: Dominique Philibert, President & COO Telephone: 1 (973) 455-0005 ext. 123 Email: dphilibert@croceanx.com croceanx.com

CR Ocean Engineering, LLC is headquartered in New Jersey, US

“Protecting our oceans remains a priority”

CROE© scrubber being delivered

CROE© scrubber installation

WELCOMING THE NEW WAVE

A picture is emerging of the ships that industry newcomer Northern Xplorer believes will support a new style of cruising, based on immersive, enriching experiences for discerning guests who are committed to responsible travel with a minimal footprint. The NX slogan ‘Destination Discovery’ has been coined to express the type of exploration cruise that relishes interacting with local peoples, cultures and landscapes, rather than simply watching them slide by.

“As well as delivering a great passenger experience, we want to make a positive contribution to the local communities we visit,” says Rolf André Sandvik, CEO at Northern Xplorer.

One key to achieving this goal has been “sensibly sized” ships that can travel into fjords and rivers, and reach destinations not visited by traditional river cruises or oceangoing vessels, he says. “We respect there will always be a market for big vessels, but for those people who want something new, more up close and personal, and that

they can feel good about – that’s what we are offering.”

NX’s ultimate objective is a series of 14 identical sisterships accommodating 250-300 passengers in 125-150 cabins served by up to 100 crew. The first is planned to be operational from 2024/2025. The 130m-long, 22m-beam design has been developed by Norwegian ship design specialists Multi Maritime AS, an expert in designing ships for the harsh Nordic environment. The hull has been carefully calibrated for optimal stability and performance.

Harnessing hydrogen

New regulations introduced in 2018 by the Norwegian government stipulating emission-free maritime traffic in Norway’s world-heritage fjords from 2026 provided the kickstart for NX, Sandvik says. “It opened a market opportunity not covered by the major cruise lines, and we are filling it.”

Starting with a clean slate is advantageous for any owner, but the NX leadership team also brings considerable

Norwegian cruise company Northern Xplorer (NX) aims to make a splash with sustainable cruising for thinking travellers, using eco-friendly ships powered by batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, as CEO Rolf André Sandvik explains

Rolf André Sandvik CEO, Northern Xplorer

© Mark Fuhrmann, Blue-C

experience to the table. With a track record including NCL and Crystal Cruises, for example, Sandvik founded The Fjords, based in Flåm in western Norway, in 2014. As CEO he ushered in a new era of environmentally friendly sightseeing, after The Fjords commissioned a series of groundbreaking hybrid-electric vessels. The first, Vision of the Fjords, went on to win the “Ship of the Year” award at Hamburg’s SMM trade fair.

Scaling up

NX represents the next step of a personal journey to green the waterborne tourist industry, says Sandvik. “Scaling up what we seeded at The Fjords to sustainable cruising on brand-new vessels compliant with the strictest global regulations is the best way to show environmentally conscious visitors the amazing nature and culture of the Nordic countries.”

The new ships will be powered by a combination of type-approved hydrogen fuel cells and batteries charged with clean shore power when in port.

“ABB, with whom we are cooperating, is already well advanced in the collaborative development of fuel cell systems, and has wide experience in integrating energy storage,” says Sandvik.

“Operational efficiency and safety have been our top priorities, with full redundancy built in. This combination, together with Azipod® propulsion units, ensures excellent energy efficiency while substantially cutting noise and vibration, improving passenger comfort and minimising disturbance to the marine environment.”

The only by-product of burning hydrogen is water, which can in turn be reused on board. The NX ships will not be spending long periods at sea, reducing the space required for hydrogen storage.

One key challenge for NX is that maritime regulations addressing hydrogen-based propulsion systems are not yet in place. “Using the International Maritime Organization’s alternative design procedure we can absolutely solve this challenge with the support of forward-leaning class associations and the Norwegian

Maritime Authority, which is very results-orientated,” says Sandvik.

Huge steps are being taken in the formation of a hydrogen supplychain ecosystem in Norway, he adds.

“The build-up of both hydrogen and marine battery production is robustly backed by the goodwill of the Norwegian authorities. Shore charging infrastructure and technology is also already well developed for batterypowered ferries, where Norway leads the world in innovation.”

NX has already signed letters of intent with companies offering green hydrogen to the marine market, and intends to use green hydrogen from the first day of operation. Its itineraries will be built around those destinations that already have quayside recharging infrastructure, or are planning to.

also be performance-optimised for maximum energy efficiency, including advanced electronics for optimal power management.

Other sustainable systems include state-of-the-art heating, ventilation and air conditioning that will minimise the risk of viruses spreading, waste heat recovery to conserve energy, and effective waste management.

The first ship will start in Norway – the fjords in summer and Northern Lights in winter – with future expansion to other Nordic destinations and beyond.

“Our natural growth trajectory is Europe, for example Croatia, Monaco, the French Riviera and other points in the Mediterranean where green energy becomes available or stricter emissions regulations are introduced,” says Sandvik.

“We undertake not to hook up to stations using electricity from coalor oil-fired power plants. Charging batteries from non-green sources we see as meaningless.”

Under scrutiny

NX will also work towards greater sustainability throughout the vacation experience, in order to “walk the talk on zero emission travel”, Sandvik adds. “We will scrutinise airlines for who has the youngest and most fuelefficient aircraft, as well as carbon offset programmes, and recommend these operators to our guests. We also plan to implement a ‘Train-Sea’ programme between turnaround ports, as well as electric buses between certain destinations.”

“Onshore power, certainly in Norway, comes largely from renewable hydropower, which reduces our carbon footprint further,” says Sandvik.

The plan is to pilot supplementary wind and solar power on later ships in the series. “Each consecutive vessel will adopt new and better technology, which gives us flexibility to always opt for the best solutions as they become available.” The ships will

Where shipboard technology is concerned, Sandvik is a return customer for ABB, which also supplied the hybrid package for the Vision of the Fjords. “ABB is committed to supporting the shipping industry’s low-carbon future. Whichever decarbonisation strategy shipowners opt for, we have the technologies to support more sustainable operations,” says Dick Björkqvist, global segment manager, Cruise, ABB Marine & Ports.

“I’m very happy co-operating with ABB again to enable sustainable cruise operations,” says Sandvik. “It is a heavyweight technology innovator with deep domain knowledge and experience.”

“Each consecutive vessel will adopt new and better technology, which gives us flexibility to always opt for the best solutions as they become available”

A JOINED-UP APPROACH

A consortium led by classification society ABS and including CE Delft and Arcsilea, has published two of up to six reports studying alternative fuels and decarbonisation technologies for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

ABS has offered a 360° view of biofuels and ammonia. Each fuel was analysed using various criteria such as greenhouse gas (GHG) impact, sustainability, fuel availability, fuel scalability and human needs.

“I am very excited about this project and the work that ABS is delivering for EMSA and the shipping industry,” says Georgios Plevrakis, ABS vice president of global sustainability. “These two reports are the result of one year of intense activity with our collaborators, EMSA and industry leaders to gather data and conduct three hazard identifications (HAZIDS) for each study. Our analysis is very unique and, in my opinion, what is needed to empower and inform future studies, conversations and decisions.”

“Biofuels are one of the main available renewable fuels at the moment and the

shipping sector needs to move to e-fuels to decarbonise,” says Jasper Faber, director of shipping at CE Delft. “These two reports provide the most recent information on the availability, sustainability and cost implications of using these fuels

“The ro-ro passenger ship HAZID was a particularly notable example of industry collaboration, where a variety of ropax and cruise operators volunteered valuable time to contribute to the HAZID together, and this will help build much needed technical competence and confidence in alternative fuels,” says Edwin Pang, founder of Arcsilea.

The four-year project began in 2021 with the objective of studying key aspects of the decarbonisation of shipping, including alternatives such as biofuels, ammonia, hydrogen, wind-assisted propulsion, and complementary measures such as air lubrication and other promising technologies. The initiative is part of EMSA’s mission to provide technical assistance to the European Commission in the promotion of sustainable shipping.

A number of new partnerships, studies and trials are providing insights into the use of alternative marine fuels in the industry’s race to become more energy efficient and eco-friendly

KEEPING TABS

GoodFuels, a biofuels provider for the global transport industry, recently announced the results of a new partnership with global certification organisation Control Union and France’s IDS Group to test the effectiveness of a unique isotopic tracer for biofuels.

A successful pilot, conducted during a recent delivery of 500 tonnes of biofuel to the Norden-owned tanker Nord Gardenia, has proved the effectiveness of the tracer technology in real-life applications.

The partnership, which commenced in early 2022, has seen the companies collaborate to create the new tracer, which can be added to marine fuels as a unique “fingerprint” and verification tool.

The isotopic tracer stays within the fuel throughout the entire downstream of fuel delivery. It then can be tracked and traced by inspectors to verify that a fuel product has not been diluted or tampered at any stage in the supply chain. The trial has demonstrated that the tracer does not adversely impact the physical properties, quality and stability of the biofuel, and that tracing and testing activities could be performed without any impact on bunker operations.

The pilot also showed that the isotopic tracer can successfully measure for fuel dilution, when biofuels are used in a blend, for example.

The tracer can be applied at any stage in the supply chain and is based on natural elements so as not to compromise the sustainability of the biofuel product. It has been specifically designed to trace fuels at different granularity levels, making it suitable to be used within fuel products whether they are 100% biofuel or part of a blend with conventional marine fuels.

It can also be used to support carbon calculations and provide evidence for carbon pricing and tax reductions, giving shipowners and operators assurance on the amount and quality of biofuel they are deploying in their pursuit of sustainable shipping.

Commenting on the partnership, Dirk Kronemeijer, chief executive of GoodFuels, says: “Being able to

undisputedly trace that our fuels are sustainable and uniquely assignable to one of our clients is intrinsic to what we do at GoodFuels. Following the world’s first bunker delivery using blockchain technology in 2018, we continue to introduce cutting-edge solutions, together with our partners, to increase traceability in the shipping industry. Using a physical marker that combines with software is the likely next step in this trend. We are focused on driving even greater trust and transparency in the marine fuels supply chain.”

Johan Maris, chief executive of the Royal Peterson and Control Union Group, comments: “Through this trial we have now proved this tracer technology and that proof brings endless potential. The tracer technology can, for example, ensure that fuel doesn’t originate from banned countries but can also be used for many other purposes, in other liquids like oil or even champagne, and in almost any type of solid materials like meat, plants, and metal.”

Patrice Fauvet, chief executive and R&D director of IDS Group, adds: “We are pleased to demonstrate and prove our ability to physically mark, track and trace (bio)fuel products, setting the new bar for traceability alongside the frontrunners in sustainability. We are also exploring expanding our patented marking technologies to any other hydrocarbons product.”

According to Henrik Røjel, head of fuel efficiency & decarbonisation at Norden: “Biofuel is a key transition fuel on Norden’s journey to zero-carbon shipping, as it can be used onboard our current vessels to make an immediate reduction on carbon emissions. We continue to bunker biofuel on a regular basis and support efforts of adding more transparency on the green fuels we bunker.”

The tracer project is just the start of a wider partnership between GoodFuels, Control Union and IDS Group. All three companies share an ambition to increase transparency in the fuel supply chain and the tracer will help to advance a shared vision of a standard label for biofuels that would be recognised worldwide as a sign of quality by the fuel market.

CHECKLIST CONTRIBUTION

The IAPH Clean Marine Fuels (CMF) Working Group has published a total of six new checklists, which cater for both ship-to-ship and truck-to-ship bunkering operations of liquefied gases as a marine fuel at ports.

Following the work of the members of the working group, these checklists, which are applicable to LNG and liquefied biogas, but also to liquid hydrogen, will contribute in a very concrete way towards shipping’s energy transition.

The harmonised bunker checklists reflect the extra requirements of ports about safe bunkering operations of alternative marine fuels in or near their port environment. By using such bunker checklists, a high level of quality and responsibility of the bunkering operators can be obtained. They will also be of great benefit to vessels and their crews bunkering in other ports because it will reduce the potential confusion caused by having to comply with different rules and regulations in different ports.

The checklists can be obtained by registering, accepting terms and conditions and then downloading the checklists from the IAPH Clean Marine Fuels Working Group portal.

BIO-LNG BOOST

Attero, Nordsol and Titan have joined forces to achieve a decentralised production of bio-LNG designated for use in the maritime industry. The plant will be located at Attero’s facility in the Netherlands.

The FirstBio2Shipping project is set to deliver the first bio-LNG in early 2024. The plant will produce around 2,400 tons/year of bio-LNG (or liquefied biomethane). Attero will process domestic biowaste into six million Nm3 of biogas per year. Nordsol and Attero will jointly produce 2,400 tons/ year of high-purity bio-LNG and 5,000 tons/year of liquid bio-CO2 from this biogas using Nordsol’s patented iLNG technology.

Clean fuel supplier Titan will supply the bio-LNG to the maritime industry, where it will cost-effectively substitute fossil fuels.

The produced bio-LNG will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

by 92% compared with conventional maritime fuel, representing more than 87,500 tCO2e net absolute emissions avoided during the first 10 years of operation.

More ambitious sustainability goals and the need for energy independence have increased the demand for biomethane in both gaseous and liquid forms, the partners say. With the decision to invest and collaborate in the FirstBio2Shipping project, the three partners make it clear that bio-LNG production with integrated biogenic CO2 liquefaction offers maximum green value and economic value for biogas, even if the production plant is smallscale and is decentralised.

Léon van Bossum, commercial director, Nordsol comments: “Nordsol is committed to making bio-LNG mainstream, together with various partners. In 2021, we built the first Dutch bio-LNG installation to make road transport more sustainable. As a frontrunner, we are proud to also contribute to the decarbonisation of the maritime sector, together with Titan and Attero. The FirstBio2Shipping project is intended to start a snowball effect, resulting in more and larger installations that help make shipping more sustainable.”

Ronald van Selm, CTO, Titan says: “At Titan, we are dedicated to delivering all fuels that decarbonise

shipping and industry in a substantial way. We recognise bio-LNG as a strong clean fuel and we have therefore acted to progress its production and supply to the maritime industry. We are excited to reach the build stage of the project with the Attero and Nordsol teams.”

“Producing bio-LNG out of biogas from biowaste for decarbonising the maritime sector is a unique innovation,” adds Jan-Willem Steyvers, business developer, Attero. “We are delighted with the cooperation with partners Nordsol and Titan in bringing biogas to a high-end quality product – yet another step in our mission of continuously increasing sustainability and creating raw materials and energy out of waste.”

Last year, The European Union awarded the project €4.3m in funding, a recognition of the vital role that bioLNG will play in decarbonising longhaul maritime transport.

In October, the European Parliament adopted the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, which aims at the decarbonisation of maritime transport, and recognised (liquefied) biomethane as a renewable fuel and its potential to blend with and replace fossil liquefied natural gas. The joint bio-LNG project, therefore, fits into European policies to achieve the climate and energy transition goals.

REGASIFICATION APPROVAL

ABS has awarded approval in principle (AIP) for a next-generation, highly efficient concept of a regasification system (Hi-ReGAS+) for floating storage regasification units (FSRUs) and floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals that uses natural circulation.

The technology was developed by Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE), the intermediate holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and is a follow-on model to the HiReGAS system from HHI Group.

The stand-out feature is a natural circulation system that utilises the density difference of the fluid in the intermediate heat transfer system that transfers heat from seawater to LNG, creating a highly energy-efficient circulation system and reducing energy consumption to improve reliability.

“FSRUs are in high demand right now and this new regasification system has the potential to reduce operational expenses while increasing the reliability of the unit – a win/win situation for all involved,” saysd Darren Leskoski, ABS vice president of business development.

“LNG will be used as a core energy source in the low-carbon era, and reducing the energy required to use LNG is a core issue for meeting carbon regulations after 2030,” says Sungjoon Kim, senior executive vice president & CTO of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. “Highly efficient systems, such as HiReGAS+, are new systems that meet this global trend.”

The Hyundai Heavy Industries Group built a demonstration facility on a scale of 1/100 of an actual regasification system to verify the performance of the highly energy-efficient regasification system. Based on the experience accumulated through long-term operation of the demonstration facility, improvements were identified and applied to the design. After an analysis by ABS, an AIP for this ship class was obtained.

Wideskog

Director –Sustainable Fuels and Decarbonisation, Wärtsilä Marine Power

TIME TO TAKE ACTION

With the dust settling on the outcomes of COP27, the main takeaway for shipping is a reinforced commitment to the routes to net zero set out the previous year in Glasgow. Steps such as the launch of the Green Shipping Challenge by the US and Norway to align maritime decarbonisation with the Paris Agreement, and renewed pledges from multiple nations to establish green shipping corridors aren’t new – but it’s clear that those at COP are looking to maintain the focus on green fuels and international co-operation as drivers of decarbonisation.

Going into MEPC79 in December, where the International Maritime Organization will discuss potential revisions to its GHG strategy, outlined in 2018, it demonstrates the consistent message coming from regulators that the industry should be heading for net zero – and quickly.

These commitments also show how the timeline for reducing emissions

and improving our sector’s sustainable credentials will not be only driven exclusively by shipping’s organisational bodies, but also by other legislators and financial initiatives. For example, the European Union is adding greater pressure on shipping through its Fuel EU Maritime initiative, and we are seeing the critical role that finance will play driving real change through the Poseidon Principles.

The outcomes of COP27, coupled with external investors, regulators and broader society keeping a closer watch on the industry’s progress, shows the importance for shipping to maintain its course and focus on making the right steps, at the right time, to progress its decarbonisation journey.

The current levels of investment, research and development across engine technologies and future fuels must therefore continue to mirror the sense of urgency driven from climate talks as well as the legislative framework. But in this context, how can ship

Wärtsilä Marine Power’s Mikael Wideskog explains how taking a stepby-step approach to engine solutions and working with trusted, reliable industry partners is the best approach to take the industry to full decarbonisation

Mikael

owners ensure that they keep up? Adhering to tightening environmental rules, while juggling continued profitability is a concern for many shipowners and operators.

To counter this complexity, and to protect asset value throughout the decarbonisation process, Wärtsilä’s approach is to view the decarbonisation journey as a staircase – every action taken today moves us one step further up towards our ultimate goals.

There is a fuel and technology strategy to suit every vessel – the challenge is to find it. Viewing decarbonisation as a staircase – with many individual steps – is useful in that it allows us to tackle each opportunity as it arises. The final step is 100% use of alternative fuels, but there are many intermediate steps to get there.

One such example would be beginning to use sustainable biofuel. Biofuels play a valuable

role in lowering emissions in the short to medium term without a capital-intensive fleet renewal or retrofitting, and can be blended with conventional fuels.

Our recent partnership with Holland American Line and GoodFuels – where the Wärtsilä ZA40 engine was used to run a 20-day trial of sustainable biofuel to reduce CO2 emissions by around 80% –demonstrates that taking action to improve shipping’s sustainability is possible today with existing technologies. Each step that we can take right now makes the overall journey towards low carbon shipping easier

Important steps

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is also recognised as another important step that can be taken today. Although LNG is a fossil-based fuel, it can already reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions by 5-20% when calculated on a well-to-wake basis.

One of the most promising characteristics of LNG is that it opens the door to greener options in the future – bio-LNG and synthetic-LNG –that will enable further GHG emissions reductions when readily available.

Other steps that shipowners can take today, either for retrofit or newbuild projects, include installing efficiency-boosting technology – such as wind-assist, propulsion system improvements, air lubrication or hybridisation – which all present additional avenues for nearterm benefits.

A crucially important step is to invest in an engine now that unlocks a wider range of fuel options and possibilities for the future is a good insurance premium indeed, especially as we wait for future fuels to become available. In recognition of the need for future fuel flexibility, we recently

launched the Wärtsilä 25 and Wärtsilä 46TS-DF engines to our multi-fuel engine portfolio.

The Wärtsilä 25 engine is already capable of operating on diesel, LNG, or either gas or liquid carbonneutral biofuels, and can easily be upgraded to operate with future low or zero-carbon fuels as they become available.

It is intended to be the first engine to run on ammonia as a fuel in our portfolio, and development is currently underway with a technology concept ready for 2023, followed by a planned product release soon thereafter.

The 46TS-DF has two-stage turbocharging to deliver high levels of efficiency and power density across a wide operational range for vessels in all segments of the industry. This level of efficiency reduces fuel consumption and lowers emissions, while being easily retrofittable for future carbon-neutral and carbon-free fuels as they become widely available.

Future pathways

Ultimately, the future pathway towards decarbonisation is likely to come from the use of clean fuels, and when these are readily available, they can be used either in whole or blended with conventional fuels or will require alternative power sources.

Methanol and ammonia are emerging as viable and attractive final steps, and the industry is already making positive progress towards bringing these alternative fuels online.

Next year will see the first Wärtsilä commercial newbuilding methanol engine in service, which follows our many full-scale engine tests that assess the optimum engine parameters for running on hydrogen and ammonia. In addition, an engine concept running on ammonia will be developed in the next year.

Bringing these technologies online will require close collaboration with partners to ensure we are empowering the industry with the tools it needs for full decarbonisation.

To ensure we are continually working on and investing in future

fuels, Wärtsilä is part of many collaborative projects. This includes the EU-funded projects Ammonia 2-4 – to accelerate ammonia engine development – and Green Ray Project – a collaborative effort to develop solutions that will minimise methane slip from engines.

move quickly, but the infrastructure and global availability still needs additional time to develop further.

Understanding the options that are available today is a key way to deliver meaningful emissions benefits immediately, and this comes from making the right decisions today and working with the right partners.

The climb up the staircase towards green fuels is likely to be slow, but relentless. According to DNV’s Maritime Forecast to 2050, in 2030 the share of green fuels will be less than 20%, in 2040 approximately 50% and in 2050 have reached 100%.

During this period, future fuel availability will increase to a volume that should reach the level of availability shipping needs.

Achieving a smooth transition will need to take place on a per-vessel basis with a trusted, reliable partner. By taking a consultative approach for each individual customer, and understanding their core operational requirements, we can advise on the best course of action, providing a futureproofed solution that considerably opens their options in the future and enables them to take steps today.

Future-proof solution

These projects help the industry to advance the environmental and climate benefits of future fuels. With these projects and the industry’s broader efforts to scale the future fuels supply chain and infrastructure, a collaborative approach and a deep understanding of the operational concerns of today will put shipping in the best possible position to de-risk decarbonisation, one step at a time.

The future fuels era is still developing, and the scaling up of low or zero-carbon fuels is continuing to

Naturally, there are financial and operational concerns to be considered. Investment in new technology carries an element of risk for shipowners and operators, so we must paint a clear picture and highlight not only the benefits that new technologies can deliver in the short term, but also focus on how they can provide a future-proofed and flexible solution on assets that will last for 20 or 30 years.

Considerable decarbonisation progress is already being made, but that is no excuse for the industry to rest on its laurels. Real change can happen today, with the right investment and with informed decision making. Add on the fact that rules will only tighten, and the shipping companies that take action on decarbonisation today will be the ones that benefit the most in the future.

“We must paint a clear picture and highlight not only the benefits that new technologies can deliver in the short term, but also focus on how they can provide a future-proofed and flexible solution on assets that will last for 20 or 30 years”

THE FUEL OF THE FUTURE?

Class society RINA has confirmed that the CO2 reduction achieved by the new Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC) technology for carbon capture in shipping, developed by Ecospray, matches expected targets announced by the company at the beginning of the project.

Ecospray chose to use bio-liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for the MCFC technology. The MCFC can be fuelled with hydrogen, methanol, ammonia, fossil LNG, but the use of a CO2 neutral – or negative – fuel represents a plus in the application of this technology, the company believes.

The announcement follows an assessment carried out by RINA, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ecospray. The classification society assessed the CO2 life cycle, confirming that a 500kW MCFC, when fed with the carbon negative super bio-LNG (a bio-LNG for which the CO2 is captured during the production process) can cut the CO2 equivalent emissions of a 10MW engine by 20%, as calculated and stated by Ecospray.

The process combines the effect of using a bio-LNG, for which the CO2 has been captured, with the high-efficiency and carbon-negative power-generation capability of the system “

The MoU also includes the assessment of feasibility of the installation of MCFC technologies on ships. Technologies based on MCFC enable the capture of CO2 at the same

time as energy production. As such, these technologies are considered strategic in the context of the energy transition, precisely due to their capacity to capture the carbon dioxide in exhaust gases and generate additional clean energy.

According to RINA, this is undoubtedly a technologically complex solution, but it is also the one whichthat guarantees the best results in terms of reductions in emissions, as well as keeping operating expenses low for companies. The ideal application for these technologies is not limited to a particular type of ship: they can be used on all types of engines and with all fuels .

Ecospray plans to start testing MCFC technologies at its laboratory, equipped with engine, DeSOx scrubber and wet electrostatic precipitator, with a launch on the market in expected in 2025.

The 500kW MC fuel cell is very small and compact, meaning its footprint is limited, and has little to no effect on the ship’s layout, the company says.

“Ecospray continues working on several shipping decarbonisation projects, focusing on two main aspects: CC technologies and bio-LNG production. In our view, the bioLNG is already playing an important role in road transportation, but will have an everincreasing role in shipping, beside the LNG,” says Filippo Lossani, marine business unit director of Ecospray.

Liquefied natural gas is one of the alternative fuel options that is attracting much interest at the moment, with a number of recent developments promoting its use

Giosuè Vezzuto, executive vice president marine at RINA, comments: “The results achieved by Ecospray demonstrate that systems and technologies for achieving the CO2 reduction goals set by regulators are being developed and introduced to the market. The industry is asking for doable and sustainable solutions: we are delighted to confirm that the Ecospray MCFC system may well be a possible option, as it delivers what it promises in terms of emission reduction.”

POWER OF THREE

Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) has delivered an approval in principle to GTT for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier based on a three cargo tanks arrangement.

The new LNG carrier design features a total cargo capacity of 174,000m3. In comparison to conventional LNG carriers, this new concept is based on a three cargo tanks arrangement instead of four.

The main ideas that have led to this innovative design are the reduction of boil-off gas (BOG) and the cost optimisations for the ship (both CAPEX and OPEX). The concept is designed to fit either with Mark III or NO96 technologies, developed by GTT. In fact, the effect of an increase in tank length has been specifically investigated by GTT in order to address the specific challenges of this new concept (tank length increased by up to 55%).

To support and better understand the sloshing pressures caused by the liquid motion inside the tank, BV has developed specific tools that can now be leveraged for other large tanks.

Ulrik Dan Frorup, chief commercial director at Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore, comments: “Collaborating with GTT to develop this innovative design has been truly interesting as it has direct benefits for our clients. Class is here to address risks and opportunities.”

Jean-Baptiste Boutillier, vicepresident of development, innovation, and technical strategy at GTT, says: “We highly appreciate the collaboration with BV to obtain this AiP for a three-tank LNG carrier. Over the years, GTT continues to improve the application of its technologies in order to provide its customers ever more efficient and optimal solutions. We hope to see this concept become the standard in the near future.”

CLEAN TECHNOLOGY

Wärtsilä has entered into a joint development agreement with Hycamite TCD Technologies, a privately-owned Finnish company specialising in the development of a pioneering technology for producing clean hydrogen and solid carbon from methane.

The two companies will work together to enable cost-effective production of hydrogen from liquefied natural gas (LNG) onboard marine vessels. The concept design will be ready by mid 2023 and the prototype testing unit will be ready during the second half of 2024.

The concept will allow the existing LNG infrastructure to be utilised and enable production of hydrogen onboard in combination with Wärtsilä’s LNGPac Fuel Gas Supply System. By producing hydrogen onboard and blending it with LNG, the current range of fuel flexible Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines can reduce the vessel’s overall carbon dioxide and methane slip emissions. Alternatively, the hydrogen can also be used in fuel cells onboard.

The by-product from the process is solid carbon that, unlike conventional technologies that produce CO2 as a byproduct, can more easily be stored and managed onboard. The carbon produced consists of high-grade allotropes, like industrial graphite and carbon nanotubes, thereby offering a possible additional revenue stream.

“We are investing in the development of viable future marine fuel technologies and solutions that can accelerate the efforts to decarbonise shipping operations,” says Mathias Jansson, director, fuel gas supply systems at Wärtsilä. “This collaboration with Hycamite is an important step forward towards meeting our corporate targets. Our gas engines can already operate with mixtures of hydrogen and LNG.

“The ability to produce the H2 onboard opens up exciting new opportunities. This solution overcomes the lack of an existing hydrogen supply infrastructure. It also supports reducing the safety risks around storing and handling of liquid hydrogen and enables a gradual decrease of the vessels’ environmental impact.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with an established technology leader such as Wärtsilä. It brings a vast depth

of knowledge and experience in marine fuel gas supply systems and, by working together, we can make the availability and onboard storage of hydrogen a realistic option for the marine industry,” says Laura Rahikka, chief executive of Hycamite.

The technology can in principle be applied for all vessels operating with LNG fuel. When using bio-LNG, this solution enables even power generation on board ships with a negative carbon footprint.

FIRST FOR GERMANY

Germany’s first bio-LNG compact plant in Darchau, Lower Saxony, producing CO2-neutral fuel for trucks, was officially opened in August 2022.

Liquid manure will be used to create CO2-neutral biofuel for heavyduty transport. Whereas biogas was previously mostly used to generate electricity, the plant produces liquid bioLNG which can be used to power trucks and buses.

Biofuel from agricultural residues represents a new business model for farmers. “We could do with a lot of small, decentralised bio-LNG plants in Germany right now,” says Kunibert Ruhe, shareholder of RUHE Biogas Service.

“Agricultural businesses can produce biogas self-sufficiently in the form of a circular economy using residual materials from their own farms and from businesses in their region and refine it into bio-LNG.”

Ruhe is one of the pioneers of the biogas plant industry in the country The compact unit in Darchau alone replaces about 1.3m litres of fossil diesel per year and saves up to 7,000 tons of CO2

“In principle, any agricultural operation can become a bio-LNG production facility. The new liquefaction module can be retrofitted to operators of existing bio-gas plants who are looking for a follow-up concept to the EEG subsidy for the conversion of biogas into electricity,” explains Ruhe. Bio-LNG is therefore attractive to farmers because heavy goods traffic is desperately seeking a climate-friendly alternative.

“Only about 30% of farm manure is currently used in conventional biogas plants. If we were to use 100% in the future and process it into bio-LNG, we could supply about 37% of the truck fleet.”

ACTION ACROSS THE BOARD

A new action plan, launched at COP 27 by UN organisations, shipowners and unions, has set out recommendations to upskill seafarers to meet shipping’s decarbonisation goals. The plan is in response to findings from new research, the modelling of which warns that as many as 800,000 seafarers will require additional training by the mid-2030s.

Currently accounting for 3% of global emissions, shipping needs to transition away from conventional fuels towards alternative low- and zero-carbon fuels and technologies to meet the world’s target of keeping global warming to 1.5C or less by 2050.

The three emission reduction scenarios assessed in the research highlight an immediate need to start putting the training infrastructure in place, to ensure hundreds of thousands of the world’s nearly two million seafarers are upskilled and empowered through the transition.

Findings also suggest that a lack of certainty on alternative fuel options is having knock-on effects for seafarer training, as the

global maritime community works towards a clearer decarbonisation pathway in a postfossil fuel era.

The research was conducted by leading maritime consultancy DNV and commissioned by the Maritime Just Transition Task Force Secretariat. The Maritime Just Transition Task Force was formed to ensure that shipping’s response to the climate emergency puts seafarers and communities at the heart of the solution.

In response to the training challenge that the modelling lays bare, the Action Plan makes recommendations for industry, governments, seafarer unions and academia (including training providers). These recommendations include:

» Strengthening global training standards

» Ensuring a health-and-safetyfirst approach

» Establishing advisory national maritime skills councils

According to Stephen Cotton, general secretary of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF): “All three

Coming up with new strategies to assist with reductions in carbon emissions is clearly essential and has sparked a number of new initiatives to assess exactly how ready the industry is for the new regime

scenarios DNV identified require some form of retraining the workforce. The good news is that seafarers are prepared and willing to be part of this transition. But crew want to know that the fuels they’re handling are indeed safe, and that we as an industry have the training pathways established to upgrade their skills. Seafarers and other maritime workers are already feeling the effects of an unstable climate – dry unnavigable rivers, soaring ocean surface temperatures, shutdown ports with heatwaves and flash floods.”

Sanda Ojiambo, assistant secretarygeneral and CEO of the UN Global Compact, adds: “Climate action focused on people and job creation must be at the core of a Just Transition to Net Zero. This new paper highlights that aligning with a 1.5°C trajectory requires action now to support the upskilling of the maritime workforce as the shipping industry moves to rapidly cut its greenhouse gas emissions”

Guy Platten, secretary general at the International Chamber of Shipping, comments: “There is an urgent need to establish the infrastructure and training required to prepare our seafaring workforce, both in developed and developing countries, to help meet our decarbonisation objectives. This should be done as of today, so they are ready and able to meet the challenges that new green fuels and propulsion technologies will pose and mitigate any potential health and safety risks for ships, communities, the environment and seafarers themselves.

“This is an opportunity for all so that no-one is left behind. Shipping cannot decarbonise without its workers and the 10-point action plan developed by the Task Force maps out a pathway for how this can be achieved, as our industry continues to navigate towards a decarbonised future.”

According to Kitack Lim, secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO): “Climate change is a global issue that requires a global response. We must use every tool available to decarbonise the maritime sector. Alternative fuels and green technologies can help meet emission reduction targets. This cannot happen

without the people who will be at the heart of implementing shipping’s decarbonisation journey. It is clear that seafarers must have the appropriate training for a smooth transition to a greener future. This is something that will be in sharp focus as IMO works on its comprehensive review of the STCW Training Convention.”

CEO of leading maritime consultancy DNV Maritime, Knut ØrbeckNilssen, adds: “Decarbonisation is bringing new opportunities and new technologies, but also new risks. Our first priority must be to achieve safe decarbonisation. We must take a collaborative approach to safeguard our people, our ships and our environment. This report points to the challenges and the tangible actions the industry can take to support and protect its workforce. DNV is pleased to see the action plan led by the Task Force and recognise the challenge to train seafarers on alternative fuel technologies.”

FIVE-POINT PLAN

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR] has launched a five-level framework for assessing the actual readiness of a vessel for the transition to zero-carbon fuels.

Published by LR’s Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, “Zero Ready Framework – helping to ensure shipping can deliver our zeroemissions future” ranks vessel readiness for zero-carbon fuel operations from 1 (highest level of readiness) to 5 (lowest level of readiness), and measured on a well-towake basis.

The framework has been created to offer clarity around the term “readiness”, which is used in multiple ways across the shipping industry. The rankings were developed based on observations that some shipowners have had a design for conversion to zero-carbon fuel done as a paper exercise, without a plan for how the conversion would be carried out. Others have some or all the required equipment (for example: engine, tank, pipework, fuel management system) already installed. Another group of vessels have a dual fuel engine that

could run on a zero-carbon fuel but may require an engine retrofit to do so.

An assessment of a container ship route in Southeast Asia by the LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub found that, despite pushing forward of new initiatives by financiers, insurers and ship charterers to achieve zero emissions, 27% to 30% of vessels newly built between 2022 and 2050 will still require conversion to a different fuel in order to meet zero targets.

US GHG JOURNEY

The Blue Sky Maritime Coalition (BSMC) has released a report focused on further supporting the North American shipping industry’s journey toward achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.

The report, the second in a series identifying the pathways and approaches to accelerate the transition to net-zero emissions, looks at the roles of vessel types, inventories and GHG accounting approaches.

“Developing recommendations to standardise accounting for GHG emissions within the North American shipping industry is essential to pave the way to net-zero emissions. Distributing this data and making it easily accessible is an important step in expanding the drive to adopt these new technologies and ideas,” says David Cummins, BSMC President and CEO.

The report highlights how decarbonising shipping will require the utilisation of multiple fuels and propulsion systems, even within a single vessel category. It revealed that emissions associated with North American shipping are not required to be reported under a standardised structure, so different approaches are emerging as voluntary reporting has continued to increase. The report also sets forth a more detailed assessment of the currently operating vessel categories, their operational constraints and emissions profiles, and the implications for decarbonising the marine value chain by 2050.

“Flexibility and a range of fuels and propulsion systems could be appropriately adopted through advances in technology and regulatory incentives,” says Cummins.

IMPACT PAPER

P&I insurer the Standard Club has laid out its vision to support its members’ sustainability goals with the launch of its first sustainability impact paper.

The London-headquartered insurer released the report, entitled Planet | People | Performance, in November as it looks to reduce the direct and indirect impact it has across areas of its operations and services.

The report breaks down Standard Club’s strategy into two key impact indicators. The first focuses on how the club will work with its members to help create more sustainable services and practices, while the second indicator details how it plans to make its own operation more sustainable.

“While the shipping industry has been discussing sustainability for more than a decade, insurers have only relatively recently considered the potential impact on their business,” says Jeremy Grose, Standard Club’s chief executive.

“This sustainability paper sets out our ethos and agenda for positive and sustainable change – covering the insights and advice we offer our members to support their drive to sustainability, and how we are putting our own house in order to fulfil our greener goals,” he adds.

The strategy includes several key measures to support sustainability goals, including developing and using emerging technologies, supporting the offshore and renewables sector, supporting seafarer wellbeing and committing to helping members make a transition to greener energy solutions through its Alternative Fuels Working Group. The report also sets out the club’s commitment to sustainable claims and casualty response techniques.

All the initiatives outlined in the report are aligned with seven of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and are designed to support the club’s members by

mitigating risks, boosting safety and supporting sustainable practices.

“Our sustainability strategy has been developed by experts from across the club, including claims, underwriting, loss prevention, risk and compliance. Our work has identified areas where we are already strong, where we need to be stronger and what we need to do over the next 10 years to improve our sustainability efforts further,” says Edward Morland, head of the Standard Club’s Sustainability Working Group.

One key element of the strategy is supporting seafarers’ wellbeing. The club helps its members to support seafarer wellbeing by sharing best practice, undertaking detailed research through its participation in the Seafarer Happiness Index and is a significant supporter of a number of seafarer charities.

The strategy also highlights how Standard Club has already worked with its members to create practical measures to support local

sustainability efforts. These include working with specialised recycling experts to convert hazardous waste into alternative materials following a container ship fire and how the club supported local contractors and volunteers in the wake of a loss of containers in an environmentally sensitive area by giving them equipment and infrastructure, but allowing them autonomy in their conduct.

The launch of Standard Club’s Impact Paper followed the International Group of P&I Clubs plan in September 2022 to leverage the collective strength of the entire marine insurance industry and the 90% of ocean-going tonnage they represent to further enhance sustainability efforts.

A copy of the report can be downloaded at: tinyurl.com/StandardClubReport

GRII GAINS GROUND

The Global Resilience Index Initiative (GRII), to be fully launched at COP28, will provide open reference data, metrics and projections of all countries worldwide. This critical missing layer of the world’s information architecture is key to reshaping development, managing risk and saving millions of lives and livelihoods – both now and decades ahead.

Multi-partner taskforce GRII was announced during the COP27 World Bank Plenary Session in November, along with key milestones in its development towards an open, standard set of climate metrics and data to measure risks to communities, infrastructure and ecosystems.

GRII is a global public-private partnership to address the climate data emergency with consistent, accessible and reliable risk information for use by governments, the financial sector and wider communities.

At this point mid-way from its initial announcement at COP26 to full launch at COP28, the public and private sector GRII partners announced:

» The launch of the GRII demonstrator, the GRII Viewer, providing the initial set of people, planet and prosperity indices to guide financial decisions to scale up adaptation

» The release of a UN report underlining the case for the

GRII: Towards a Climate Risk Data Architecture: Common and Open Risk Metrics to Align Finance with Climate Resilient Development Goals (published by United Nations office for Disaster Risk Reduction [UNDRR] and the Centre for Green Finance and Investment (CGFI).

At COP27, the GRII called on innovators and data providers worldwide to support the scaling and improvement of this initiative, as well as engagement from more pathfinder institutions and governments. The race for data is a critical part of the race for resilience, and accessible climate risk indices must be made available to financial systems and economies.

Patrons of the GRII initiative –which was convened by the crosssector Insurance Development Forum and first announced at COP26 –are Mark Carney, UN special envoy on climate action and finance; Mami Mizutori, assistant secretary-general and special representative of the secretary-general for disaster risk Reduction in the UNDRR; and Eric Andersen, member and risk modelling champion insurance development forum steering committee and president, Aon.

Mizutori said at the COP27 meeting: “It is encouraging to see the operational momentum that has been achieved for the GRII since COP26, including the first use cases, initial seed funding and the launch of the data viewer. But this project has only just begun and to reach its full potential, the GRII needs more data feeds, and more pathfinder institutions and governments.

“If we double down on efforts to reduce vulnerability, poverty and inequality, I believe this can be achieved. Quality risk data will play a crucial role in this. We need data that is comparable across all continents – on hazard, exposure, vulnerability and climate change risk. GRII is an excellent example of private and public sector partners working together to reduce disaster risk. We must now accelerate systemic data collection and aggregation for risk-informed climate action.”

Rowan Douglas, chair of GRII and of the IDF Operating Committee

said: “Congratulations to the academic, public and private sector teams that took the challenge laid down by UN special envoy, Mark Carney to fill the critical climate resilience information gap. You cannot manage what you cannot measure.

“The GRII meets these urgent challenges, described in today’s groundbreaking report published in parallel by UNDRR and CGFI. But, filling the resilience information void is major task and we warmly invite all players in the space to join this collective endeavour to help quell the Climate Emergency.

“I am delighted the insurance sector has stepped up, via the Insurance Development Forum, led with its unique expertise and resources to propel this global public good with its UN, Academic and wider industry partners. Now we can accelerate our efforts towards full launch at COP28.”

Ben Caldecott, founding director of the UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment (CGFI) and director of the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford, said: “As our new report with the UNDRR finds, with a common language of risk and resilience, new forms of financial products can be designed and markets established to help mobilise the trillions of investment required for adaptation and resilience.

“Together with the GRII taskforce partners, we are working closely to create a new climate risk data architecture to provide globally consistent, open baseline datasets on climate risk and resilience metrics as a public good. Our mission is to help overcome the major barriers that exist to achieving Article 2.1c of the Paris Agreement – to align finance with climate-resilient development goals. The hard work has only just begun and we will continue to collaborate with our global taskforce partners from across the public, private, humanitarian and academic sectors to achieve what we have set out to do.”

The GRII draws upon significant cross-sector risk modelling experience, including public-private partnerships between governments, academia, insurance and engineering.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

Survitec’s Maritime Protection brand has registered a significant increase in orders for inert gas (IG) systems over the past two years following a surge in orders for newbuild vessels with liquefied natural gas (LNG)-burning engines.

This increase is partly attributed to the global shipping industry seeking to meet decarbonisation targets by moving away from high polluting heavy fuel oil towards alternative, cleaner marine fuels.

About 35% of the current world order book accounts for dual-fuelled and gas ships running on either a combination of LNG and conventional fuel or LNG alone. These engines need to be fitted with an inert gas system to prevent the build-up of highly flammable gasses.

Bernt Øhrn, general manager of Maritime Protection, explains: “If the ship doesn’t have any oil or gas cargo tanks, which require a fixed CO2-based system to deal with the higher volume, a small N2 inert gas system is needed to make the fuel system safe.”

Demand for natural gas as a marine

fuel is expected to continue over the next 20 years, with the industry viewing the energy source as a vital step towards decarbonisation.

“This is demonstrable in the increased orders for IG,” says Øhrn. “We are a seeing a significant push for alternatively fuelled newbuilds capable of handling the new emissions requirements. But we also see an increase in engine conversions and retrofits, with shipowners converting topsides to accommodate LNG fuel tanks.

“Although LNG only accounts for one in three newbuilds, shipowners of all types are beginning to see the dual-fuel or gas engine as the way forward.” According to Øhrn, analysts predict a 25% increase in orders for dual-fuelled ships in 2023, increasing to 50% by 2025.

“With the need to further reduce the impact of ship operations on the marine environment, the speed of technological development will see the adoption of other alternative fuels, particularly ammonia and hydrogen,” says Øhrn, adding that Survitec

The need to meet new and forthcoming industry requirements on environmental issues has led to innovations in ship design to improve efficiency and ensure safety when using new fuels

is involved in several industry and university-based research projects investigating ways to make such fuels safe.

Øhrn predicts ammonia will become increasingly important, but will require much larger fuel tanks, while the safety of a hydrogen-fuelled ship is likely to prove a challenge.

“High rates of hydrogen mixing with oxygen can be dangerous,” he says. “We are developing ways of inerting the exhaust side of a hydrogen fuel cell outside the ship. It may not be possible to use nitrogen as this could evaporate on contact with the colder hydrogen, so helium may be the only inert gas we can use. The problem with helium is it’s a scarce resource and expensive.

“We recognise the opportunities and challenges the industry will face in the coming years as significantly increasing numbers of vessels will be built or retrofitted to run on alternative fuels,” says Øhrn. “We are designing solutions to ensure operations remain safe no matter the fuel.”

VESSEL OPTIMISATION

Technology company ZeroNorth has launched its new vessel optimisation service, which will simplify the process of identifying inefficient vessels within a fleet in real time for shipowners and operators.

The vessel optimisation service focuses on two of the industry’s most important performance challenges: hull fouling and auxiliary boiler consumption, ensuring vessels are operated efficiently at sea and in port.

The new service uses data and machine learning to generate actionable insights on how to improve operational procedures and better manage the condition of onboard equipment, enabling owners and operators to reduce fuel consumption and emissions from their fleets and unlock more sustainable, efficient and profitable voyages.

Hull performance is a key area for vessel performance management due to its significant impact on potential excess fuel consumption, which increases emissions and costs. ZeroNorth vessel optimisation modernises traditional approaches for hull monitoring with real-time risk

assessment and alerts for long idle periods. The service not only identifies the best time to clean a hull, but also proactively prevents severe fouling due to idle stays.

Efficient utilisation of energy and fuel consumption during daily operations is another critical factor in vessel performance, affecting both costs and environmental impact. ZeroNorth vessel optimisation provides detailed insights into current and past auxiliary generator and boiler consumption to ensure vessels are operating at optimal efficiency levels.

To maximise outputs, the new service integrates with ZeroNorth’s vessel reporting functionality to provide a more holistic approach to reported data management – and particularly noon reports – placing them in an operational context. This makes it easier to detect and address detrimental reporting patterns, which helps to ensure vessel performance is accurately reported, understood and actioned.

Commenting on the service, Pelle Sommansen, ZeroNorth’s chief product and AI officer, says: “Our new vessel optimisation service identifies inefficient vessels and optimises the performance of fleets, solving a huge hurdle for green global trade. The service generates actionable insights to proactively prevent severe hull fouling and better understand auxiliary boiler consumption, enabling more informed, intelligent and sustainable decision-making.

“One of the major challenges when managing and operating large fleets

is prioritising inefficient vessels which need attention. Scanning specific insights from a fleet to identify low performers is a tedious process and causes missed potential. ZeroNorth’s vessel optimisation service will provide a complete fleet overview with clear performance indicators, significantly improving vessel performance and ensuring that the global fleet performs optimally, cuts costs and reduces emissions, whether at sea or in port.”

AMMONIA AIP FOR COSCO

Classification society ABS has awarded two approvals in principle (AIP) to COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry and COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Technology for its ammonia-fuelled vessel and ammonia supply system designs, which are being trialled on a tugboat.

Given the challenging characteristics of ammonia, ABS conducted a comprehensive review and risk assessment focused on ammonia filling, storage, supply, ventilation and emergency handling in the AIP process to address the safety and reliability of the systems.

“Ammonia offers shipowners and operators a zero-carbon, tank-towake emissions profile. Yet, we also recognise that ammonia presents a specific set of safety and technology challenges, and ABS is committed to leading the industry in supporting its safe adoption at sea,” says Georgios Plevrakis, ABS vice president, global sustainability.

“This is the first comprehensive technology research project in China focusing on ammonia burning, ammonia-diesel, dual-fuel engine, ammonia fuel supply system, exhaust gas treatment and onboard application demonstration, which is of great significance and has farreaching impact. In the future, we will continue to pioneer innovation, with the development of green, low-carbon and smart shipping,” says Ji-Jiang Jiang, COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry general manager.

The tugboat is designed to be 36m in length with a towing capacity of up to 60 tons. The ammonia supply system will be part of the vessel, providing ammonia for propulsion.

Pelle Sommansen, chief product and AI Officer, ZeroNorth

HULL SCAN SOFTWARE

Korean Register (KR) has released a new version of its popular structural assessment software, SeaTrustHullScan V3, to improve its ability to handle large-capacity graphics and cope with ever more complex ship designs and regulations.

SeaTrust-HullScan V3 performs structural analysis for various types of vessels and marine structures by using FEM (finite element modelling). South Korea’s shipbuilders use SeaTrust-HullScan as a standard software for CSR (common structural rules) applications.

When designing a vessel, structural analysis of the ship must be performed to evaluate its structural strength in advance. One of the popular techniques for structural analysis is FEM, which is used to determine the stress and displacement points by dividing a large structure into numerous finitesized elements.

Along with the growing size of ships and an increasing number of requirements of related regulations in recent years, structural analysis of ships is required to deal with many more finite elements. KR made functional improvements in SeaTrust-HullScan to meet user needs following these changes in the ship design environment.

SeaTrust-HullScan V3 includes world-class level technology for largecapacity graphics that dramatically improves the response and processing speed of millions of finite elements in ship models. In addition, the software features various visualisation functions, enhanced interface with CAD program for ship design and extended application to other types of structure. With new automatic updates also included in the new version, user convenience will also be enhanced.

KIM Daeheon, executive vice president of KR R&D Division, says: “This is a leap forward for our popular software. With vessel design requirements becoming increasingly complex, the need for structural assessment software capable of handling shipyard’s requirements is critical. KR is dedicated to meeting customer needs and further solidifying our role as a trusted provider of technical software.”

WIND GATHERS SPEED

Classification society DNV has released an update to its wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) technical standard (ST-0511). The major update introduces new methods for evaluating WAPS fatigue strength, as well as the performance of the systems in extreme conditions.

WAPS are one of the most promising measures to assist the decarbonisation of shipping today, the class society says.While experience in using the systems is still developing, WAPS have already been implemented on commercial vessels and can enable fuel savings of up to 20%. The new updates to DNV’s technical standard (ST-0511) will support the growing interest in WAP systems.

“As we continue to build experience on WAP systems, and as new systems come on to the market, the case for owners

who are looking at these systems as part of their efficiency and sustainability strategies grows stronger,” says Hasso Hoffmeister, senior principal engineer at DNV Maritime.

The interaction of WAPS with the structure of a vessel’s hull can be quite complex, so the update features a comprehensive new section on fatigue strength, including calculations that offer a new approach to derive the load combinations from the wind and inertia forces on WAP systems.

In addition, the standard sets out a new approach to assessing how WAPS perform under extreme wind conditions. Finally, the documentation requirements have been adjusted to streamline the process.

The WAPS ST-0511 standard can be applied in obtaining an approval in principle, a design approval or a type approval.

SeaTrust-HullScan V3 performs structural analysis for various types of vessels using FEM

POSITIVE PERFORMANCE

Paint manufacturer Jotun registered increased sales volumes and good growth performance during the first half of the year, with operating revenue up 22% against figures for the same period last year despite the challenging conditions.

“We are satisfied with the development. It is great to see that the marine newbuilding market has recovered after a difficult period. We also see sales improving within ship maintenance products, protective coatings and decorative paints”, president and chief executive Morten Fon says.

According to the company, the positive development comes in a time of major global challenges. The war in Ukraine is affecting the raw material markets and creating an energy crisis in Europe. In addition, there are persistent challenges in global supply chains.

“The geopolitical imbalance puts international trade under pressure. However, our people have handled the demanding situation well”, Fon says.

Consequently, costs have increased.

Even though Jotun’s operating profit rose to NOK2,653m, the operating margin came in below the level seen last year.

Going forward, Jotun expects continued sales growth. The high raw material prices will still be a challenge. However, there are signs that raw material prices have now peaked and started to ease. In addition, challenges related to the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the global supply chain issues, and the covid-19 pandemic persist.

“The world around us is characterised by unrest and uncertainty. However, our organisation is robust and intact, and we are ready for continued growth,” Fon says.

I-TECH EARNINGS ON THE UP

Third quarter earnings at I-Tech were also positive, according to chief executive Philip Chaabane

“The third quarter sets a new high for revenue and earnings for a single quarter. The growth in the quarter stems above all from an increased demand in the wake of the multitude of product launches that

Economic conditions may be challenging, but paint manufacturers have been posting strong financial performances

took place during the pandemic. I note that our largest customer is now increasing demand in a way that is more comparable to the time prior to the pandemic, this being about a year after a series of product launches for the Asian market.

“The inventory problems that we have previously seen therefore appear to be in balance as far as the key markets are concerned.”

Unlike the previous quarter, which had a broader customer mix, the majority of the growth during this period is derived from a balanced increase in both the Asian maintenance market as well as newbuilding market, Chabanne suggests.

“Asia completely dominates the shipbuilding industry for both newbuilding and maintenance and recent product launches, mainly from our largest customer, are providing use in both segments.“

The recent upswing for Selektopebased products in key markets is vital and Chabanne says he is confident on how the market will develop going forward.

At the same time, there is a potential in Europe that has not yet been realised, he says. This derives from a vast backlog of administrative work from authorities, as a consequence of new legislation in 2012 regarding, among other things, antifouling products containing biocides.

“While the road towards the EU and US markets requires a large portion of endurance, we are pleased about the more stable and favourable conditions, particularly in Asia, where all markets show high occupancy in both newbuilding and maintenance.

“The integration of Selektope as a building block in multiple product launches is continuing. As growth now picks up for the second quarter in a row, confidence is increasing that pre-launch tests have shown good results and are now driving demand in the pursuit of a more efficient shipping industry with lower carbon footprint.”

I-Tech ‘s product Selektope contains an active agent that prevents barnacle attachment on submerged surfaces

such as ships and boat hulls, but also other marine installations. By increasing the resistance to barnacle growth in marine paint systems (e.g. antifouling coatings), fuel and maintenance costs are reduced. I-Tech has obtained the necessary regulatory approvals for Selektope and has several of the world’s largest manufacturers of marine antifouling coatings as customers.

KEEPING CLEAN COUNTS

The importance of maintaining a smooth and clean hull free from biofouling has been outlined in a new report from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The report, Analysing the Impact of Marine Biofouling on the Energy Efficiency of Ships and the GHG Abatement Potential of Biofouling Management Measures, highlights that a layer of slime as thin as 0.5mm covering up to 50% of a hull surface could trigger an increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the range of 25-30% depending on ship characteristics, its speed and other prevailing conditions. These percentages can be much higher for more severe biofouling conditions, depending on the type of ships and other parameters.

In addition to analysing the impact of biofouling on ship efficiency and how current industry practices for biofouling management impact ship efficiency, the study presents results from seven scenarios (or anti-fouling strategies) in relation to a reference (“always clean”) of a target vessel (bulk carrier), between dry-docking periods.

These results demonstrate the magnitude of fuel, CO2 and cost savings that can be achieved by keeping this ship as clean as possible from biofouling. Biofouling management is one important contributor to the overall operational efficiency of ships and should be considered by shipowners to achieve IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) rating indicator that measures vessel carbon intensity over time.

Download the full report at: tinyurl.com/IMOReport

BOOMING MARKET

According to a study by MarketWatch, the growth of the marine antifouling paints market is set for expansion. In comparison to 2021, the market will spike in terms of revenue over the next seven years.

The marine coatings market size is set to grow by US$4.25bn from 2020 to 2025, progressing at a CAGR of 6.73% according to Technavio. Also, the market recorded a 4.5% year on year growth rate in 2021.

The marine coatings market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. Akzo Nobel NV, BASF SE, Baril Coatings USA, Chugoku Marine Paints, Endura Coatings, Hempel AS, Nippon Paint Holdings, Orkla ASA, PPG Industries Inc, and The SherwinWilliams Co are some of the major market participants.

UNDERWATER COATINGS

Reducing environmental impact and operating costs are a major focus for shipping companies globally. Selecting the right underwater coating technology is critical in reducing costs and environmental impact, while maintaining vessel efficiency.

Hamburg-based Pronav Ship Management operates a fleet of several liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, including four Q-Flex LNG vessels and two conventional, 145000m3 capacity LNG vessels. All six vessels are coated with Intersleek biocide-free technology.

By using Intersleek technology, the environmental impact of these vessels has been significantly reduced compared with similar vessels coated with biocide-containing technology. An evaluation of the reduction in paint volume, volatile organic compound content and biocide release was completed and the results are summarised below for the six vessels.

Utilising biocide-free technology also reduces exposure of personnel during coating operations and minimises cost and time in drydock due to the reduced number of coats. Another operational benefit of this advanced coatings technology.

CRUISE CONTROLS

Water treatment specialist RWO’s business development manager Lars Nupnau explains how new sustainable technologies can provide the answer to reducing the environmental impact of cruise operations, as calls to protect the world’s oceans increase.

“Sustainability is now a top priority across maritime and shipping, and this is particularly the case in the cruise and passenger ship industry, where a growing number of guests bring highly developed environmental sensibilities on board.

“Consumers are increasingly better informed on the impact shipping is having on the planet: passenger service providers may be measured by standards set in domestic lives on energy consumption, recycling or on opting for plant-based detergents,” he says.

A recent survey conducted by travel agency network Virtuoso found that 82% of respondents wanted to travel more responsibly in the future, with 70% agreeing that sustainable travel enhanced the

experience. Half of respondents ranked a strong sustainability policy as “very important” when choosing a hotel, cruise line or travel company.

Ship emissions represent a central consideration for cruise lines. However, expectations today go beyond holding owners accountable, with guests now wishing to play an active role in environmental protection, whether through responsible towel laundering, recycling, or investing in reusable water bottles.

“While not a conversation starter at the buffet, sewage management is increasingly important for ship operators because guests witnessing the majesty of nature have a strong preference not to cause it direct damage. Also referred to as black water, sewage contains a myriad of hazardous pathogens, bacteria, viruses, and chemical nutrients which are harmful to human and marine life,” says Nupnau.

“However, like many areas of concern for the marine environment, regulation remains the most consistent means of controlling

Coming up with green solutions for dealing with ballast water and other waste treatments on board ships is key to protecting oceans from lasting damage

whether, where and in what form sewage can be discharged.”

International Maritime Organization (IMO) MARPOL Annex IV regulates the discharge of sewage waste from ships. Annex IV prohibits the discharge of sewage into the sea unless the ship has an approved sewage treatment plant in operation, or the sewage being discharged into the sea has been broken down and disinfected using an approved system at a distance of more than three nautical miles from the coast.

However, the 2016 resolution MEPC.227(64) introduced Special Areas and entirely prohibited the discharge of sewage from passenger ships within these areas unless the vessel has an approved sewage treatment plant that also removes chemical nutrients.

Chapter 4.2 of the resolution states that, if a vessel is intending to discharge sewage effluent in Special Areas, the treatment system must meet the nitrogen and phosphorus removal standards.

The Baltic Sea is currently the only Special Area under these regulations and as of 2021 applied to all new and existing passenger ships operating in this area. However, from 1 June 2023, restrictions will apply to “existing passenger ships on route directly to or from a port located outside the Special Area and to or from a port located east of longitude 28”10’E within the Special Area that do not make any other port calls within the Special Area”.

RWO, a supplier of “intelligent water management solutions”, suggests that it is fair to assume that more areas will come under the regulations as pressure to protect the world’s oceans from pollutants continues to grow.

“In today’s environment, cruise lines have two main options when it comes to sewage treatment – to install an advanced wastewater treatment system (AWTS) or hold treated sewage on-board,” says Nupnau.

“RWO recently launched its new generation AWTS, with first installations taking place on-board two of the Celebrity Solstice-class vessels – the Celebrity Silhouette and Celebrity Reflection. The installations will upgrade the vessels existing RWO MEMROD sewage treatment plants in preparation for the regulation changes in 2023. Type approved in accordance with IMO MEPC.227(64) including chapter 4.2 for nitrogen and phosphorus removal within special areas, RWO’s CleanSewage Membrane Bioreactor (CS-MBR) is a sustainable biological treatment technology that has been designed to minimise a vessels impact on the environment, exceeding regulatory requirements by providing the highest effluent standards.”

Customisable to individual requirements, the CS-MBR treatment process can be broken down into three stages:

» Solids are removed from the wastewater during the mechanical

pre-treatment process

» A high performance activated sludge process commences where pollutants are degraded and removed

» Clean water is separated from the activated sludge using a submerged membrane resulting in water that is completely free of solids and pure enough to be re-used in other functions such as laundry, or as technical water.

Membrane technology will be gamechanging for the cruise sector, according to RWO. Membranes remove over 99% of solids, including microplastics and viruses, which enhances water purity and prevents diseases. While membranes are sometimes used as an additional stage after the biological treatment process, what makes the CS-MBR unique is its submerged membrane design used in the bioreactor during the final treatment stage. This enables a compact design and increases energy efficiency.

Nupnau says: “As industry events this year have shown, expectations for sustainability will only continue to rise. In an increasingly digital and connected maritime industry, RWO is also working alongside industry partners, including TUI Cruises and Hanover University, in support of the cross-industry ‘OSCAR’ research project. Funded by the German Government, OSCAR is researching online modelling, simulation, and remote-control systems for on-board environmental technologies on cruise ships.

“Scientists from the Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Waste Management are developing and testing digital twins for AWTS. The aim of the project is to design a digital twin that enables ship management companies to simulate the AWTS of a cruise ship onshore using data from the vessel, to support crew and provide advice or guidance where required.“

In October last year, the ship sewage treatment plant in the ISAH technical centre located at the HanoverHerrenhausen sewage treatment plant went live. It was fitted with a smaller version of RWO’s CS-MBR system.

THIRD-PARTY TREATMENT

Bawat and partners Bawat Technology Services and Freedom Ballast announced the introduction of the very first US port Third Party Ballast Water Treatment as a Service (T-aa-S) project earlier this year. Using a mobile, containerised, ballast water treatment system from Bawat, the job was performed with a customer in Louisiana for multiple vessels.

Marcus Peter Hummer, chief executive at Bawat, says: “We are thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking first movement to facilitate ports and yards with ballast water reception technology in the US. With our US-based partner Freedom Ballast, we expect to place more hardware and facilities across the US in the coming months and years to service an increasing demand for both planned and contingency ballast water treatment jobs.

“As regulation gets tighter and compliance date for vessels to live up to United States Coast Guard discharge criteria’s for invasive species in ballast water are getting closer to finalisation, we are seeing an increase demand for ballast water reception service. With Bawat’s filter-less one-pass technology, we are ideally suited to service this market, and in joint venture ship with Bawat Technology Services and Freedom Ballast, we have found ideal partners”.

COLDIRONING CONNECTION

Industry-leading ballast water treatment specialists Erma First has launched Blue Connect, a high-voltage shore power solution.

The system facilitates a vessel’s connection to a port’s electrical grid in

order to power the vessel’s systems and equipment while at berth.

This enables the ship’s diesel generators to be switched off, with a resultant reduction in noise and emissions, such as particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, carbon oxides and volatile organic compounds.

The installation and use of Blue Connect can contribute to the global shipping industry’s decarbonisation goals, including the European Union’s Fit for 55 plan, the US’s California Air Resources Board regulations and the International Maritime Organization’s carbon reduction measures, the company says.

The vessel is connected to shore through a cable management system. Erma First currently offers standard Blue Connect models for RoRo/RoPax, passenger ferries, containers and tankers. Custom-made Blue Connect systems are also available.

The system includes a power transformer, which transforms high to low voltage, as well as the required switchgear to protect crew and equipment. The operation is controlled and monitored by the shore connection main control panel. Power changeover supports shore-to-vessel synchronisation to avoid black-out upon connection. The system can also be integrated to a vessel’s alarm monitoring system or/and power management system.

Konstantinos Stampedakis, Erma First managing director, says: “The launch of Blue Connect represents another key technological milestone for the Erma First Group. We now boast an array of game-changing engineering solutions and products

for the maritime community globally. Protecting the environment has always been at the core of Erma First’s offering. Blue Connect is a highly advanced cold-ironing solution that can help significantly reduce emissions in ports around the world.”

CRUISE DEAL

French UV water treatment specialist

BIO-UV Group has signed a major supply deal with luxury yacht builder Baglietto for several Bio-Sea ballast water treatment units for newbuild projects.

The agreement, which builds on the success of Baglietto’s Bio-Sea installations over the past two years, will see the ballast water treatment system manufacturer roll out 10 BioSea L01-0030 low flow systems over the next 12 months.

BIO-UV Group’s scope of supply includes five skid-mounted units for the builder’s 52m T52 line and five pre-assembled modular systems for its DOM 133 line. Each ballast water treatment system will be delivered with a yacht-standard white finish and can treat flow rates up to 30m3/h.

The yard’s technicians will carry out the installation work with the manufacturer’s Napoli-based certified service partner Tefin Marine Electronics ServiceNetwork, which will also be responsible for the commissioning of each system.

A key requirement was that each modular Bio-Sea unit was supplied compact and pre-assembled prior to delivery for installation simplicity, explains Maxime Dedeurwaerder, business unit director in BIO-UV Group’s maritime division.

“Our Bio-Sea engineering and design team was able to quickly adapt the system to meet the customer’s technical requirements and the limited space available in the machinery rooms.”

Each Bio-Sea L-series is made from high-quality marine components and is chlorine/chemical-free. They combine mechanical filtration with the right UV dose disinfection to provide yacht owners with one of the most ecologically safe ballast water management solutions available.

CLEAR THINKING

The World Shipping Council, along with Danish Shipping and renewable energy producers, shipowners and other organisations, have written an open letter to EU decision makers stating that the total climate footprint from production to combustion should be considered in the EU emssions trading system for maritime.

The European Commission has proposed to include shipping in the EU’s emissions trading system (ETS) as from 2023. The crucial details in the regulation are currently being negotiated and therefore the World Shipping Council, Danish Shipping, Methanol Institute, Renewable Hydrogen Coalition, Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, Swedish Shipowners’ Association and several other organisations representing the full value chain behind green fuels are asking policymakers to push the regulation in the greenest possible direction.

In an open letter sent to central representatives in the tripartite meetings on the legislative proposal, the signatories

emphasise the importance of looking at the climate impact of the new green fuels from extraction at the source to combustion.

“To support shipping’s transition to renewably produced marine fuels, the EU ETS must provide the right signal, taking into consideration the greehouse gas (GHG) emissions of fuels across their full lifecycle,” says Jim Corbett, the World Shipping Council’s environmental director for Europe. “We are concerned that the current ETS language for maritime unintentionally favours so-called brown fuels from fossil production that increase GHGs.

“Liner carriers are already investing in alternative fuels and technologies, and urge the EU to ensure policies are geared to accelerate investments in the necessary renewably derived fuels by adopting a full life-cycle perspective. Aligning EU ETS pricing with other EU Green Deal measures also supports Europe’s potential to become a major producer of renewable marine fuels.”

Rules on ship carbon intensity and rating system amendments to the International

With further waves of legislation relating to the environment rolling in, there have been calls for clarification on some of the plans already put forward by different government bodies and country groups

Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) Annex VI entered into force on 1 November 2022. Developed under the framework of the Initial International Maritime Organization () Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships agreed in 2018, these technical and operational amendments require ships to improve their energy efficiency in the short term and thereby reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

From 1 January 2023, it will be mandatory for all ships to calculate their attained Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) to measure their energy efficiency and to initiate the collection of data for the reporting of their annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII) and CII rating.

The short-term GHG reduction measures, adopted in 2021, form a comprehensive set of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, which provide important building blocks for IMO’s future mid-term greenhouse gas reduction measures.”

The latest amendments build on IMO energy-efficiency measures that were first adopted in 2011 and strengthened since. The CII and EEXI measures represent the next stage in IMO’s work to meet the targets set in the Initial IMO GHG Strategy.

The amendments to MARPOL Annex VI came into force on 1 November 2022. The requirements for EEXI and CII certification come into effect on 1 January 2023. This means that the first annual reporting will be completed in 2023, with initial CII ratings given in 2024.

As a stimulus to reduce carbon intensity of all ships by 40% by 2030 compared with the 2008 baseline, ships will be required to calculate two ratings: their attained EEXI to determine their energy efficiency, and their annual operational CII and associated CII rating. Carbon intensity links the GHG emissions to the amount of cargo carried over distance travelled.

Based on a ship’s CII, its carbon intensity will be rated A, B, C, D or E (where A is the best). The rating indicates a major superior, minor superior, moderate, minor inferior, or inferior performance level. The

performance level will be recorded in a “Statement of Compliance” to be further elaborated in the ship’s Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan.

A ship rated D or E for three consecutive years will have to submit a corrective action plan to show how the required index of C or above will be achieved. Administrations, port authorities and other stakeholders as appropriate, are encouraged to provide incentives to ships rated as A or B.

A ship can run on a low-carbon fuel clearly to get a higher rating than one running on fossil fuel, but there are many things a ship can do to improve its rating, for instance through measures, such as:

» hull cleaning to reduce drag » speed and routeing optimisation

» installation of low-energy light bulbs

» installation of solar/wind auxiliary power for accommodation services. Member States are working on the revision of the initial GHG strategy and the revised version is set to be adopted in mid-2023 at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) session in July 2023.

IMO member states have already initiated discussions on various proposals for IMO’s next set of GHG reduction measures, such as a maximum carbon-content for marine fuels as well as on economic measures, such as a GHG levy, emissions trading scheme, feebate or an incentive scheme for zero emission vessels.

To download the revised MARPOL Annex VI (2021 Revised MARPOL Annex VI) and related guidelines visit: tinyurl.com/IMO-MarpolAnnexVI

CII OPERATIONS CLAUSE

The BIMCO Documentary Committee has adopted a Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) Operations Clause for Time Charter Parties, which will help the industry commercially navigate the complexities of the new CII regulations from the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

The new regulations on the carbon intensity of international shipping will come into force on 1 January 2023. Owners and charterers need to collaborate and co-operate to manage the IMO objective to reduce carbon

emissions. The clause sets out a way forward in a time charter context, where charterers are responsible for the operation of the vessel.

Although owners and charterers have different roles, the task to reduce carbon emissions must be shared and requires both parties to be committed to collaborate to manage this task. When entering into a charterparty, or incorporating the clause into an existing charter party, the parties are to agree on a specific CII value to be achieved each year.

“The subcommittee comprised shipowners, charterers and legal and insurance experts,” says Nicholas Fell, chairperson of BIMCO’s Documentary Committee. “After more than eight months of deliberation and consultation, we have arrived at a clause which serves as an excellent starting point for negotiations for owners and charterers and which is workable in practice. The new clause will be reviewed as the underpinning regulatory regime develops.”

As the industry is likely to face more regulations from the IMO and the EU aimed at reducing shipping’s CO2 emissions, the need for new contracts and clauses increases. The CII clause is the latest addition to BIMCO’s suite of carbon clauses for time charter parties.

“The subcommittee will now continue its work to develop further clauses – such as a CII clause for voyage charterparties – to assist charterers and owners responding to new regulatory requirements, regardless of whether they come from the IMO, EU, or elsewhere,” says Stinne Taiger Ivø, director, Contracts & Support at BIMCO.

ZERO EMISSIONS PUSH

Europe’s lawmakers voted in October in favour of a 2% mandate for green shipping fuels by 2030 and while lobby group Transport and Environment (T&E) welcomes the world’s first measure to decarbonise shipping fuels, it says much more will be needed to get shipping to zero emissions.

Delphine Gozillon, sustainable shipping officer at T&E, says: “This is the beginning of the end for fossil fuels in Europe’s shipping industry.

The green shipping fuel mandate will kickstart the production of hydrogenbased fuels by providing investment security for fuel producers. But 2% will not be enough if we are to stick to 1.5°. The EU must build on this and go bolder. There is a clear will to clean up the shipping industry. This is just the start.”

T&E has called on the EU to raise this mandate – otherwise known as a sub-quota – to at least 6% in 2035. Around 50 industry organisations and NGOs from all over Europe, including Unilever, Siemens and Alstom, have backed this.

The group has also called for a removal of the exemption for companies with three ships or less, which would exempt 60% of shipping companies. This was rejected by the EU parliament.

The parliament also failed to announce a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 100% in 2050, which would effectively phase out all ghg-emitting fuels. This puts the EU’s

domestic shipping ambition at odds with its claims to be a global green shipping leader internationally, says T&E.

The parliament did reduce incentives for fossil gas by introducing stricter GHG targets. This will shorten the lifetime of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a compliance option, but it will not be enough to stop shipping’s worrying shift to LNG, warns T&E. However, as Gozillon concludes “it does signal that there is no long-term future for fossil LNG in shipping”.

CHINA’S GREEN BOOST

In November, China Classification Society (CCS) launched the Sustainable Shipping Innovation and Development Initiative (SSIDI) with China Petrochemical Corporation, China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, China Merchants Energy Transportation Co, and ICBC Financial Leasing Co.

Given accelerated policy making and development to reduce shipping emissions by the International Maritime

Organization (IMO), EU and other global and regional bodies, it has become an industry consensus to promote the application of alternative fuels in shipping, CCS says.

However, the application of alternative fuels in shipping involves many uncertain factors such as fuel supply, ship financing, technology development, and standard formulation, which are far beyond the scope of traditional shipping and require joint exploration by all parties in the entire industry chain, the class society has explained.

For this reason, CCS launched the SSIDI with all interested parties in energy, shipping, finance and other industrial chains. Co-operative research will focus on the economy, safety, technology maturity, policies and regulations, fuel availability, market mechanisms and other aspects of the application of alternative fuels in the shipping field, while conducting extensive and in-depth research on sustainable shipping innovation and development.

FOCUS ON FIRE FIGHTING Regulation and improved fire-fighting techniques have proved inadequate to stem the tide of serious incidents costing lives, significant cargo losses and ship damage, according to insurer, the TT Club.

TT Club is continuing its battle to convince cargo interests, supply chain professionals and enforcement agencies that the responsibility for mitigating container ship fires is shared by numerous entities involved from end to end of the entire global supply chain. With its estimated 60day average occurrence of serious fires being maintained by the Zim Charleston fire in August and the TSS Pearl in the Red Sea in early October, TT is once more urging a more comprehensive approach to arresting the trend.

“There were significant lessons coming from the sad incident on the MSC Flaminia, which cost the lives of three seafarers, particularly from the subsequent legal proceedings that adjudged the shipper and NVOC responsible for root cause errors,” says

TT’s Peregrine Storrs-Fox. “Despite the biennial updates to the IMDG Code, including multiple arising from this particular incident, the judge’s assessment that the regulations merely set the ‘baseline’ for good practice remains utterly true today.”

Ensuring compliance with the latest mandatorily applicable version of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code is essential as a minimum standard for all those shipping dangerous goods by sea. But the liability judgment in the MSC Flaminia case made it clear that regulations merely set the baseline.

“This is an important statement to which any entity inclined to rely solely on the letter of the law when consigning dangerous goods, would do very well to pay heed,” comments Storrs-Fox.

TT advocates a comprehensive approach, striving to bring an understanding of all the factors contributing to these fires to everyone involved in the movement of cargo in containers and therefore underlining their responsibilities for safety. Errors, misunderstandings, mis-declarations and inadequate packing and securing lie at the heart of many incidents, both at sea and in storage facilities.

Movement of cargo is initiated in the trading of goods – sellers and buyers – who instruct packers and whoever becomes the shipper. They have a duty of care as much as the packers, warehouse operators, forwarders, logistics companies, carriers of all modal types, cargo handlers and terminal operators.

Attention to accurate classification and declaration are critical to improve certainty of outcome from end to end. This requires truth as much as awareness of regulations and sound safety practices.

In addition, TT Club together with the UK Club recently updated the publication, Book it Right, Pack it Tight. This provides key insights for all involved in dangerous goods’ shipments, including a clear exposé of the more technical aspects of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) Code. The aim is

to influence higher standards of compliance by assisting all involved to understand their own duties and the duties of their contractual partners.

Closely related to the issues specific to dangerous goods are the broader aspects of packing cargo in general. While the International Maritime Organization/International Labour Organization/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU Code) remains non-mandatory international law, it is clearly referenced from the IMDG Code.

Through its participation in the Cargo Integrity Group, TT has contributed to work on the CTU Code - a quick guide Once more, this has been recently updated and assists those responsible for packing containers, accurately declaring details of their contents in order to access the guidance contained in the voluminous CTU Code itself more easily. There is also a useful checklist of actions required, which along with the quick guide is available in multiple languages.

TT’s campaign to influence all parties continues with a series of webinars early in 2023 on the subject of container ship fires and the on-going efforts to prevent them. The intent is to attract awareness and debate particularly around innovations that could materially improve the risk, including a number of those whose efforts have been recognised through the TT Club Innovation in Safety Awards over recent years.

Thus, these online forums will contribute further to the valuable weight of knowledge and expertise in the arena.

“The complexities of the global container trades increase rather than diminish,” concludes StorrsFox. “No one entity can surmount the dangers of these horrific fires, as a consequence it is essential that the entirety of the risk faced should be embraced by all involved through the supply chain if they are to be successfully reduced.”

A BLUEPRINT FOR COLLABORATION

We all know that we need to work together to decarbonise shipping. While the willingness to collaborate is undeniable, progress is often held back by a simple yet fundamental question: how do we make it happen in practice? Making collaborations work requires trust and a clear framework – and the foundation for both is transparent, reliable data.

If we take away one lesson for shipping from COP27, it is the maritime sector’s continued eagerness to collaborate on decarbonisation. A year after their launch, green shipping corridors are gaining momentum, with more than 20 initiatives underway, involving 110 stakeholders from all main shipping segments as well as governments.

Another flagship announcement was the commitment by Maersk, MAN Energy Solutions, the Getting to Zero Coalition and others to pursue cross-sector collaboration to ramp up the production of green hydrogen-based fuels in shipping.

Partnerships on this scale are essential

to transform our industry, and the world will be watching as these projects progress from their current early stages towards their tangible implementation.

The push towards greater collaboration has also been felt outside the meeting halls of recent international meetings, with many in the industry promising to accelerate climate action through cooperation.

Yet translating high ambition and good intentions into practice has often been the tricky part. For many, the barrier is not knowing where to start, or how. Others may be hesitant to share information and resources for fear of putting their own organisational goals at risk.

The urgency of the climate crisis demands high levels of ambition, and delivering on these ambitions requires far-reaching partnerships.

We already know that we need to collaborate with stakeholders within and outside shipping to develop new fuels, clean technologies, engines, bunkering facilities, and global supply chains needed to scale

The urgency of the climate crisis demands high levels of ambition, and delivering on these ambitions requires far-reaching partnerships, says Mikko Kuosa of NAPA

Mikko Kuosa CEO, NAPA

them up. However, the breadth of change required doesn’t stop there, and runs deep into the way we do business. We need to work together to tackle misaligned incentives and develop the right business models for this new era – where risk and benefits are shared, and no one is left behind.

Most importantly, the climate urgency calls for ambition to be translated into action – and for collaboration pledges to become concrete partnerships.

Data takes centre stage

Fundamentally, what shipping needs to collaborate is a clear framework that helps build and maintain trust, and makes partnerships work in practice with fair “rules of the game” for everyone involved.

Such framework relies on data and digital technology, which can play a critical role in making collaborations successful. First, they support transparency and facilitate informationsharing, which is essential to build and maintain trust.

Crucially, a data-based approach also brings clarity and helps build confidence on what new projects will look like in reality, and their implications for the different stakeholders involved. Solid data can build an objective picture of actions and progress by simulating different scenarios, to accurately measure the costs and benefits of joining any new collaborative project.

This adds predictability not only to the technological aspects of a project, but also helps test out the operational environment, which is so important to

businesses’ decision-making. When done right, collaboration is a win-win situation, and data can be used to demonstrate when that will be the case.

The good news is that using data to make collaborations successful is more than a theoretical prospect. Digital platforms are already at play across the sector, supporting partnerships that drive decarbonisation from shipyards to operations at sea. Here’s how.

Collaboration can tackle some of the hardest problems that currently stand in the way of emissions reductions. A good example is the Blue Visby solution, a multilateral platform where companies agree on a common framework to eliminate the wasteful practice of “sail fast, then wait” – and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 15%.

Current contractual frameworks too often incentivise ships to sail at speed across oceans, increasing their emissions exponentially, only to wait outside congested ports for extended periods, burning even more fuel. Solving this complex problem requires two things: a new model that removes these split incentives, and the digital technology to make an alternative business model work in practice.

Blue Visby does both. It introduces an innovative contractual framework where charterers, ship owners and cargo owners share the risks and rewards of using the solution. And it takes it from concept to reality by using state-of-art digital technology to create a dynamic “queuing system” that optimises and staggers arrival times for groups of vessels

travelling to the same port. This enables ships to slow down, cut their emissions, and arrive one after the other without losing a competitive advantage, as the algorithm maintains their order of arrival as if they had sailed independently.

By doing so, Blue Visby delivers most of the benefits of “just-in-time” arrivals without most of the problems. It shows how shipping companies can come together to reduce their emissions by optimising their arrivals, without requiring a complex alignment of stakeholders on the port side.

It goes without saying that the key to Blue Visby’s success is the partners’ willingness to take action to reduce their emissions and openness to look for new ways of tackling inefficiencies. But what brings them together in an effective partnership is digital technology.

Powered by NAPA software, the algorithm assigns a target arrival time for each vessel in a way that is fair, neutral, transparent, and trusted by all participating companies. It also addresses concerns about the sharing of sensitive information, as it only requires AIS data that is already publicly available.

Enhanced collaboration

Data analysis shows that the impact of Blue Visby on commercial performance is minimal, as the speed reduction would be as little as one knot on average. However, the potential collective impact on the environment is significant. The Blue Visby Consortium estimates that the solution has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of the global shipping fleet by approximately 60m tonnes of CO2 per year if it were applied globally across all shipping segments that the solution addresses – which is larger than the total emissions of an entire country like Norway.

Digital technologies also support enhanced collaboration within companies themselves. For instance, they enable crews and shoreside teams to work together more closely to optimise voyages to reduce emissions, while maintaining safety at all times.

This is particularly important as shipping deploys a range of new fuels and technologies, such as wind

propulsion, batteries and carbon capture. As well as changing how a vessel operates, these systems impact a ship’s safety and stability profile. Careful planning is required ahead of their deployment, and constant decision-making is needed once they are installed on board.

This calls for enhanced collaboration and communication between seafarers on board and fleet operations centres on shore, so that they can monitor dayto-day operations, proactively address risks, and make the best possible decisions together to optimise energy efficiency without ever compromising safety. Digital tools are making this a reality.

Using 3D models together with realtime data delivered through the cloud, shoreside teams can monitor a number of variables that may affect a vessel’s stability and energy efficiency, such as stability and loading of cargo, bunkers, or ballast, and weather conditions.

As a result, they can better support seafarers on board with stability calculations, route planning and voyage optimisation, and flag any potential risks before they ever become a problem.

Digital technology also helps model the impact of different measures to optimise operations, placing “safe boundaries” for decision-making. For example, with deadweight management, NAPA stability software

helps crews adjust margins on fuel bunkering, ballast water and trim to help reduce fuel consumption and emissions, while maintaining ship stability and safety.

Furthermore, the same software can help decisionmakers identify and close safety and efficiency gaps on their fleets, helping teams work together to improve their performance and ensure compliance with environmental regulation.

Partnerships for new designs

Lesser known, but just as essential, is the role of collaboration in helping design the next generation of greener vessels, integrating new fuels and technologies.

The ship design process is inherently a collaborative one, involving multiple stakeholders, including naval engineers, owners, sub-contractors, and classification societies. As shipyards are asked to innovate at an unprecedented speed, these stakeholders need the right tools to be able to communicate efficiently.

The foundation of this greater collaboration is made from intelligent 3D models and web-based informationsharing platforms, which provide a common software base to share design details, feedback and updates.

NAPA Viewer, for example, gives stakeholders access to all the information they need, while also

ensuring that the intellectual property rights of each party are protected.

In practice, this enables teams to test new approaches more easily, implement changes seamlessly, and simulate how new features will impact the integrity, stability and efficiency of the global structure.

Quick design iterations and comprehensive analyses are particularly important for innovative designs, and digital platforms help all parties explore new “technological territories” together, enabling them to make the most of time and resources to deliver the best possible designs.

This is only the beginning. Moving forward, we hope that collaboration will enable more operational data to be fed back to shipyards, where it can provide formidable insights to optimise the future fleet.

This will rely on companies’ willingness to share more data on how their vessels perform once at sea, which shipyards can then use to iterate and improve their concepts, accelerating the development of greener designs that can benefit the entire industry, and the planet.

We have the tools we need to translate collaboration pledges into successful partnerships across the maritime sector, from a ship’s initial design stages to its operations at sea. There is no reason for a lack of ambition – or action.

SMART MOVES

Given their unique role as hubs at the interface of land and sea, ports are critical enablers for decarbonisation in the maritime world and beyond. Ports that move early on decarbonisation will be the ones best placed to benefit from new growth opportunities, but digitalisation must be at the core of their sustainability strategy.

A recent white paper from the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), The Mindshift to Innovation in Ports, highlights how important it is for ports to innovate and reinvent themselves in what has now become a highly competitive and uncertain business environment. “In a constantly-changing economic context, ports must adapt to both new international and national regulatory requirements, strong international competition, accelerated digitalization and major climate and environmental challenges. This has led ports to work in adjacent business lines, beyond cargo traffic and supply chain, and to explore new opportunities,” the authors point out.

The scale of change required to meet

global decarbonisation goals is undeniable, and ports play a central role in the transition, being complex ecosystems that sit at the heart of supply chains.

More than hubs where goods are received and handled, ports are set to become agents of change. Ports from around the world have already embarked on that journey, innovating to improve their own operational efficiency and offering new services and infrastructure to support the green transition.

These early movers on decarbonisation are attracting the attention of clean energy and green shipping projects, as well as supply chain heavyweights looking to reduce their first and last mile emissions. For example, the offshore wind market is booming in the US, the UK and elsewhere, and there is a potentially big market for ports near offshore wind farms to provide renewable shore power to service vessels.

There are also opportunities for forward-thinking ports to push ahead of the competition and embed themselves

Digitalisation must be at the core of the sustainability strategy of ports – to become green, they must first be smart, says Grant Ingram of Innovez One

Grant Ingram CEO for the UK and EMEA, Innovez One

into the new supply chains that are emerging for fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen, and for the transport of carbon dioxide as part of carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chains.

The divide between ports that embrace collaboration, digitalisation and sustainability and those who don’t will increasingly create two classes of ports going forward. Ports operate in a highly competitive environment where they will be increasingly judged by their sustainability credentials and their capacity to support emerging green supply chains. Early movers will be rewarded with significant business opportunities.

But for those who fail to take the first steps in this transition today, there is a real risk of failing to meet the efficiency and sustainability goals of their customers, regulators and investors in the near future. In other

words, these ports risk being left on the wrong side of what is rapidly becoming a great sustainability divide.

Agents of change

The ports leading the collaborative evolution of the sector are proving that they can be hubs of innovation and become agents of change beyond their own borders.

For instance, the Port of Long Beach recently demonstrated the evolution it has underway and its ability to collaborate to effect change beyond its borders. Heavy-duty electric trucks servicing San Pedro Bay port terminals in the Port of Long Beach can now charge for free at the Port of Long Beach after it opened the first two public charging stations in the nation for the vehicles.

Southern California will need a network of thousands of heavy-duty charging stations, not only at the ports,

but all around the region as the US moves to renewable energy to fight climate change. With this initiative, the port is helping to accelerate adoption of the technology. The port aims to have zero-emissions terminal operations by 2030 and zero-emissions trucking by 2035. Diesel emissions from trucks have already been cut by as much as 97% compared to 2005 levels.

In another example of port evolution, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authorityled Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program has launched its sixth season of large-scale underwater noise reduction initiatives. The program aims to support the recovery of the region’s population of killer whales.

As part of the ECHO Program’s 2022 measures, ship operators are encouraged to slow down or stay distanced while transiting through

key areas of the whale’s critical habitat. To date, more than 80 marine transportation organisations have confirmed their intention to participate. Since 2017, the ECHO Program’s underwater noise reduction initiatives in the Salish Sea have encouraged thousands of ship operators to modify their sailing pattern, thereby reducing underwater sound intensity by up to 55% in key killer whale foraging areas.

At land and at sea, across all the different industries and communities they are part of, ports have a wide range of tactics at their disposal when it comes to driving sustainability.

Change begins with oneself

Unfortunately, many ports still don’t see sustainability as an immediate priority. Some may be aware of the importance to act but unsure of what tangible steps forward to take. They may be thinking that issues related to efficiency and congestion are more urgent.

What these ports fail to realise is that measures to boost efficiency, tackle congestion, and improve sustainability all go hand in hand. And the first step to improve all of these areas is digitalisation.

For ports, achieving sustainability poses challenges that are as multifaceted as they are far reaching. More than just places where goods are loaded and unloaded, ports are complex ecosystems of their own, where numerous moving pieces such as pilots, tugs, trucks and service boats are dispatched to vessels as they arrive or depart. Reducing the amount of carbon emitted by these service fleets requires organising them in the most efficient way possible.

Where manual processes, spreadsheets and whiteboards fall short, AI-powered algorithms can solve complex puzzles and calculate optimal resource allocation – taking into account additional constraints such as the need to assign pilots to specific vessel types and sizes depending on their licence, the types and number of tugboats required for each job, and the shuttles needed

to take the pilots to the correct boarding grounds.

By making the most of resources, digital solutions eliminate unnecessary journeys and reduce the overall distance travelled, which makes a significant difference on a port’s own emissions.

For example, the implementation of Innovez One’s marineM AI-powered scheduling system at the Indonesian port of Tanjung Priok, the 22nd busiest port in the world, reduced the overall distance travelled during tug and pilot operations by 20%. It continues to save the port US$155,000 in fuel costs annually. Not only has the port seen tangible benefits in reduced congestion, but the system has also had a payback time of just six months.

Ports as enablers

Crucially, the benefits of digitalisation are felt beyond the port itself – they also help slash waiting times and emissions from visiting ships.

AI-powered algorithms can adapt to any changes in vessels’ estimated arrival times, updating schedules and reallocating resources at a speed unmatched by manual systems. This gives ports the agility needed to respond to problems or delays elsewhere in the supply chain and ensure that everything is in place to welcome ships exactly then they arrive.

This flexibility is key to minimising the amount of time that vessels spend queueing outside ports, with their engines on. In Tanjung Priok, MarineM reduced average waiting times for visiting ships from 2.4 hours to 30.6 minutes, slashing emissions further while also boosting port performance.

Digitalisation will also help ports in some of the pivotal strategic decisions that they must take to achieve sustainability. Granular data on operations will provide the vital insights that these ports need to make the best possible decisions on critical investments in new infrastructure or technology that will be needed to compete in an increasingly decarbonised world.

Collaboration played a major role in the ambitions laid out at COP27. Collaboration between ports, governments and other stakeholders led to major announcements about the development of green shipping corridors to facilitate the uptake of net-zero carbon bunker fuels.

The US and Canada announced a Great Lakes/Saint Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network Initiative. The US and the UK also announced support for the establishment of green shipping corridors between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach and C40 Cities began discussions on establishing a green and digital shipping corridor between Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex. The Northwest Seaport Alliance also announced a partnership with the Busan Port Authority.

A collaborative journey

To become a reality, these green shipping corridors projects will inevitably rely on smart, green ports capable of delivering the necessary infrastructure and efficiency to achieve net zero themselves, and to put the right measures in place to help their visiting ships to minimise their emissions.

They will provide an early glimpse into the cleaner supply chains of the future and just how interdependent and connected they will have to be to achieve these goals.

Time is of the essence. Given the critical role of ports in the global trading system and their potential exposure to climate related damage, disruptions and delays, enhancing their climate resilience is a matter of strategic socio-economic importance for the global economy and society as a whole.

As the fundamentals of the global economy change and evolve, ports must evolve too to support their communities. To build the foundations of a more sustainable future, they must embrace digitalisation today.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

RightShip and Veson Nautical have announced a new collaboration to enable those working in commercial freight management to make timely, safe and environmentally sound decisions at the touch of a button.

The Veson IMOS Platform is used on a daily basis by thousands of end users from the world’s leading shipping and commodity trading companies and lets charterers make informed decisions about the type of vessel they would like to use for their cargo while allowing shipowners to share the capability of their fleets.

From November 2022, subscribers to the integration were able to access the following RightShip data as part of Veson’s core chartering solution, VIP Chartering, as well as its pre-trade market analysis solution, VIP Trade Hub:

» Safety Score

» Greenhouse gas (GHG) Rating

» Inspection status of a vessel

Within VIP Chartering, Veson clients subscribed to the integration can utilise

the integration to create warnings and alerts for vessel ratings that do not fit the organisation’s specific requirements. Charterers either receive a warning or are unable to fix voyages that are outside of rating parameters, helping to protect them from wasted time or errors and standardising the pre-fixture process.

Within VIP Trade Hub, Veson clients can set minimum GHG Rating and Safety Score parameters to search for a specific subset of vessels in a particular geographic location. With the ability to search and sort vessels by rating information, users can filter out vessels that don’t fit their requirements and make better-informed, more environmentally conscious prefixture decisions.

Tarun Mehrotra, RightShip’s chief strategy officer, says: “This broadening and sharing of our data ecosystem marks yet another fantastic step forward for RightShip and the maritime industry as we expand our partnership network. We want to enable safer and smarter freight decisions using

Network communication is a key element of improving industry performance and also limiting costs, improving co-operation and reducing emissions

technology to provide transparency in workflows when and where it’s needed.

“The collaboration with Veson means our customers are able to access insights in a timely manner, as we enable the industry to chart a course towards a zero-harm future. We’ll be more transparent with data than ever before, continuously improving the quality, as the need for accurate ESG transparency becomes ever more prevalent.”

RightShip joins several other maritime digital providers that have been selected to integrate with the Veson IMOS Platform as part of the Veson partner network.

“We are very pleased to welcome RightShip as a platform partner,” says Eric Christofferson, chief product officer at Veson. “RightShip provides a significant value add to our client community, enabling them to add vessel rating information produced by RightShip directly into their chartering decision-making process within the Veson IMOS Platform. This further delivers on our desire to allow users to reference data where and when they need it in their workflow. This collaboration is another way we are helping the industry to decarbonise efficiently and effectively.”

Josh Luby, group product manager at Veson says: “Providing freight charterers with the necessary tools and data to efficiently assess the market and take action is core to VIP Trade Hub and chartering workflows. Having the RightShip GHG Rating, Safety Score and crew welfare information available to them at the very start of this process means they can quickly act on a market opportunity with the confidence that the selected vessel will meet their organisational standards.”

JOINING THE DOTS

A new report compiled by maritime innovation consultancy Thetius makes a compelling case that shipping companies seeking to meet current and emerging challenges facing the maritime industry will benefit from a strategic approach to connectivity.

Published by Inmarsat The Network Effect: Strategising Connectivity at Sea for Maximum Impact also provides

guidance on effective connectivity framework strategies.

The report details the business benefits and specific capabilities that shipping companies can access by applying an effective connectivity strategy across their business IT, crew, and operational networks. These include voyage and port-call optimisation, emissions reduction, condition monitoring and conditionbased maintenance, trade facilitation, seafarer welfare and training, remote surveys and pilotage and telemedicine services.

Matthew Kenney, director of research and consulting at Thetius, says: “Against a backdrop of evolving regulatory requirements and increasing emphasis on seafarer welfare, connectivity and data are indispensable to shipping company competitiveness. However, simply purchasing data is no longer enough. If shipowners are to reap the full rewards of operational optimisation, decarbonisation and a loyal and talented crew the right connectivity strategy is essential.”

According to the report, once a shipping company has established its objectives and identified the capabilities needed to achieve them, it will benefit most from finding the right combination of communication services to best support those capabilities. By joining

the dots between business goals and connectivity options, operators gain access to a host of benefits, including:

» opportunities to optimise and drive efficiency, while reducing running costs and improving profit margins

» the ability to attract and retain talented crew

» the capacity to future-proof operations and build in competitive advantages.

Ben Palmer, president of Inmarsat Maritime, says: “Ultimately, a good connectivity strategy relies on a clear understanding of the company’s business goals, the technologies needed to attain those goals, and any additional influencing factors such as resource availability and investment requirements. In that sense, shipping is no different to any other industry: collecting, collating, analysis and harnessing the value of data relies on resilient, reliable, secure, globally available connectivity services. It is also critical to recognise that implementing a connectivity strategy is a continuous and iterative process that requires constant monitoring, frequent reassessment, and regular feedback from internal and external stakeholders.

“As this report makes clear, this is both necessary and highly valuable to modern shipping operations both in terms of driving competitive advantage and addressing decarbonisation goals.”

UNSUNG HEROES

Global renewable green hydrogen pioneer Lhyfe has launched a new online platform to help accelerate deployment of the gas across industry and transport.

Lhyfe Heroes aims to match potential consumers looking to implement hydrogen solutions, or already in the process of switching, with suppliers.

The free portal is named in honour of trailblazing hydrogen vehicle and equipment manufacturers and CO2slashing local authorities, logistics and transport companies.

Automotive giant Stellantis is among the major firms to have joined the project, with Lhyfe listing more than 100 hydrogen solutions available on the market.

PRF, the Portuguese developer of hydrogen refuelling stations, and motorsport company and retrofit specialist GCK have also signed-up.

The launch comes after Lhyfe began its first UK operation in North East England to identify opportunities to deploy production facilities to support the country’s net zero ambitions.

Lhyfe hopes to enable the creation of a complete ecosystem that connects existing hydrogen producers, fuel station developers, fuel distributors, and vehicle manufacturers with end users.

By bringing these players together on a single platform, the France-based multinational is offering hydrogen developers a clearer vision and helping them deploy solutions faster.

Lhfye Heroes has a threestep approach:

» Assess how hydrogen can reduce the CO2 emissions of business or operations. By entering a few project details into the Lhyfe Heroes simulator, its calculation system gives an indication of key metrics, including the amount of CO2 avoided and quantity of hydrogen required a year. It can also demonstrate the refuelling time and range of vehicles.

» Identify the solutions available on the market to realise a project. Based on this simulation, the platform offers a selection of

products and solutions that are already on the market and match identified needs. It covers eight types of vehicles, including buses, trucks, cars and refuse collectors, fuel stations, hydrogen generators and producers of green and renewable hydrogen.

» Connect with manufacturers of hydrogen vehicles, fuel station developers, hydrogen generator suppliers and hydrogen producers.

The Lhyfe Heroes platform is free for all users. Suppliers can become partners in order to edit their profile content and add products.

In return, they will receive requests from potential customers and have access to the platform’s indicators.

Peter Kuhn, in charge of hydrogen development at Stellantis, says: “Lhyfe Heroes is an extremely welcome initiative – as manufacturers and producers, we all face the same obstacles concerning the complexity of moving forward in a sector very much under construction.

“We are delighted to be part of this opportunity to simplify access to the hydrogen market.”

Matthieu Guesné, CEO and founder of Lhyfe, adds: “At Lhyfe, we have an obsession with moving fast because energy transition needs to happen now. We have designed Lhyfe Heroes to save time for the entire value chain.

“We call upon all players in the

hydrogen chain to come and list themselves to speed up hydrogen transition and reduce our carbon emissions as quickly as possible.”

CANE SUPPLY CHAIN

Sugar cane farming group

Canegrowers and KPMG Origins have been working together on a pilot project which aims to track cane supplies from the production stage right through to the end user.

The sugar produced from cane grown by Australian Smartcane BMP accredited growers, will be traceable through the supply chain to the end user in South Korea.

The proof-of-concept trial is the culmination of years of work by Canegrowers and KPMG Origins, working with a range of supply-chain partners to create a platform that would use blockchain technology to trace sugar from production to end user.

The KPMG Origins blockchain technology was tested in Tully and Mackay to show traceability of Smartcane BMP accredited sugarcane from farm to mill.

The export pilot will test traceability from the bulk sugar terminal to the customer and will involve a 25,000-tonne shipment of sugar sold by Queensland Sugar Limited, through trader Czarnikow, and delivered to the buyer in South Korea.

For anyone concerned about or responsible for the safe handling and storage of bulk materials in ports and on the sea Course Leader: Mike Bradley, Professor of Bulk and Particulate Technologies and Director of The Wolfson Centre, University of Greenwich

For anyone concerned about or responsible for the safe handling and storage of bulk materials in ports and on the sea Course Leader: Mike Bradley, Professor of Bulk and Particulate Technologies and Director of The Wolfson Centre, University of Greenwich