• 2018 May 25 17:42

    Carbon targets for shipping can only be met with ‘zero CO2’ fuels - ICS

    The ambitious CO2 reduction targets set by the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the year 2050 can only be delivered with the global rollout of zero CO2 fuels and propulsion systems, says the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

    Speaking at the annual Summit of Transport Ministers hosted by the OECD International Transport Forum in Leipzig, ICS Deputy Secretary General, Simon Bennett said:

    “As well as being consistent with the 1.5 degree climate change goal, the IMO targets are far more ambitious than what has so far been agreed for aviation, or indeed the commitments made by governments with respect to the rest of the global economy under the Paris Agreement. But the shipping industry greatly welcomes the IMO agreement because it gives us the signal we need to get on with the job of decarbonizing the sector completely as soon as possible.”

    With respect to the IMO goals set for 2050 – a 70% efficiency improvement as an average across the fleet, and a total CO2 cut by the sector of at least 50% by 2050 (regardless of expected growth in maritime trade), Mr Bennett said “these targets can realistically only be achieved with the development and global roll out of genuine zero CO2 fuels.”

    “To be clear, zero CO2 fuels means radical and as yet unproven technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells using ammonia or methanol, or batteries powered using renewable energy. While LNG or biofuels will play an important part in the transition we only really see these as interim solutions that won’t deliver the ambitious targets which IMO has now set for 2050.

    “While we are confident new zero CO2 technologies will eventually deliver they are not yet fully ready for maritime application, and certainly not yet for deep sea trades.”

    Mr Bennett added:
    “The development of these new technologies will require co-operation between all relevant stakeholders particularly shipbuilders, engine manufacturers and classification societies, which are the repositories of the industry’s technical knowledge. But when it comes to pure research into new propulsion systems this has to be facilitated by governments within a framework that needs to be developed by the UN IMO.”

    He added “To kick start new technologies we also may need to make some compromises. For example, in order to develop hydrogen propulsion systems, and gain experience of the serious technical challenges, we may need to initially permit use of hydrogen that is still derived from fossil feedstock rather than renewables, a technology which is not quite there yet, though probably not insurmountable in the longer term.”

    With regard to short term measures, Mr Bennett says the industry recognizes that there is a political need among many governments for new IMO regulations that will start achieving further CO2 reductions from the sector before 2023, so that the industry stays on track to improve efficiency, as an average across the sector, by at least 40% by 2030, as also agreed by IMO.

    The next round of IMO discussions will take place in October 2018 in order to consider a list of possible candidate measures for CO2 reduction, and the industry is planning to make some detailed submissions to that meeting.

    “We are particularly focused on further improvements to the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ships which already requires a 30% efficiency improvement for ships built in 2025 compared to 2013, perhaps moving forward the implementation dates that currently apply for certain ship types such as containerships.”

    “ICS is open to how shipowners can best optimize speed management and also use efficiency indicators to improve ship performance, possibly through strengthening the existing mandatory requirement for ships to use a Ship Efficiency Management Plan, perhaps linking this to some kind of mandatory external audit. However, we are very nervous about measures which will be far too complicated to administer and which may cause serious distortion to shipping markets, such as publishing supposed operational efficiency indicators for individual ships that have no relation to actual CO2 emissions in real life.”

    Mr Bennett added “At the moment we believe the IMO strategy can best be delivered with technical measures alone. We don’t think we need the smoke and mirrors of market based measures or the purchase of carbon offsets to compensate for emissions which the sector is quite capable of reducing itself in line with the targets now agreed by IMO.”




2024 March 18

18:13 Brunvoll propulsion chosen for ESVAGT's growing fleet of SOVs
17:42 ADNOC signs second long-term Heads of Agreement for Ruwais LNG Project
17:37 Cemre Marin Endustri shipyard holds launching ceremony for CMAL's MV Isle of Islay
17:24 Fortescue successfully conducts world’s first use of ammonia as a marine fuel in a dual-fueled ammonia-powered vessel in the Port of Singapore
17:02 APL updates on European Union’s Import Control System 2
16:03 MED Marine contracted to build MED-A2575 series tug for SVS Maritime
15:31 Hanwha Ocean and BV join hands to develop a 270K LNG carrier
15:17 HD Korea Shipbuilding awarded contracts for three VLACs
14:18 Port of Skagen and Stillstrom partner to decarbonise anchorage zone with offshore charging solutions
13:22 Sanmar delivers 6th battery electric power tugboat to Norwegian operator
13:16 COSCO SHIPPING Lines announces the launch of OCEAN Alliance DAY 8 product this year
12:21 Dutch offshore wind farm approved by LR
11:39 ClassNK awards first-ever notation for improvements in living and working environment to Fuyo Kaiun's bulk carrier "ELETTRA"
11:31 Davie strengthens Québec’s shipbuilding industry by supporting the reorientation of AFCDC
10:44 Storylines and Brodosplit shipyard renew ship building contract to construct private residence ship
10:25 BOEM announces environmental review of proposed wind energy project offshore New Jersey
09:51 First ‘flying’ electric ferry to debut in New Zealand in 2025

2024 March 17

16:31 Norwegian Shipowners' Association names Harald Fotland as its President
15:22 ABS Wavesight Nautical Systems now supports fully digital, streamlined SIRE 2.0 inspections
14:15 TechnipFMC selected by NEP to deliver the first all-electric iEPCI for CCS
13:03 US sanctions shipping company, targeting Iran and Houthi rebels
11:01 The first hybrid electric vessel built in South America will use a Corvus battery system
09:47 Kalmar and Forterra sign JDA for autonomous terminal tractor

2024 March 16

16:24 The Netherlands selects Naval Group for its submarine replacement program
15:41 Equinor exercises options to extend four-year drilling contracts
14:17 GONDAN Shipbuilders hosts launching ceremony for Edda Wind's CSOV C503
13:47 Van Oord, Van Aalsburg partner to further develop circular fascine mattresses
12:13 Snam wins "A" raing in CDP's Suppliers Engagement Rating for efforts against climate change
10:54 ULSTEIN unveils new subsea vessel for offshore energy tasks

2024 March 15

18:07 DNV gives nod to Friede & Goldman BargeRack solution
18:02 New partnership enables faster offshore wind installations in the U.S.
17:53 First production line at ‘World’s Largest Monopile Factory’ to go live in July
17:21 Brunvoll DP2 upgrades for more Mokster vessels
16:55 CMA CGM to suspend its calls at Port au Prince, Haiti
16:03 GEFO's LNG DF chemical tanker Tosca gets Green Award
15:19 CEVA Logistics develops new vehicle logistics business at the Port of Dunkirk
14:11 MPA: SaR operation continues for a missing crew member of the Liberia-flagged UTOPIA
13:07 To develop the Far East it makes sense to build a new shipyard in the country’s eastern regions, President Putin said
12:48 World’s first use of ammonia as a marine fuel in a dual-fuelled ammonia-powered vessel in the Port of Singapore
11:39 COSCO Shipping calls Port of Genoa, Italy with 20,000 TEU vessels on regular basis
10:03 DMC contracted to supply rudder systems for the world’s largest PCTCs

2024 March 14

18:04 Shearwater awarded seismic survey for UK carbon capture and storage project
17:15 UAE, world leaders discuss maritime corridor for aid to Gaza
16:05 Marine fuel sales at Singapore drop to a three-month low in February
15:43 World Shipping Council selects NCB for liner shipping Cargo Safety Program
15:00 ZIM reports results for 2023
14:57 DP World announces 2023 results
14:29 HaiSea unveils new operations facility for the world’s greenest tugboat fleet
13:44 DEME awards KENC with engineering and fabrication scope on multiple offshore wind installation projects
13:25 MABUX: Bunker Outlook, Week 11, 2024
12:43 Wartsila Lifecycle Agreement to support optimised low-emission operations for two P&O Ferries vessels
11:35 Hapag-Lloyd transport volumes up by 0.5% to 11.9 million TEU in 2023
10:51 NYK and Astomos Energy christen new dual-fuel LPG carrier
10:25 Port of Long Beach container volume up 24.1% to 674,723 TEUs in Feb 2024

2024 March 13

18:02 Lebanese, French officials float a plan to rebuild Beirut port nearly 4 years after huge explosion
17:23 Ascenz Marorka obtains type approval for cyber-security from Bureau Veritas for its digital solutions
16:58 USDOT announces $500 mln for ports available through the Port Infrastructure Development Program
15:44 RINA wins contract to create global investment plan for cruise sector
15:23 Hede International Shipping enters the Transpacific container trade
14:43 Concordia Damen wins contract to deliver a CDS2410 River Pusher to Transporte Fluviales Frey Bentos
14:13 CMA CGM Group launches its first loyalty program SEA REWARD
13:13 Cargill posts results of the six-month test period of the world’s first wind-powered ocean vessel
12:24 Rotterdam's Gate Terminal sees need for more LNG bunkering capacity at Rotterdam
11:58 MOL announces delivery of LNG-fueled car carrier CERULEAN ACE
11:24 Panama Canal announces increase in daily slots at Panamax locks
10:25 thyssenkrupp Veerhaven plans the climate-friendly pusher tug

2024 March 12

18:04 Cosco Shipping installs Iridium Global Maritime Distress and Safety System on PCTC Cosco Tengfei
17:30 LR issues Project Certificate for CrossWind Hollandse Kust Noord wind farm
17:16 The shipping industry to need €3.7 trillion by 2050 to move towards a zero-pollution era
16:25 China Classification Society and MAN ES sign dual-fuel methanol engine agreement