Maersk Tankers’ green tech business Njord has been nominated for the 2023 Sustainability Awards, run by the Danish Chamber of Commerce and EY, in the Sustainability Innovation category. Njord helps shipowners sail with greater efficiency and lower environmental impact. Through its unique offering, the business has the potential to act as a catalyst for technology adoption and decarbonisation in the shipping industry, according to the company's release.
Shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Decarbonising the industry is a pressing issue for shipowners who need to find ways to sail with greater efficiency and lower environmental impact.
The condition of a vessel’s engine, the type of paint on its hull and the use of electricity onboard are just some of many factors that affect fuel and energy consumption at sea. Fortunately, there are a lot of technologies proven to work that can help owners optimise energy consumption – but take up is too low because selecting and financing the right technologies can be difficult. Maersk Tankers started the green tech business Njord to address this problem.
The Njord team of mechanical engineers and naval architects identifies how to curb the emissions of each vessel, taking into account its technical and trading profile rather than its constituent parts, which is more common industry practice.
They then design, devise and install an energy-saving package, taken from Njord’s portfolio of 30-plus technologies. This spans hull retrofits, and technologies for engine optimisation and power management, from the size of an LED light bulb to a 30-metre Rotor Sail.
On average, Njord services cut CO2 emissions by 7 to 16% per ship – and up to 30% using more cutting-edge technologies.
Njord was created in partnership with shipping giants Cargill and Mitsui & Co. It went to market in early 2022 and is gaining ground in the container, tanker, bulk and gas vessel market.
More than 50 customers are already signed up to Njord, a number that is expected to increase in the coming years. Currently, solutions are being installed on some 40 vessels.
Maersk Tankers has been nominated along with eight other Danish companies in the Sustainability Innovation category. The award will be made to a company with a particularly innovative sustainability project, which has measurable results and impact. The winner will be announced on 14 September in Copenhagen.
Maersk Tankers is a service company that provides commercial management solutions for shipowners in the tanker industry, operating one of the largest tanker fleets in the world.