What is the future fuel for a decarbonized maritime industry?
Fossil fuels make an undisputed high-density and low-cost energy source with relatively low technical requirements for safe storage, distribution, and handing. Use of fossil fuel has enabled the very industrial revolution whereas mankind has relied on same ever since, optimizing the design,
maintenance and operation of fossil energy systems including, of course, marine propulsion systems. In this respect, it comes with no surprise that there is no clear pathway for the decarbonization of the shipping industry to fulfill IMO’s goals and ambitions to fight climate change. Our industry will need leadership, collaboration, and evidence-based direction to navigate successfully towards the IMO’s 2050 ambition. Taking one step at a time, the shipping’s first movers have started to explore fuel alter- natives including LNG, biofuels, methanol and others that will potentially form the fuel mix to transit towards a carbon-free future.
The four key considerations for the evaluation of any new fuel alternative include:
(a) the regulatory compliance to the MARPOL provisions and national regulatory frameworks;
(b) technical operability and safety that will be ensured through a detailed risk assessment and con- trolled trials;
(c) sustainability considering well-to-wake Green House Gas emissions –EU has already taken measures leading to palm oil biofuel being phased out of the renewable fuel market after it was provenly associated with the highest level of deforestation; finally, the decisive but also dynamic
(d) availability and cost.
Serving our Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s mission of “enhancing the safety of life and property at sea and on land and in the air.”, we at Lloyd’s Register and FOBAS (Fuel Oil Bunkering Analysis and Advisory Service) offer support on all aspects of new fuel management from the initial strategic discussions to implementing sea trials, in order to create and share evidence, insight and knowledge about the transition to a decarbonised world fleet.
* Regional FOBAS & BQS Business Development Manager, South Europe Lloyd’s Register
The answer was provided for NAFS magazine issue 143 in its special report “WOMEN in SHEPPING”