Experts from classification society DNV participated in various panel sessions at the Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) 2024, held from 13 to 15 March, discussing decarbonization, the importance of pilot projects to find green and sustainable solutions, industry trends and the evolving role of vessel classification among others:
At Asia Pacific Maritime (APM) at Marina Bay Sands Singapore last week, there was alot to see and hear about technology and innovations, about digitalization and decarbonization.
But was there enough evidence of genuine commitment by the maritime industry to make the very necessary changes – with alternative fuels, more energy efficient operations or in ship design - in time to reach the targets that IMO has set?
“A near impossible task” to meet the IMO GHG 2030 goal which requires shipping to secure 30–40% of the estimated annual global supply of carbon-neutral fuels, said DNV’s Area Business Development Manager Girish Sreeraman, in the discussion on “Clean Energy Transition in Shipping: Optimizing Strategies, Hitting IMO Targets and Balancing Profitability”.
Drawing on DNV’s latest report “Energy Transition Outlook 2023”, he pointed out that other sectors will be competing for the same cleaner and greener fuel supply. It is therefore imperative for the shipping industry to align environmental objectives with financial sustainability in its transition to cleaner energy sources.
Operational Energy-efficient Measures
DNV believes it is possible, but a lot more needs to be done to reduce energy consumption, using operational energy-efficiency measures like speed reduction, route optimization, and hull and propeller cleaning.
This was reiterated by Cristina Saenz de Santa Maria, VP, Regional Manager South East Asia, Pacific & India, Maritime at DNV – who said that we must continue to focus on all other ways to cut emissions from the maritime sector, which includes making our vessels more energy efficient and at the same time, looking to alternative fuels.
Speaking on the “Norwegian Innovations: Pioneering Green and Sustainable Maritime Solutions” panel, Cristina reinforced the value of learning and adopting innovative measures from Norway and applying them in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Norway and Singapore both put into practice the importance of testing, to ensure that any new ideas adopted are economically viable.
Pioneering Solutions by using Pilots
When it comes to pioneering green and sustainable solutions, Cristina stressed on the importance of ‘piloting’ and the importance of safety and training our people to be ready for change.
She also noted increased activity in the electrification of vessels, where Norway has taken the lead – and is growing here in Singapore as well - with the introduction of electric and hybrid harbour craft.
It is essential to take into consideration the whole life cycle of the electric vessel supply chain.
This is where DNV together with local partners like Seatrium, Surbana Jurong Group and others, with support from Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), is working to develop Singapore's first comprehensive electric vessel supply chain.
While electrification is but one solution to decarbonize the maritime industry, it is noteworthy that it might only account for about 4% of the 2050 maritime fuel-mix, as per DNV’s latest report.
Challenges, Uncertainties and New Risks
The evolution happening in the maritime industry in connection with decarbonization and digitalization brings many new challenges, with numerous uncertainties and new risks.
This was emphasized by Vice President & Area Manager, SEA(S) & Indian Subcontinent at DNV Maritime, Denzal Hargreaves in the session on “Future of Vessel Classification – How Classification is Evolving to Support Innovation and Sustainability”.
With the emergence of new, alternative fuels and technologies, the increasing complexity and diversity of vessel designs come together to make the core role of Class Societies, like DNV – to safeguard life, property and the environment - more important now than ever.
But we must maximize the use of technology and all tools at our disposal.
Denzal believes we can achieve added efficiency through the effective use of technology, but we still need to rely on the expertise of our people playing key roles.
Maintaining the role of the ship surveyor
There are many expectations in the industry on the expanded role being played by digitalization, but we have to realize that the majority of these aids and algorithms are designed to collect information and supply the data we need, but they don’t replace the human element.
The role of the ship surveyor, for example, is to use all of his or her senses to observe, to assess and to collect everything needed to make decisions. The digital transformation helps us collect all the relevant data, but the human element is still there, and the specific skill sets are still required.
The maritime industry needs the ship surveyor more than ever as we need to identify and introduce collaboration and innovation, which are increasingly essential. Of course, we can make full use of technology. We’re seeing underwater drones being used to make inspections at sea. They can undertake cargo tank inspections, using visual recognition software and digital twins to perform surveys and highlight potential risk areas which can be followed up by experts.
We can have the best technology available, but not forget the importance of the human element, equipping and training people to do the job.
Related:DNV: Maritime fuel mix by 2050 projected to consists of 84% alternative bunker fuels
Photo credit: DNV
Published: 22 March 2024