DNV expert highlights fragmented reality of shipping sector’s decarbonisation journey

Players within the maritime sector are operating at different levels of readiness in preparation for IMO 2030/2050 and other emissions regulations even though deadlines and goals are clear, observes an industry expert from classification society DNV.

Dr Shahrin Osman, Director, Maritime Decarbonization and Smart Shipping Centre of Excellence (Singapore/Asia Pacific), Maritime Advisory noted the shipping sector being at a critical crossroads, with significant variations in technological readiness and strategic planning amongst different organisations.

“The shipping industry is really fragmented now, so you could not really size up its overall progress on decarbonisation to a certain state,” he told delegates during The Maritime Energy Mix panel discussion session at Sea Asia 2025.

“We have organisations such as MOL that are a lot more advanced in terms of their planning and decision making, while also having the organisation capability to analyse and make decisions.

“Unfortunately, a lot of organizations are not like MOL that are so advanced.”

As such, Dr Shahrin explained the need for tailored decarbonisation plans for each organisation and emphasised the need for expert advice and collaboration to make informed investment decisions in decarbonisation technologies.

He advised stakeholders to refer to DNV’s latest report Energy-efficiency measures and technologies – Key solutions and strategies for Maritime’s decarbonization journey that provides a comprehensive overview of more than 40 energy-efficiency measures, detailing their fuel-saving effects, cost figures, and suitability for specific ship types.

“It’s about planning, analysing and taking actions now and that is something that we can do for all shipowners,” shared Dr Shahrin.

“If all shipowners adopted energy efficiency technologies, we can save about 16% on bunker fuel and this saving is equivalent to 2,500 very large vessels or 55,000 small and medium vessels. That is a huge amount of savings that we can achieve just by working together.”

However, he noted data from Clarkson indicating the uptake of emissions reduction technologies by shipowners and operators to be still “very limited”.

“It’s not easy, because every investment will be between half a million to 1 million to introduce some of these technologies. Investments for Wind Assisted Propulsion is even worse and you are looking at maybe three to 6 million, but the savings are significant,” noted Dr Shahrin.

“You will need to have that expert advice and input to be able to go to the board or CFO to ask for that investment.

“Decarbonisation between shipping firms is fragmented with each facing different maturity and financial capability. Each shipowner needs to have their own action plan and seek advice from a professional if you do not have your own inhouse expertise.”

Related: DNV launches new report on energy-efficiency measures and technologies for shipowners

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 4 April 2025