Alternative Fuels

INTERVIEW: Major ports, including Singapore, to prepare for alternative marine fuels future, says IMO

‘Energy transition in shipping will require new technologies, alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon shipping,’ IMO Head, Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency, tells Manifold Times.

Published

3 years ago

March 10, 2021

Admin

The following interview arranged by Conference Connection is part of pre-event coverage for the upcoming 12th International Fujairah Bunkering & Fuel Oil Forum (FUJCON 2021), where Manifold Times is an official media partner. Readers can register for the virtual event by clicking on the link here.

It will be a matter of time before bunker suppliers at Singapore start embarking on concrete plans to supply non-hydrocarbon based fuels in order to support shipping’s alternative renewable fuels future, says the Head, Air Pollution and Energy Efficiency at the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

“Based on available information, shipping is likely to transition from majority reliance on liquid hydrocarbon fuels to a diverse range of alternative (renewable) sources of energy when operating at sea or when being in ports,” Roel Hoenders tells Singapore bunker publication Manifold Times.

“So it is likely that major ports like Singapore are preparing to be ready for and plan for this diversity.

“The energy transition in shipping will require new technologies, alternative fuels and infrastructure to support low- and zero-carbon shipping.”

According to Hoenders, low and zero carbon fuels such as biofuels, (renewable) hydrogen, ammonia and methanol, including through their on board storage in batteries and fuel cells, are being trialled but are not yet widely available.

“There are wider questions about ensuring safety of ships and crew dealing with new fuels; about generating and supplying renewable marine fuels across the world; and about the entire emissions life cycle of new fuels that will come to market,” he shares.

“IMO also regulates the safety aspects related to the bunkering as well on-board storage and handling of alternative fuels and has already developed numerous internationally binding instruments in that regard, including the International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels.”

Hoenders suggests electrification may be feasible for short-sea shipping; but other fuels will be needed for ocean-going cargo ships with their huge energy requirements. While in port, more and more ships can connect to the land-energy grid to avoid using their engines.

“This transition will need collaboration and cooperation across many different stakeholders, including land-based energy suppliers and ports, as well as major investments,” he adds.

“It will also provide opportunities for countries to upscale, and thereby reduce costs of, renewable energy production.”

“IMO, in addition to its role a global regulator, will also continue to be a global platform for knowledge sharing and to explore cleaner fuels for shipping to ensure also less advanced countries can be involved and explore opportunities from the decarbonisation of international shipping.”

Hoenders, meanwhile, believes the implementation of IMO 2020 “went very well” for the shipping industry and shared Paris MOU detected only four deficiencies for sulphur content of fuel used in vessels during inspections last year.

“In 2020 there were just 55 cases worldwide of 0.5% compliant-sulphur fuel oil not available, reported to IMO through the year,” he shares.

“There was a great amount of preparation by IMO in terms of developing dedicated guidelines for ship owners, coastal States, and other stakeholders in the lead up to 1 January 2020 and clearly this paid off underlining the importance of IMO’s role as regulator of the global shipping industry.”

Draft new mandatory regulations for IMO 2030, which aims to cut the carbon intensity (transport work) of existing ships by at least 40% in 2030 compared to 2008, will be put forward for formal adoption at IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) in June 2021.

Similar to IMO 2020, Hoenders is confident IMO 2030 and IMO 2050 will be implemented on schedule – despite the current coronavirus pandemic.

“It is still too early to identify the long-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, but overall I remain hopeful that IMO can maintain the mid- and long term timelines for implementation of greenhouse gas reduction measures,” he states.

“While there was a postponement of one MEPC meeting in 2020, we have got the meeting schedule back on track.

“In late 2020, the intersessional working group on GHG emissions met remotely and then in November the MEPC met remotely and was able to approve the proposed new draft regulations aimed at reducing carbon intensity of the entire fleet, as amendments to MARPOL Annex VI, for planned adoption in June 2021.

“So I anticipate the great willingness to work cooperatively and collaboratively within IMO will continue.”

Note: Roel Hoenders will be among speakers giving the keynote speech during at official opening of FUJCON 2021 on 23 March.

Photo credit: International Maritime Organization
Published: 10 March, 2021

Alternative Fuels

DNV paper outlines bunkering of alternative marine fuels for boxships

Third edition of its paper series focuses on LNG, methanol and ammonia as alternative bunker fuel options for containerships; explores bunkering aspects for LNG and methanol.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

DNV paper outlines bunkering of alternative marine fuels for boxships

Classification society DNV recently released the third edition of its paper series Alternative fuels for containerships, focused on LNG, methanol and ammonia as alternative bunker fuel options for containerships.

In its updated paper series, DNV examined the different alternative marine fuel options and provided an overview of the most important technical and commercial considerations for the containership sector.

It explored the bunkering technology for LNG, bunkering infrastructure for methanol, and availability and infrastructure of ammonia.

Building on the foundation laid in the second edition, which focused on the most important aspects of methanol as a fuel, this latest third edition delves deeper – exploring the technical intricacies and commercial considerations associated with adopting methanol as an alternative fuel for containerships.

Furthermore, it provides an overview of crucial aspects related to ammonia and discusses its potential as an alternative fuel for containerships.

Amongst others, the new edition of the paper looks at the following aspects:

Technical design considerations for methanol
Commercial implications of adopting methanol as an alternative fuel
Ammonia's potential as an alternative fuel
Availability, infrastructure and ship fuel technology for ammonia
Major updates based on the latest IMO GHG strategy decisions at the MEPC 80 meeting

Note: The third edition of DNV’s full paper titled Alternative Fuels for Containerships can be found here.

Photo credit: DNV
Published: 29 November, 2023

Alternative Fuels

EDF, LR and Arup launch tool scoring ports’ potential to produce and bunker electrofuels

Tool is also applied to three different port scenarios, including ports exploring fuel production and bunkering, ports exploring fuel exports, and ports exploring fuel imports and bunkering.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

EDF, LR and Arup launch tool scoring ports’ potential to produce and bunker electrofuels

Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), in collaboration with Arup, on Tuesday (28 November) introduced the Sustainable First Movers Initiative Identification Tool, a system to help shipping stakeholders align investment decisions that support the maritime energy transition away from fossil fuels.

The tool, which is presented in a preliminary findings report – The Potential of Ports in Developing Sustainable First Movers Initiatives – scores a port’s potential to produce and bunker electrofuels while delivering local environmental and community benefits in alignment with the global temperature target of 1.5 degrees Celsius set by the Paris Agreement.

“Ports can play an important role in kickstarting shipping’s decarbonisation process even before global policies are established,” said Marie Cabbia Hubatova, Director, Global Shipping at Environmental Defense Fund.

“By considering the impact sustainable first mover initiatives can have on port-side communities, climate, environment and economies, resources can be better directed to locations where these initiatives will make the biggest difference.”

With close to two billion people living near coastal zones globally, the role of, and impacts on local port communities must be intentionally considered as the sector decarbonises globally. Ports can play a crucial role in ensuring shipping decarbonisation efforts are done in a way that has positive impacts on port communities.

The preliminary phase of the Sustainable First Movers Initiative Identification Tool analyses 108 ports in the Indo-Pacific region according to five criteria including land suitability, air quality, renewable energy surplus, economic resilience and ship traffic.

It is also applied to three different port scenarios, including ports exploring fuel production and bunkering, ports exploring fuel exports, and ports exploring fuel imports and bunkering. The combined criteria and scenario evaluation determines which ports have the greatest potential (high potential) for sustainable first mover initiatives to lead to significant emissions reductions and positive impacts in nearby communities, such as improved air quality and economic resilience.

“The transition to clean energy supply for shipping can be achieved only if stakeholders act together. Identifying potential port locations is the first step in this process,” said Dr Carlo Raucci, Consultant at Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub. “This approach sets the base for a regional sustainable transition that considers the impacts on port-side communities and the need to avoid regions in the Global South lagging behind.”

Regions in the Global South are fundamental in driving the decarbonisation of shipping. To make this transition effective, the rate at which different countries adopt and scale up electrofuels must be proportional to the difference in capital resources globally to avoid additional costs being passed on to local communities. Sustainable first mover initiatives can play an important role in making this happen by ensuring the sector’s decarbonisation is inclusive of all regions and by engaging all shipping stakeholders, including port-side communities.

“There’s a huge opportunity for early adopter shipping decarbonisation initiatives to unlock benefits for people and planet – shaping the way for a more equitable transition in the 2030s,” said Mark Button, Associate, Arup. “Our collective approach shows that taking a holistic view of shipping traffic, fuel production potential and port communities could help prioritise action at ports with the greatest near-term potential.”

The tool can be customised according to stakeholders’ needs and goals and is dependent on scenario desirability. The next phase of this work will include the selection and detailed assessment of 10 ports to help better understand local needs and maximise the value offered by sustainable first mover initiatives.

LR and EDF carried out a joint study on ammonia as shipping fuel, and LR and Arup have collaborated on The Resilience Shift study focused on fuel demand for early adopters in green corridors, ports, and energy systems, amongst many other projects.

Photo credit: Lloyd’s Register
Published: 29 November, 2023

Newbuilding

Wärtsilä signs agreement for first zero-emission high speed ferries in US

Group has signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide its Fleet Electrification and Systems Integrator Services for a project to build the first zero-emission high speed ferries in the United States.

Published

22 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Admin

Wärtsilä signs agreement for first zero-emission high speed ferries in US

Technology group Wärtsilä on Tuesday (28 November) said it has signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide its Fleet Electrification and Systems Integrator Services for a project to build the first zero-emission high speed ferries in the United States.

The fully electric vessels will be built for San Francisco’s Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), the operator of the San Francisco Bay Ferry system.

The project, and several others Wärtsilä will work on under this partnership, are a part of the agency’s Rapid Electric Emission-Free (REEF) Ferry Program, a phased decarbonisation of high-speed, high-capacity ferry service in the San Francisco Bay.

Wärtsilä will work within the WETA project team to finalise vessel and charging system concepts.

“We’re proud to operate the cleanest high-speed ferry fleet in the nation, but a zero-emission future for our system is within reach,” said WETA Executive Director, Seamus Murphy.

“Wärtsilä’s expertise and experience will be incredibly valuable given the complexity our ferry decarbonisation program entails.”

“This is a major project within the maritime sector’s journey towards decarbonisation, and we are proud to be a part of it,” said Hanno Schoonman, Director of sales for AMER region, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

“Wärtsilä joins an industry leading team tasked to develop newbuild battery electric vessels that combine innovative technology and sustainable practices. Wärtsilä is well qualified to provide this project support, and this agreement is a clear endorsement of our strong track record in systems integration and emission-free propulsion.”

After completing the conceptual phase, WETA will move on to the initial construction phase of a multi-vessel programme. This phase will involve the building of three smaller ferries with a capacity of approximately 150 passengers each and two larger ferries capable of carrying at least 300 passengers.

Additionally, the scope of this phase will encompass the inclusion of battery charging floats. The construction of the first electric-powered vessel is slated to commence before the conclusion of 2023, with commercial operations expected to launch in 2025.

Photo credit: Wärtsilä
Published: 29 November, 2023