While regulations are important, implementing practical technological solutions and maintaining high-quality data are crucial for successful decarbonisation in the maritime industry, believes the Chief Operating Officer of maritime technology solutions provider ZeroNorth.

“It takes is a combination of not only regulation but also good technology because if you choose more regulation without good solutions it can end up with more bureaucracy and actually less execution,” stated Anders Schulze during the Meeting the Challenges of IMO 2030 panel discussion session at Sea Asia 2025.

Compared to two years ago, Schulze observed a significant increase in willingness from shipowners, operators and charterers to roll up their sleeves and implement solutions for FuelEU and EU ETS.

“Two years ago, it was a lot of PowerPoints and long-term planning, and people were adopting a ‘wait and see’ attitude. Right now, people are doing something about it and craving solutions,” he said.

“What we're seeing from operators day-to-day is a willingness to get these solutions right at their fingertips.

“They really want to be empowered with solutions where they can check mark, track regulatory requirements and compliance tasks to support day-to-day workflows.”

However, Schulze pointed out while it is a thing to adapt to new regulations, it is another to adapt to new technologies for implementing these regulations.

“Reading a lot of reports, trying to stitch a solution together with spreadsheets is just not going to do the trick. You've got to implement good technologies that are talking together,” he explained.

“A phrase we're hearing is garbage in, garbage out, and this is even more important now than ever in this era of Generative AI. But the reality is that if you don't have good data, you can't really use Generative AI for a whole lot of things,

“What we're doing now with our customers is to help them cleanse the data and create a data health score for their company.

“Last year, we saw an improvement of 60% and there's a clear correlation with tangible results, such as taking better chartering decisions, reducing expenditure on bunker fuel, and reduction of fines from lack of compliance.

“Having good data, which also offers competitive advantages, is a prerequisite for surviving the future.”

Photo credit: Manifold Times
Published: 3 April 2025

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Republic Polytechnic (RP) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a specialised Unmanned Aircraft (UA) Pilot Training programme for MPA UA pilots, which will also provide internship opportunities for RP students. 

This initiative aims to equip MPA, as well as commercial UA pilots, with advanced competencies to operate drones for maritime applications. These include inspection of vessel structures, monitoring of vessel emissions, and supporting emergency response efforts.

The course will cover essential skills, including take-off and landing from vessels, emergency procedures at sea, and Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations. UA pilots will also be trained to operate drones equipped with various sensor payloads such as electro-optics, infrared, and multispectral imaging. Tethered drone operations, which enable extended flight times for surveillance and monitoring, will also be included.

Under this five-year collaboration arrangement, MPA and RP plan to develop competency frameworks for UA pilots operating at sea, and will train over 20 MPA UA pilots annually. The collaboration will also explore the potential development of a maritime-specific qualification for UA pilots for interested parties. The training will be conducted by RP’s team of full-time lecturers who are also certified UA Pilot Licence trainers.

Through this partnership, RP students have internship opportunities with MPA, and can explore potential career pathways as UA pilots and watch supervisors coordinating the deployment of unmanned systems for port operations and maritime safety. 

RP lecturers and students will also have opportunities to gain industry exposure and practical experience through participation in MPA’s upcoming drone-related projects. In addition, RP will work with MPA in relevant committees and forums to shape policies, safety standards, and regulations for maritime drone operations.

In 2025, MPA will trial new drone capabilities, including coordinated drone operations for chemical spill management and the Maritime Drones Traffic Management System to ensure safety in port waters. 

The Maritime Drone Estate, launched in 2021, will also be expanded to support commercial drone services such as remote inspections and shore-to-ship deliveries. These advancements will contribute to safer, more fuel-efficient, and sustainable maritime operations.

Photo credit: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore
Published: 28 March, 2025

Voyage optimisation and weather intelligence solutions provider StormGeo on Thursday (6 March) shared how it is supporting Hapag-Lloyd’s sustainability journey with its s-Log and s-Insight digital solutions to comply with the new FuelEU Maritime regulation.

The following is an excerpt of the article: 

As the shipping industry continues its journey towards a decarbonized future with the new FuelEU Maritime regulation, Hapag-Lloyd relies on StormGeo’s future-proof digital solutions and services to stay compliant and achieve its long-term sustainability goals.

Operating around 300 container ships with a total transport capacity of more than 2.3 million TEU, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s most prominent and leading liner shipping companies – and the largest fleet sailing under the German flag.

In addition to being one of the largest in the industry, Hapag-Lloyd is also one of the greenest. The company was the first to ever convert a large container ship to dual-fuel propulsion capable of using LNG and by end of 2025 will have a fleet of 13 LNG dual-fuel vessels in operation, thereby reducing CO2 emissions significantly. Furthermore, up to 50 of their ships already run on biofuels, such as bio-LNG and FAME, capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional fuels.

Navigating FuelEU Maritime Compliance

With these sustainability initiatives, Hapag-Lloyd has taken crucial steps toward compliance with the FuelEU Maritime regulation that came into effect on January 1st, 2025. This EU-driven initiative dictates that shipping companies must decarbonize their operations by reducing the GHG intensity of their vessels and increasing the use of sustainable fuels, such as biofuels, green methanol, ammonia and others.

To become fully compliant, Hapag-Lloyd demands a robust biofuel-compliant reporting system that can efficiently align biofuel consumption data with the specific demands outlined in the new regulation.

With these 300 vessels requiring proper data reporting, validation, and verification by their emission verifier DNV, Hapag-Lloyd relies on StormGeo’s s-Log and s-Insight solutions to accurately monitor, report, and validate GHG intensity for FuelEU Maritime compliance and all other GHG emission reduction schemes (EU ETS, CII, MRV, IMO DCS, CCWG, and ESI).

“It’s crucial for us to work with partners like StormGeo, who share our commitment to drive the shipping industry toward a more sustainable future,” says Heribert Riesenhuber, Director Fleet Energy Management at Hapag-Lloyd Hamburg Head Office. “Our decade-long partnership has yielded great solutions for environmental compliance that have benefited not only us but the industry at large, and we’re excited to continue our work with StormGeo to advance our decarbonization goals and tackle new reporting requirements, such as FuelEU Maritime.”

The Role of Digital Tools in Shipping Decarbonization

Hapag-Lloyd leverages a comprehensive solution for the entire FuelEU Maritime compliance process, enabled by StormGeo’s ship-to-shore data reporting system s-Log to easily accommodate biofuel reporting in anticipation of the new regulation – in addition to the data validation system s-Insight and direct access to regulatory and industry experts.

With these solutions, Hapag-Lloyd can accurately calculate the GHG intensity of biofuels used across its fleet according to the specific requirements of the FuelEU Maritime regulation.

The data reporting system collects all fuel consumption data, including biofuels, and runs strict validation rules to identify and flag any reporting errors, improve data quality, and increase accuracy. The validated consumption data is then calculated into GHG intensity data, which can automatically be shared with all major emission verifiers globally, including DNV, through APIs.

Through its Hamburg-based Fleet Performance Center, StormGeo’s experts are available to support Hapag-Lloyd throughout the entire process, including proactive discussions with verifiers.

“Our collaboration with Hapag-Lloyd is an example of the power of partnerships in the decarbonization of the shipping industry,” says Till Braun, Strategic Account Manager and Sales Director at StormGeo. “Sustainable maritime operations require close collaboration between different industry players, and we’re excited to work with and learn from Hapag-Lloyd and their partners to simplify compliance and enable proactive sustainable strategies for the benefit of the industry as a whole.”

Note: The full story on how StormGeo is supporting Hapag-Lloyd’s sustainability journey can be found here.

Photo credit: Hapag-Lloyd
Published: 7 March, 2025