Shipping company Finnlines on Thursday (22 May) launched a new Green Lane sea transportation service, which combines sustainability with efficient carriage of freight with two options for new low emission shipments – electricity or biofuels.

Green Lane shipments will provide customers an opportunity to meet increasingly stringent environmental requirements and to achieve ambitious energy saving targets.

The 100% electricity powered shipments will be the cleanest option on the sea transportation market. This service will be available on the busy Naantali–Kapellskär route, which is operated by Finnlines’ newest hybrid ro-pax ships Finnsirius and Finncanopus.

The ships’ 5 MWh batteries are charged with onshore power while at berth, and the energy is utilised at sea to replace fossil fuel, thus enabling green transportation for certain freight units.

Antonio Raimo, Line Manager at Finnlines, said: ”Our utmost goal is to reduce emissions and we are already seeing concrete results. With the introduction of our new vessels, Finnsirius and Finncanopus, we have entered the hybrid era and can now offer our customers even more efficient and sustainable sea transport services. 

“Although the cargo capacity of the vessels operating on the Naantali–Kapellskär route has increased significantly, yet absolute carbon dioxide emissions per nautical mile have decreased by 22%.”

The other Green Lane option utilises biofuels derived from renewable sources. The service will be available on short-sea shipping routes, which are of the utmost importance for the security of supplies in the Baltic Sea region, i.e. Naantali–Kapellskär, Malmö–Travemünde, Malmö– Świnoujście and Hanko–Gdynia.

By choosing the biofuel option, Finnlines commits to replacing the amount of fossil fuel needed for the transportation with biofuel. Use of biofuels can reduce well-to-wake greenhouse gas emissions of transport by up to 90% compared with conventional fossil fuels.  

”We want to offer our customers concrete solutions to help them achieve their  decarbonisation targets. Both solutions ensure low emissions – for example using biofuel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 700 kg per a trailer on the Hanko–Gdynia route,” says Merja Kallio-Mannila, Commercial Director at Finnlines.

The Green Lane will also be available for passengers on Finnlines’ passenger routes: Naantali–Långnäs–Kapellskär, Helsinki–Travemünde, Malmö–Travemünde and Malmö–Świnoujście. If passengers choose this option, Finnlines will consume renewable biofuels to replace the corresponding volume of fossil fuels and the emissions per a passenger on the route will decline.

The company has invested massively in enhancing energy efficiency and renewal of its fleet. During the last two decades Finnlines has ordered or purchased twenty vessels. The total investment has been nearly two billion euros.

In order to renew and upgrade the fleet, Finnlines has ordered three new methanol-powered vessels, which are expected to enter the route between Helsinki and Travemünde in 2028-2029.

The low-carbon Green Lane will be launched for freight customers and passengers on 22 May 2025.

Photo credit: Finnlines
Published: 23 May, 2025

Shine Consultant, the organiser of Green ShipTech Innovation Asia Summit 2025, on Thursday (20 March) announced over 20 speakers have been confirmed for the event to discuss key green technology topics related to the shipping industry.

The speakers are key stakeholders in the shipping industry including transportation management departments, international shipping organisations and related industry associations, shipping companies, shipyards, repair yards, third-party ship management companies, ship equipment suppliers, high-tech solution providers, design research units, and research institutions.

With over 300 attendees expected to attend, the Green ShipTech Innovation Asia Summit 2025 will be held in Shanghai, China, on 16 May. 

Themed Diversified Innovation for Sustainable Green Transformation, the summit will set up a main forum called Green Development Strategies and Pioneer Practices Towards Zero Carbon Goals and two sub-forums, Green Shipbuilding and Retrofitting Forum and Green Shipping Ecosystem Cooperation Forum. 

It will focus on key topics such as innovative design methods for green ship types, development and design of methanol dual-fuel ship types, prospects and challenges of ammonia fuel application, and new marine fuels and supply systems. 

Speakers for the summit include:

• Sun Haihua, Deputy Director of Shanghai Arbitration Commission, Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General of Shanghai International Shipping Center Development and Promotion Organization
• Yan Wei, Vice President, Shanghai Maritime University
• Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping
• Lu Yanhui, Vice President, COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd
• Wu Jianyi, Chief Engineer & General Manager of the Ship Technology Center, China Merchants Energy Transportation Co., Ltd. (CMES)
• Karim Fahssis, Decarbonization China Head, Maersk
• Liu Jianfeng, Chief Technologist, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., LTD.
• Keiichiro Nakanishi, Managing Executive Officer, MOL (Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.)
• Vivi Wong, Head of Digital Products, Greater China, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
• Li Zhonggang, Vice President, China Ship Design & Research Center Com.,Ltd. (CSDC)
• Zhang Qingsheng, General Manager of Shanghai Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping Management Co., Ltd., President Assistant of Fujian Guohang Ocean Shipping (Group) Co.,Ltd.
• Bai Junli, Deputy Director of Innovation & Development Center, Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., LTD.
• Tan Wee Meng, Chief Projects Officer, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
• John Kollander, General Manager Stena RoRo Asia & Owners Representative China, Stena RoRo
• Thibaut Raeis, Business & Technical Solutions Director, GTT China
• Li Zhengjian, Chief Expert/Senior Engineer, the Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
• Yuan Chao, General Manager of Strategy and Investment, CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping Company Limited
• Pan Jinfeng, General Manager of Digital Intelligence Promotion Department, COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore Co., Ltd
• Zhu Feng, Head of the Ballast Water Convention Research Office, Hebei Maritime Safety Administration
• Gou Yingdi, Director of Sustainable Development and General Manager of the Technology and Development (Innovation) Center, Seacon Shipping Group
• Yang Lixin, Deputy Secretary-General, Shanghai International Shipping Center Development and Promotion Organization
• Zhao Cuiyun, Deputy Director of the Institute for the Construction of the Shipping Center and Director of the Green Shipping Research Office, Shanghai International Shipping Institute

Conference Framework

16 May (am)

Sub-Forum I: Green Development Strategies and Pioneer Practices Towards Zero Carbon Goals

16 May (pm)

Sub-Forum II: Green Shipbuilding and Retrofitting Forum
Sub-Forum III: Green Shipping Ecosystem Cooperation Forum

Key Topics

• Maritime regulatory focus under policy guidance towards zero-carbon goals
• Global green ship type product key technologies and applications
• Analysis of paths to improve the efficiency of existing ships
• How shipping companies can achieve sustainable green transformation
• Green ship technology practices and future prospects
• Innovative design methods for green ship types
• Development and design of methanol dual-fuel ship types
• Innovation and application of ship engines and propulsion systems
• Technological application and outlook of wind energy as auxiliary power for ships
• Prospects and challenges of ammonia fuel application
• Innovation in new marine fuels and supply systems
• Upgrading of ship battery systems to meet shipping emission reduction
• Fluid power energy-saving technology and practice to promote the green and low-carbon development of the shipping industry
• Green ship repair, intelligent painting and VOCs management in ship and marine engineering
• Exploration and practice in digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of the ship repair and modification industry
• Practice of ship energy consumption data analysis and carbon intensity management
• SCR technology innovation for NOx reduction in ship diesel engines
• The latest technological applications of “carbon capture” in the shipping industry
• Ballast water management systems in line with international standards
• Shore power systems combined with green electricity to assist shipping decarbonization
• Supply status and choice analysis of the marine green fuel market

Host:

• Shanghai International Shipping Center Development and Promotion Organization

Co-organisers:

• Shanghai Maritime University 
• Shanghai Institute of Navigation
• Jiangsu Association of Shipbuilding Industry
• Shanghai Association of Shipbuilding Industry
• Jiangsu Society of Naval Architects And Marine Engineers

Supporting Organisations:

• Shanghai Port Association
• Hubei Association of Shipbuilding Industry
• Shanghai International Shipping institute

Organizer:

• Shine Consultant International Ltd

Interested parties may contact:

Yulia Zhang
T: (+8621) 6095 7179
M:(+86) 158 3615 6079 (Also on WeChat）
E-mail: [email protected]  

Note: More information on the summit, including registration, can be found here. 

Photo credit: Shine Consultant
Published: 8 May, 2025

Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania on Friday (2 May) launched the world’s largest battery-electric ship, China Zorilla, constructed for South American ferry operator Buquebus, at its shipyard in Hobart, Tasmania. 

The ship is the ninth vessel Incat built for Buquebus. When it enters service between Buenos Aires and Uruguay, it will operate entirely on battery-electric power, carrying up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles across the River Plate.

“This is a historic day – not just for Incat, but for the future of maritime transport,” said Incat Chairman Robert Clifford. 

“We’ve been building world-leading vessels here in Tasmania for more than four decades, and Hull 096 is the most ambitious, most complex, and most important project we’ve ever delivered. This ship changes the game.”

Buquebus President Juan Carlos López Mena said the vessel was originally planned to run on LNG marine fuel and was reconfigured into a fully electric vessel. 

The ship is equipped with over 250 tonnes of batteries and an Energy Storage System (ESS) boasting more than 40 megawatt-hours of installed capacity. The ESS, which is four times larger than any previous maritime installation in the world, is connected to eight electric driven waterjets and supplied by technology partner Wärtsilä. 

At 130 metres in length, it is not only the largest electric ship in the world, but also the largest electric vehicle of its kind ever built – and one of the most significant single export items in Australia’s manufacturing history.

Photo credit: Incat Tasmania
Published: 6 May, 2025