Page 90 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΜΑΙΟΣ 2023

GREEN SHIPPING / RESEARCH

Based on the answers given by the 75 THE TECHNOLOGIES OF THE
representatives of shipping companies, FUTURE
classification societies, and service pro- The race towards decarbonisation is taking
viders participating in the survey, biofuels, place on multiple fronts. One concerns
methanol, and ammonia are considered the fuel that will prevail in the future, and
the most feasible options for the future. another the technologies to be used on
Biofuels are described as an up-and-com- ships to reduce emissions. In a related
ing carbon-neutral fuel solution that can question, participants were asked which
quickly enter the global market and help technology/technologies they consider
meet the IMO’s targets for reducing green- most likely to be widely adopted in the
house gas emissions from 2030 onwards. shipping industry. 61 participants chose
In recent years, companies that manage two of the possible options, and the
a substantial number of ships, including remaining 14 chose only one.
ships of Greek interests, have been test- Based on their answers, the technological
ing biofuels and investigating the poten- solution projected to play the most critical
tial of these fuels for the next day. At the role is “CO2 capture and storage systems”.
same time, both methanol and ammonia This technology is becoming increasingly
are viewed as feasible fuels for wide- popular in recent years, with a multitude
spread adoption by 2050, while methanol, of JVs, cooperations, and MoUs being
in particular, appears to be the “favourite” announced.
choice for containership newbuildings; its The second most popular technology is
proponents include their easy handling “air lubrication systems”, while the third
and storage and the reduction of tank-to most popular is “none”; Based on the par-
wake carbon emissions in the benefits it ticipants’ answers, there is a high level of
provides. uncertainty regarding the feasibility of the
It is worth noting that hydrogen and widespread adoption of a specific technol-
nuclear power are also considered options ogy in the foreseeable future.
that can play a vital role in the shipping A small part of the participants proposed
industry’s decarbonisation. different technological solutions that
In any case, most respondents consider weren’t part of the questionnaire, such as
that several options have a 2050 imple- “photosynthesising hydrogen” and “silicon
mentation horizon, supporting the argu- coatings”.
ment of many industry stakeholders that
suggest a multi-fuel future for shipping as THE ROLE OF LNG AS A LONG-
there is no one-fits-all solution. TERM MARINE FUEL
One of the main issues that cause concern
in the shipping community is the energy
transition and the fuels of the future. In

15%
19% 5% 1%

19%
41% Rotor sails Other Rigid/solid sails

Air lubrication
systems

None

Graph 5
Weighted distribution of participants’ answers to the ques-
tion: “Which of the following emission reduction technol-
CO2 capture ogies do you think has the greatest potential for wider
and storage systems adoption by the shipping industry?” (Up to two choices)

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