Page 105 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΣ 2024

The shipping industry’s energy transition
may be the most ambitious goal ever set
by the IMO. The production and supply
infrastructure for alternative fuels ranges
from inadequate to non-existent, while
the difference in cost between conven- Bulk carriers
tional and alternative fuels makes the
former a more attractive option for the 27%
economic viability of businesses. Thus,
shipping is still faced with the storm of
climate change, regional measures, and
the challenge of deciding on the optimal
solutions for the future.
Aside from the high cost of entry into it,
shipping is often described as an indus-
try operating under perfect competition.
However, decarbonisation adds to the
concerns of small and medium-sized
shipping companies. For these com-
panies, even ordering an LNG-powered LNG carriers
considerably higher shipbuilding costs 4.5%
vessel – LNG being a fossil fuel with a
well-established supply chain – entails

compared to a fuel oil-powered vessel.
Thus, size re-emerges as one of the
overriding factors that will determine Diversified fleet
the viability of shipping companies in the
future. International, non-shipping-re- 49%
lated news media often put shipping in
the spotlight, praising companies such
as Maersk for investing in alternative
fuels, without assessing the size of the LPG carriers
necessary fuel quantities throughout 4.5%
investment required to build alternative
fuel-powered ships and to secure the

the economic life of these ships. Containerships
The ‘wait and see' approach adopted by The aim of this research was to record
the shipping industry has been heavily experts’ opinions on shipping’s decar- 2%
criticised by both the press and legisla- bonisation path. Specifically, the find-
tors. For its part, the shipping industry ings presented in the following pages
has repeatedly been calling over the past constitute an analysis of the experts’
few years for the adoption of universal responses to questions about the main
and non-regional measures to boost the challenges shipping faces on the energy
competitiveness of the sector, the crea- transition front, the fuels or technolo-
tion of a reward system for this new era’s gies they would choose to invest in, and
drivers, and the channelling of funds into the role of the EU ETS in the transition. Tankers
research and development from the rev- The first part of the research was fea-
enue generated by measures such as the tured in the March issue of Naftika 13%
EU ETS. Chronika and focused on shipyards.
In this context, Naftika Chronika con-
ducted a survey on “The challenges of Companies represented
green shipping” based on the responses Of the 48 experts who participated in
of MARTECMA members to a related the survey, the vast majority (45-94%)
questionnaire. A total of 48 shipping work for a shipping company, one works Figure 1
executives, mainly technical directors for a registry, one for a classification The distribution of survey participants
of shipping companies, participated in society, and one for a marine equipment working for shipping companies based
on the type of vessels managed by the
the survey. supplier. company they represent

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