Page 140 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΟΚΤΩΒΡΙΟΣ 2024

OPINIONS ON GREEN SHIPPING

invest competitively in their vessels. At
the same time, shipyards could offer ener-
gy-efficient technologies in their standard
specifications, sending appropriate demand
signals in the industry for the widespread
adoption of alternative fuels. Another
potential driver of demand and investment
in fuel supply infrastructure could be the
IMO implementing more medium and long-
term measures to help the global fleet, both
Artificial intelligence and machine current and future, align with the goals of
learning have the potential to IMO's GHG strategy.
transform how companies approach While regulations have encouraged the
energy efficiency by making it adoption of energy-efficient technologies,
more transparent, relatable, and regulators could go further by moving away
actionable. from the incremental improvements pro-
vided by current technologies to the more
substantial GHG improvements that will
be witnessed through a full-scale switch
to low or zero-carbon fuels. FuelEU Mari-
time is starting to apply pressure towards
this direction, but more specific short- or
medium-term requirements are needed to
encourage the large-scale uptake of alter-
native fuels, in order to impact industry
emissions in a more significant way.

The reduction of sailing speeds is often highlighted
access to alternative fuels, with Europe, as essential for achieving shipping’s decarbonisa-
Asia, and North America leading, leaving tion goals. However, wouldn’t energy efficiency
other regions and remote trading areas assume a subsidiary role in instances of limited
behind. . vessel supply?
Reducing sailing speeds is a simple and
The EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, and CII have all been effective way of reducing fuel consumption
criticised as regional or inefficiently designed regu- and, consequently, the emissions generated
lations. How can a regulation focusing on a vessel’s by ships. However, it is not the only method.
energy efficiency ensure fairness, transparency, There are many energy-saving devices and
accountability, and competitiveness? technologies that should also be consid-
GHG emissions regulations are critical for ered. Achieving shipping’s decarbonisation
driving a sustainable shipping industry. With goals will require a combination of solutions
policies like the EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, – no single approach will be the answer.
and CII, polluting vessels face penalties, In many cases, speed reductions may not
while there are incentives for those who significantly impact the overall flow of
prioritise energy efficiency and the use goods and cargo as much as expected.
of low-carbon fuels. However, the CII has Ships often remain at anchor before loading
faced criticism for its broad application or unloading due to congestion or other fac-
across the maritime segments, sometimes tors. By intelligently reducing ship speeds,
leading to unintended behaviours, or incen- and better coordinating their arrivals at
tivising certain energy-efficient technolo- ports, emissions can be reduced without
gies while overlooking others. causing significant disruptions to the sup-
In addition, varying global requirements ply chain.
result in a lack of harmonisation between Addressing this problem is complex, but it
ship owners and other industry stakehold- is encouraging to see ports, shipping com-
ers. Global regulatory harmonisation and panies, and other stakeholders working
increased support for both newbuilds and together to improve this aspect of decar-
retrofits are essential to maximise their bonisation through the use of data and data
energy efficiency, allowing shipowners to analytics.

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