Business - 28/October/2019

Shipping industry coasts towards decarbonised future

Efficiency measures have cut greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping industry, but if the sector is to be part of the climate solution, radical action to adopt new cleaner fuels is the only answer

Some 80% of world trade travels by sea, accounting for almost 3% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Heavy fuel oil, a cheap, highly toxic and viscous residual from crude oil refineries, has traditionally been the main way to power ships. When burned, it emits high levels of black carbon, a substance that is 3200 times more powerful a climate forcer than CO2 a tonne. Distillate fuel, the other main fuel, produces significant amounts of sulphur dioxide.

“With the climate challenge, an entirely new method of propulsion is needed. Full stop,” says John Kornerup, head of sustainability and chief climate change advisor at Maersk. “We are not talking about a bit more efficiency, a bit more of this and that, but a complete revolution in the way shipping is powered. It is a completely different game.”

Since Mærsk introduced efficiency measures more than ten years ago, the group has reduced average CO2 emissions per kilometre travelled by each of its containers by 41% compared with 2008. “We are almost twice as efficient today when moving a container from one place to another,” Kornerup says. More efficient use of energy is a trend across companies, which, like Maersk, are part of the Clean Cargo Working Group, a buyer-supplier sustainability forum. Since the group began publicly reporting data in 2009, emissions per container per kilometre have declined by 37.1% on average. But Kornerup admits this fall is only half the story. “The other half is that actual emissions have not fallen during that period. We emit as much CO2 now as we did in 2008 because the world economy and world trade, is growing.” ...

Try FORESIGHT - 30 days for €29

Already a subscriber?

Login



Comments are closed.

Related articles

Cities get creative on climate financing

Energy Cities, a European association of local authorities, estimates a city will need between €1 billion and €3 billion to reach net zero emissions by 2050

Read more

Copenhagen struggles to clear the capital of carbon

A goal to become the first carbon neutral capital city as early as 2025 is at least partly dependent on Denmark’s new national government throwing its weight behind Copenhagen’s aspirations

Read more

Learning by example

Benefits of energy efficient renovation of public buildings

Read more

Venture capital investment is helping utilities adapt to change

Companies in the power and utilities sector that fail to adopt key characteristics required by venture capitalists and attract investment may well be disrupted themselves

Read more

Technological innovation is key to the wind industry reducing reliance on rare earth materials from China

Wind industry prepares for “bottlenecks and price hikes” in rare earth metals

Technological innovation is key to the wind industry reducing reliance on rare earth materials from China

Read more

Germany is exploring the potential of PPAs to provide revenue to owners of wind farms and photovoltaic installations after state support expires in the coming years

Germany feels its way to competitive green electricity market

Germany is exploring the potential of PPAs to provide revenue to owners of wind farms and photovoltaic installations after state support expires in the coming years

Read more