Global warming is a severe climatic issue that mankind has been facing for ages. Though efforts have been directed toward controlling global warming by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, we still have a long way to go to get things under control. The maritime industry is one of the contributors to GHG emissions. As per reports, the maritime industry should achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Here's a guide to maritime decarbonization that explores the opportunities, methods, and challenges of maritime decarbonization implementation.

Maritime Decarbonization

Decarbonization is the process of reducing or eliminating GHG emissions to lower the carbon intensity in the atmosphere and mitigate climate changes that affect the very existence of life on Earth. Maritime decarbonization refers to the process of controlling GHG emissions at the global maritime industry level with the overall objective of limiting the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Importance of Maritime Decarbonization

Maritime operations require a high amount of energy to ensure shipping and port-related functions are carried out efficiently. As per reports, about 3% of total GHG is emitted from maritime vessels each year. This huge amount of GHG emitted each year not only affects the climatic conditions but also the large population living near seaports, including marine eco-system.

To reduce emissions and ensure sustainable, green, and safe operations, different sustainable maritime solutions are being tested and implemented. Measures like using low-carbon liquid and gaseous fuels, hybridization and all-electric drive trains, the use of clean energy, ensuring energy efficient operations and optimization of processes, and other methods like exhaust treatment and carbon capture can be relied on by the maritime sector to bring GHG emissions under control. The significant environmental damages caused by shipping emissions are:

• When greenhouse gases are emitted during ship operations in the maritime industry, the heat gets trapped in the atmosphere. This increases the temperature, resulting in an exponential rise in seawater levels due to melting glaciers. Frequent and extreme weather conditions are becoming normal as part of climate change, impacting everyday human life.
• The underwater noise pollution caused by the maritime industry is affecting the marine ecosystem. This noise pollution interferes with marine life and the ecosystem, making it difficult for marine organisms to communicate, find food, escape predators, and mate.
• Nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, etc. are some of the pollutants emitted by the maritime industry. These pollutants lead to severe health conditions like heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer.
• Oil leakage and spillage in ships pollute water bodies and regions like wetlands, beaches, etc. This harms the marine ecosystems, affecting their habitats and killing marine flora and fauna.

Technologies and strategies for Maritime Decarbonization

Some of the effective maritime decarbonization strategies and technologies and the best practices for sustainable maritime operations that can be used are as follows:

• Considering fuel alternatives like hydrogen, ammonia, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and biofuels can help reduce carbon emissions from ships. These are considered to be the best zero-carbon fuels that have the potential to help in maritime decarbonization.
• Electric and hybrid propulsion systems are considered to be capable of cutting down carbon emissions by 50% and 30%, respectively. The electric propulsion systems use batteries, and the hybrid propulsion systems use an electric and diesel engine combination to power the motors of the ship.
• Wind-Assisted Propulsion System (WAPS) is a kind of marine propulsion system, that depends on the wind energy to run ship engine. WAPS can improve a ship’s operational efficiency by 20% and aid in controlling and reducing a ship’s fuel consumption, thereby cutting GHG emissions.
• Energy-efficient technologies, and energy-saving processes can also help reduce carbon emissions from ships, as they improve performance, thereby increasing fuel efficiency. The use of energy-efficient techniques and appliances in shipping operations, like LED lighting, etc., can play a major role in controlling emissions.

Common challenges in maritime decarbonization implementation that need to be overcome are:

• Cost: Using renewable energy sources is costlier than using non-renewable fuels, causing financial challenges. This prevents shipping firms from implementing decarbonization technologies due to the unavailability of adequate financial resources.
• Uncertain regulation and policies: Policies and regulations with respect to the implementation of decarbonization techniques are still uncertain, which is refraining shipowners from implementing new techniques and systems due to the concern for compliance.
• Development stage of technologies: Decarbonization technologies cannot be implemented fully as they are still in their development phase.
• Lack of infrastructure: There is a lack of proper and adequate infrastructural facilities in the maritime industry, which is preventing shipowners from implementing decarbonization technologies.

If you want to choose sustainable maritime practices and improve vessel efficiency, then connect with SpeeHive. We will help you in your efforts to digitize, automate, implement, systematize, monitor, and verify maritime decarbonization strategies by offering effective software solutions.
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