Can Maritime shipping become Planet Friendly?

CCO of EcoClipper, Hannah Hurford, thinks it is possible for maritime shipping to clean up its act and move towards more sustainable shipping solutions, here she tells us about technologies already being assessed.

Type ‘shipping emission-free technologies’ into your News search engine and you will get a plethora of positive articles declaring how oil and shipping companies are putting time and money into emerging technologies. Electric engines, hydrogen, ammonia, biofuels, windpower, solar energy, nuclear energy… You come away feeling that the shipping industry is just muddling through, is being pulled in different directions and that there are pros and cons to each technology. You wouldn’t be far off.

Maritime shipping accounts for 90% of global trade. It also accounts for around 2.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and emits around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Under a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, maritime shipping emissions could increase by between 50% - 250% by 2050.

Something must change for shipping to be part of a society that is moving forward. Shipping needs to adapt for the planet to survive.

Due to the vast size of the ships, the volume of cargo carried and amount of fuel used, maritime transport is technically more efficient than road or air transport. But here’s the reality: the environmental effects of these vessels are irreversible. Invasive species in water ballast, underwater pollution, sound pollution, dredging, air pollution and the issues around constructing and scrapping these vessels after only 10 - 15 years of commercial service, have all contributed to environmental devastation and global warming.

Despite reports detailing the problems with chugging such large vessels around the world, the industry has been slow to make any significant change. It is notoriously conservative. Only in the last few years has the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) set targets. In 2018, the IMO stated the intent to cut CO2 emissions caused by maritime shipping by at least 40% to pre-2008 levels by 2030. They also targeted a reduction of total annual GHG from international shipping of at least 50% by 2050 when compared to 2008 (note that the industry is focusing on tackling GHGs over other environmentally destructive effects of these vessels).

Whilst these targets are a good step forward, consumer and governmental pressure has forced shipping companies to reduce emissions more immediately. Indeed, from 1st January 2022, shipping will be included in the EU Emissions Trading System where essentially the polluter pays. So, we reach the point where alternative fuels and methods of propulsion are finally being assessed. Money is being poured into trialling suitable ‘new-age’ technologies.

EcoClipper Graphic Rendering

Alternative fuels – biofuels and nuclear

One of the most prominent areas which is being researched and tested is the use of biofuels. Biofuels in the transport sector are gaseous or in liquid form. They come from the breaking down of biological waste products and can be produced from plants. Whilst there are a range of biofuels

being tested, the words you’ll see around are biodiesel, ammonia, liquified natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen which have the shipping industry’s attention. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), “Global transport biofuel production reached a record 162 billion litres in 2019, or 2.8 million barrels per day.” Production fell recently, however, through the global pandemic.

Whilst using biofuels does reduce the amount of GHGs emitted, to produce them requires a huge amount of energy. Take hydrogen, for example. The IEA stated that 6% of global natural gas and 2% of coal goes into hydrogen production. Sure, if hydrogen was produced using renewable energy sources, you’re looking at a low-carbon fuel, but there’s not much point in using fossil fuels to produce it and that’s where the technology is now. Despite the exciting prospects, biofuels are expensive and are a long way off from being truly emission-free.

Within the ‘alternative fuels’ category lies nuclear energy. It’s controversial, powerful and can be dangerous. Nuclear has some huge admirers, including Bill Gates who started an initiative that looks solely at nuclear energy in commercial maritime shipping. On one hand, producing nuclear energy doesn’t require fossil fuels, and the energy density is hugely different (no refuelling necessary). But as my physicist friend points out, “nuclear fission is an extreme technology. It can cause both extreme positive and extreme negative consequences, and our world already lives with both. It is an ethical, (geo-)political, sociological and sometimes even theological issue of great importance. But suffice to say, if an industry can avoid nuclear, it will enjoy greater ease, greater freedom, and greater confidence from the public.”

Renewable energy for batteries and propulsion

Rather than producing the fuel to power shipping vessels, why not harness the energies that are constantly around us? Ships are being retrofitted with wind propulsion technology, designed around solar panels and are being plugged into hydropower generators when docked.

With renewable energies, the likelihood is that they couldn’t be used exclusively for generating electricity. For example, there are companies working on solar power sails. Set the sails and collect the sun’s rays as you move along. Of course, you may need quite a lot of sun to power the engine, so the ship may require wind turbines on the back too. And what if there is no sun or wind for a period? Are you happy using a diesel auxiliary engine? Or is there a way to store hydropower collected at the shore for such an emergency? These are the questions that are being put to naval architects today.

As history has taught us, the wind can be used to effectively power an entire shipping industry. It may seem archaic or romantic, but it is still possible. Wind technology has, over the last few years, come on in leaps and bounds. There are lots of options: soft sails (such as innovative company EcoClipper), rotor sails, kite-sails, hard sails (Oceanbird has garnered attention recently) and turbines. From small and medium companies to large international corporations, the idea of moving products using the wind has captured the public’s eye.

Sail cargo is an industry within the wind-power sector with a particular emphasis on ethics and the environment. Vessels are being re-purposed or, like sail cargo company EcoClipper, purposebuilt to transport cargo and passengers between countries. These sailing ships rely predominantly on the wind for propulsion and continue to use and share maritime knowledge developed over thousands of years.

Whilst other maritime shipping options are being tested, the sail cargo world has been continuously working to provide emission-free transport to those who care more wholly about the environment.

Is there a way, perhaps, for the conventional shipping industry to look more closely at this comparatively small sail cargo industry and to see the potential it has? Can consumers stop to think about how products are shipped and whether the emissions are worth it, before clicking for the quickest, cheapest delivery option online? Can we work together, as businesses, individuals, governments, and industries to really try to reduce the impact we are having on this planet? I think we can. After all we all have a part to play, whether we like it or not.

Hannah Hurford, is CCO of EcoClipper. She is an advisor for the Sail Cargo Alliance and has worked with National Historic Ships UK. Hannah has a passion for sailing and maritime history. She is keen to use shipping methods of the past and innovations of today to influence a sustainable future. hannah@ecoclipper.org 13