FROM THE EDITOR Decarbonizing Maritime Shipping

This issue’s cover story reexplores IMO 2020, an initiative by the International Maritime Organization to radically reduce the sulfur found in bunker fuels. The article covers how what was once seen as a potentially major disruption to the world’s fuel logistics was overwhelmed, and largely absorbed, by the double impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. The article explores this in detail and includes expert commentary, so please check it out.

However, not covered in the article are future initiatives planned for maritime fueling. IMO 2020 was focused on addressing a traditional pollutant, sulfur oxide, but the next step is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The goal there is to cut such emissions in half by 2050, and then completely at some unstated point later in the century. This is a tremendous challenge. The possible solutions and their impacts on shipping logistics and costs are mostly uncertain today.

The plan is to implement the reduction in phases, with short-, medium- and long-term perspectives. Part of this will encompass (as with the trucking industry) improvements in the overall system, such as more hydrologically efficient hulls, combined with a variety of less-carbon intensive fuels. IMO lists such potential future fuels and propulsion as ammonia, biofuels, electric power, fuel cells, hydrogen, methane and wind.

Ammonia is seen as a potential leader given it has a reasonable energy density. However, to say the technology is in its infancy is an understatement, as an article from DNV, an assurance and risk management firm, notes. For starters, the ammonia in question is green ammonia, which cannot be made from petroleum sources and is currently not being produced.

The propulsion technology is also in its infant stage. The DNV article highlighted a huge maritime two-stroke engine that is being developed by MAN Energy Solutions, but it must deal with both a very slow flame propagation and combustion temperatures roughly three times greater than that of diesel. While ammonia combustion may be low on carbon, it produces the conventional pollutant nitrogen oxide, which can be handled with conventional catalytic techniques, and also nitrous oxide, which itself is an extremely aggressive greenhouse gas. One possibility is to also use ammonia with fuel-cell technology, another area that needs considerable development.

The final propulsion source on the list, wind, is a bit ironic. The greenhouse gas emission reduction goals of the Paris Accords (COP 21) would have carbon emissions at a preindustrial baseline level—essentially matching the age of sail. Pure sailing vessels would still suffer from the same disadvantages that saw them quickly eclipsed by steam propulsion as the technology developed in the mid to late 1800s. A future system would likely be a hybrid similar to that used in the transition period—sails plus an alternative engine-propulsion system. As we’ve found with power-generating windmills, there are days, if not weeks, when the wind fails to blow.

Editorial

Keith Reid Editor-in-Chief (847) 630-4760; kreid@fmnweb.com

Kim Stewart Editorial Director (703) 518-4279; kstewart@convenience.org

Ben Nussbaum Senior Editor (703) 518-4248; bnussbaum@convenience.org

Lisa King Managing Editor (703) 518-4281; lking@convenience.org

CONTRIBUTORS

Al Barner, Madeline Bennett, John Eichberger Joe O’Brien, Brian Reynolds, Allen Schaeffer, Roy Strasburger

DESIGN Imagination www.imaginepub.com

Cover image by Sven Hansche/Shutterstock

Advertising

Ted Asprooth (847) 222-3006; tasprooth@convenience.org

Publishing

Stephanie Sikorski Publisher (703) 518-4231; ssikorski@convenience.org

Nancy Pappas Marketing Director (703) 518-4290; npappas@convenience.org

Logan Dion Digital Ad and Media Trafficker (703) 864-3600; production@convenience.org

Editorial Council

RETAILER/MARKETER MEMBERS

Mark Fitz, president, Star Oilco; Derek Gaskins, chief marketing officer, Yesway; Jeff Reichling, general manager of fuel, Kwik Trip Inc.; Jim Weber, executive vice president of merchandise and marketing, The Spinx Company

VENDOR/SUPPLIER MEMBERS

Regina Balistreri, director of marketing, ADD Systems; Joe O’Brien, vice president of marketing, Source North America Corporation; Kaylie Scoles, marketing director, RDM Industrial Electronics Inc.; Jen Threlkeld, product marketing manager, Dover Fueling Solutions

Fuels Market News Magazine is published quarterly by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), Alexandria, Virginia, USA.

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Keith Reid is the editor-in-chief of Fuels Market News.

He can be reached at kreid@fmnweb.com.

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