Integratedeffort key to unleashing prospects in maritime sector -Transport

By Eugene Davis

The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has asked players in the maritime space to collaborate e ectively in the development of relevant strategies for the operations, extraction and utilization of maritime resources.

According to him, the mandate of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) is essential and e orts should be championed for its e ective and ecient operation.

“I must reiterate that; no single Member State can make signi cant strides on their own. Areas such as maritime security, maritime safety and navigation, port and infrastructure development, environ-

Emirates has operated its rst milestone demonstration ight on a Boeing 777-300ER, powering one of its engines with 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

The ight took o from Dubai International Airport (DXB), and was commanded by Captain Fali Vajifdar and Captain Khalid Nasser Akram, ying for more than one hour over the Dubai coastline.

The demonstration ight powered by SAF holds particular signicance as the UAE declares 2023 the ‘Year of Sustainability’. The year will showcase the UAE’s commitment to seeking innovative solutions to challenges such as energy, climate change, and other issues related to sustainability. The ight supports collective industry e orts to enable a future of 100% SAF ying and help advance the UAE’s sustainability objectives.

Emirates’ demonstration ight, the rst in the Middle East and North Africa to be powered by 100% SAF, supports broader efforts to reduce lifecycle CO2 emis- mental protection, sheries amongst others can only become e ective when approached with a coordinated and integrated e ort,” the Minister said this at the 17 Extraordinary Session of the General Assembly of MOWCA in Accra.

Mr. Asiamah who is also the chairman of MOWCA also encouraged members to focus on actions that will ensure its people bene t while tackling some deep-seated issues, including rules of procedure, nancial regulations and conditions of sta .

Further, Mr. Asiamah stated that member states dependence on imports of nished goods and ex- sions as the industry looks to scale up its use of SAF. The ights will also help to re ne the playbook for future SAF demonstrations, and will also support future certication where 100% drop-in SAF fuel is approved for aircraft. Currently, SAF is approved for use in all aircraft, but only in blends of up to 50% with conventional jet fuel.

Emirates worked alongside partners GE Aerospace, Boeing, Honeywell, Neste, and Virent to procure and develop a blend of SAF that closely replicates the properties of conventional jet fuel. At each blend ratio, a host of chemical and physical fuel property measurements were carried out. After multiple lab tests and rigorous trials, they arrived at a blending ratio that mirrored the qualities of jet fuel. Eighteen tonnes of SAF were blended, comprised of HEFA-SPK provided by Neste (hydro-processed esters and fatty acids and synthetic para nic kerosene) and HDO-SAK from Virent (hydro deoxygenated synthetic aromatic kerosene). The 100% SAF cated that the AfCFTA Secretariat would work closely work with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and relevant stakeholders to put together an annual IPA network forum.

The Executive Director of WAIPA, Ismail Ersahin on his part stated that his organization is keen to support IPAs attract not just any investments, but sustainable investments.

Africa accounts for just 2.3% of global exports – with an export basket heavy on primary commodities and natural resources. While only 16% of the continent’s exports are destined for other African countries, much of this trade is in semi-processed and processed goods.

Strengthening regional trade is therefore crucial to support greater value addition, diversify supply chains, boost resilience to crises and to industrialize – ultimately contributing to job creation and better livelihoods on the continent. ports of raw materials can only be facilitated by shipping which is a major activity in maritime industry.

The AfCFTA promises broader and deeper economic integration and would attract investment, boost trade, reduce poverty, and increase shared prosperity in Africa and at full operation: Africa could see FDI increase by between 111 percent and 159 percent under the AfCFTA.

Wages would rise by 11.2 percent for women and 9.8 percent for men by 2035, albeit with regional variations depending on the industries that expand the most in speci c countries.

Fifty million people could escape extreme poverty by 2035, and real income could rise by 9 percent. Under deep integration, Africa’s exports to the rest of the world would go up by 32 percent by 2035, and intra-African exports would grow by 109 percent, led by manufactured goods.

It is estimated that about 80percent of international trade is done via maritime space, with the minister adding that shipping remains the most-e ective way of transporting any large/bulk amount of goods over a great distance.

The Minister of Foreign A airs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, who was the guest of honour indicated that the organization must begin frank discussions on current developments in Green Shipping initiatives which involve the use of alternative fuels with low or zero supplied one GE90 engine, with conventional jet fuel supplying the other engine.

The test ight further demonstrates the compatibility of the specially blended SAF as a safe and reliable fuel source. The promising outcome of this initiative also adds to the body of industry data and research around SAF blends in higher proportions, paving the way for standardization and future approval of 100% drop-in SAF as a replacement for jet fuel, well above the current 50% blend limit.

Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Ofcer, of Emirates Airline said: “This ight is a milestone moment for Emirates and a positive step for our industry as we work collectively to address one of our biggest challenges - reducing our carbon footprint. It has been a long journey to nally see this demonstration 100% SAF ight take o . Emirates is the rst passenger airline in the world to operate a Boeing 777 powering a GE engine with 100% SAF. Such initiatives are critical contributors to indus- carbon, in place of fossil fuels -that is fast becoming the new way of shipping.

To this end, she urged Africa’s Maritime Industry to be prepared for the cost rami cations of the impending transition to cleaner fuels to Ship-owners translating to increased freight rates.

“I will urge MOWCA to consider the e ects of the market-based measures under discussion within the International Maritime Organisation on our economies. It would also be pertinent to identify possible ways to bene t from any fund arising thereof, in order to minimize the e ects of the transition on all players, particularly Least Developed Countries LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). try knowledge on SAF, and provide data to demonstrate the use of higher blends of SAF for future regulatory approvals. We hope that landmark demonstration ights like this one will help open the door to scale up the SAF supply chain and make it more available and accessible across geographies, and most importantly, a ordable for broader industry adoption in the future.”

Dr. Paul Adalikwu, the Secretary-General of MOWCA disclosed that the organization has rmed up plans to set up the Maritime Development Bank to be located in Nigeria, of which MOWCA’s global pro le is being ramped up through her rm and active mutually rewarding links to the global International Maritime Organisation and the emergence of a pan-African Maritime organization. MOWCA’s objective is to serve the regional and international community for handling all maritime matters that are regional in character. MOWCA uni es 25 countries on the West and Central African shipping range.

“GE Aerospace congratulates Emirates on this major achievement. SAF is critical to helping the aviation industry reach its goal to be net zero by 2050 and collaborations like this to test 100% SAF globally will help bring us closer to this target,” said Aziz Koleilat, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Turkey at GE Aerospace. “All GE Aerospace engines can operate on approved SAF blends today and we are helping support the approval and adoption of 100% SAF.”

“Boeing congratulates Emirates on its successful ight tests using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” said Omar Arekat, Vice President, Commercial Sales and Marketing, Middle East, The Boeing Company. “SAF will play a critical role in the aviation industry’s commitment to be net zero by 2050, requiring strong industry collaboration. We were proud to partner with Emirates on these tests and look forward to further working with our partners to enable the widespread use of SAF across the globe.”

“We are excited to apply our technology to such a milestone demonstration. The 331-500 auxiliary power unit or APU is an integral part of the Boeing 777 aircraft system. The APU provides main engine starting, environmental control, and emergency back-up systems for the aircraft on the ground and in- ight. It uses the same fuel as the main propulsion engines. Currently, the APU is certi ed to run on only 50% SAF, so this demonstration is a big rst step in showing full APU functionality and capability when running on 100% SAF,” said Mosab Alkubaisy, Director of Airlines, Honeywell Aerospace Middle East.

Jonathan Wood, Vice President EMEA, Renewable Aviation at Neste said: "Sustainable aviation fuel plays a crucial role in reducing the emissions of air travel but to fully leverage its decarbonization potential we need to enable 100% SAF use. Test ights like this Emirates ight with Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel are an important step towards 100% SAF certi cation. Neste is working closely together with partners to accelerate the availability and use of SAF as we increase our SAF production capacity to 1.5 million tons per annum by the end of this year. We look forward to growing the supply of SAF also to Dubai.”

“Virent’s technology converts widely available, plant-based sugars into the compounds that make 100% sustainable aviation fuel possible, without the need to blend with traditional jet fuel,” said Dave Kettner, President and General Counsel of Virent, Inc.

“Along with our parent company Marathon Petroleum Corporation, we are committed to meeting today’s energy needs while investing in an energy diverse future, and today’s ight is a great example of this commitment. We’re excited about this opportunity to work with our forward-thinking colleagues at Emirates, GE Aerospace, Boeing, Honeywell and Neste as we demonstrate that we can power sustainable aviation without modifying today’s modern airline engines or the infrastructure that serves the airline industry.”

His Excellency Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO at ENOC praised the achievement as it coincides with 2023 as the 'Year of Sustainability', which was announced by the UAE’s President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It also represents a major step towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions and achieving climate neutrality. His Excellency added: “At ENOC, we prioritise working closely with our strategic partners to implement a national roadmap for sustainable aviation fuel. This not only aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of the aviation sector but also contributes to achieving the UAE’s goals in climate neutrality, enhances the e ciency and conservation of fuel, as well as positions the UAE as a regional hub for sustainable aviation fuel. Playing an active role in supplying Dubai Airports with aviation fuel, ENOC Group is participating in this achievement by securing and blending sustainable aviation fuel, which will help to secure this type of fuel in the UAE in the future.”

Emirates is committed to supporting initiatives that help minimise its CO2 emissions, and the airline has already made great strides in fuel e ciency and conservation as well as operational advancements across its operations. The airline also supports IATA’s collective industry commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and is exploring opportunities to augment operational fuel e ciency, SAF, low-carbon aviation fuels (LCAF), and renewable energy.

The airline already runs a comprehensive fuel e ciency programme that actively investigates and implements ways to reduce unnecessary fuel burn and emissions, wherever it is operationally feasible. Some of the programme’s most signi cant initiatives include the operation of “ ex tracks”, or exible routings - partnering with air navigation service providers to create the most e cient ight plan for each ight. These efforts have been ongoing since 2003, and Emirates has been working with IATA to extend this routing system across the world as a standard operating procedure where possible.

Malta Guinness, headline sponsors of the Women’s Premier League has awarded coaches and players for their sterling performance during the rst phase of the Malta Guinness Women’s Premier League.

The awards initiative is in ful llment of Malta Guinness’ commitment to set up a monthly awards at the start of the partnership with the Ghana Football Association. The monthly awards will honour selected players and coaches each month for their outstanding performance.

Yusif Basigi, Head Coach of Hasaacas Ladies, Stella Nyamekye of Dreamz Ladies, Coach Joe Nana Adarakwa, of Ampem Darkoa Ladies F.C. and Ophelia Serwaa also of Ampem Darkoa Ladies F.C. received cash prizes and goody