What projects shape the decarbonization of the maritime sector?

Alternative propulsion systems

Advances in recent years have made some alternative propulsion systems, such as wind-assisted propulsion, effective in reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This, they note in the report, underscores their role in moving towards more sustainable shipping.

• Projects such as ORCELLE or OPTIWISE, focused on the development of systems to propel ships using wind energy, support this idea.

“The report names a large number of projects, some of which share solutions, which points to their feasibility,” Hervas notes. “In addition, savings from 10 to 50% are mentioned. These savings will depend on routes, traffic segments and fleet management, but everything points to these technologies having increasing market penetration, especially as Fuel EU or its IMO equivalent becomes more and more restrictive.”

However, there are also difficulties. As a barrier, adds the head of Energy Transition of the Port of Barcelona, there is the need to introduce changes in the way ships and fleets operate, which implies relevant systemic changes. The JRC also stresses the need to create regulatory frameworks to support these innovations.

Commitment to alternative energies

Leaving fossil fuels behind and opting for other, less polluting energies is another of the main commitments to make progress in decarbonization. However, the implementation of alternatives faces numerous challenges and the use of some environmentally harmful fuels continues to increase. Methane gas emissions from maritime transport, for example, have doubled between 2018 and 2023, according to the 'European Maritime Transport Environmental Report'.

The projects analyzed in the JRC report focus mainly on the use of ammonia, bio-fuels, hydrogen, methanol and electrification.

“At the development level, certain bio-fuels and green methanol are the most mature, even though they are at the beginning of the commercial stage,” explains Hervas. “The problem with bio-fuels is the limitation of raw materials and their high compatibility with current fuels, which makes them attractive for sectors with a higher willingness to pay, such as aviation.

Electrification, Hervas adds, is one of the big question marks. “It will have its place on short-sea shipping, and the range could see an increase as electricity storage options exceed expectations. In addition, the implementation of energy efficiency measures can contribute to the expansion of the set of routes where electrification technologies could be adopted,” he explains.

In recent months there have been interesting proposals in the field of electrification. One of them is the project launched by Balearia, which aims to build two 100% electric ferries to operate the first green corridor between Spain and Morocco.

Each boat will have an electric power of 16 MW, thanks to electric propulsion powered by batteries that will allow them to make the entire crossing between Tarifa and Tangier with zero emissions. These batteries will be able to be charged during port calls, which last one hour. The two ships are expected to be operational in 2027.

In turn, according to Hervas, hydrogen without being processed into ammonia or methanol may have its market, but it will be limited by electrification in the short or small tonnage segments, and by its derivatives in the longer segments. The HySeas III project, for example, is one of many focused on realizing a ferry capable of running on hydrogen produced from renewable sources.

In Spain, the SUPORTproject (carried out by IREC together with Aigües de Barcelona and the Port of Barcelona) seeks to develop a prototype system to generate synthetic marine fuels from matter from wastewater treatment plants.

“By integrating the entire chain, an economical and circular option to contribute to emission-neutral energy supply can be validated,” Hervas highlights.

Digitization and operational measures

Digitalization has the ability to improve both operational efficiency and sustainability. The use of artificial intelligence, digital twins, blockchain , big data and other technological solutions can have great value in achieving decarbonization, as highlighted by projects such as Next Gen Bluetech or VesselAI.

“Digitalization has a relevant role, for example, to boost electrification and the adoption of wind propulsion. Being able to optimize routes, incorporating weather forecast data, ship consumption and coordination with ports, will maximize the savings of these technologies,” adds Hervas.

Optimizing operational measures also plays a key role in achieving decarbonization and efficiency. For example, improving route design can reduce fuel consumption and, with it, CO2 emissions.

Some projects, such as Circles of Life, focus on other objectives, such as promoting the circular economy throughout the life cycle of vessels.

Coordination for knowledge sharing

Sharing knowledge, experience and know-how is essential to ensure that the lessons learned from the 151 projects analyzed by JRC (and many others) have a real impact on decarbonization.

“It is one of the points reflected in the Draghi report, which shows that collaboration is essential to be competitive and also to achieve climate change mitigation ambitions on time,” says Hervas.

• “Pioneers is a project that seeks to develop 19 solutions, maximize the transferability of these between European ports and develop a model green port plan that accelerates the adoption of environmental sustainability strategies in the European port cluster,” he exemplifies.
• “Another example is Green Marine Med, a European project in which the Port of Barcelona participates to consolidate current sustainable shipping knowledge, characterize the situation in the Mediterranean, promote knowledge through training, establish an observatory of technologies and solutions and found a center of excellence for sustainable shipping.”