Maritime transport on course for net zero

Each month VINCI Energies will explore a new theme focused on energy transition, digital transformation, and environmental transformation.

This first edition is dedicated to Maritime Transport⚓

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Why focus on Maritime transportation?🤔🚢

Maritime transportation is key in energy transition due to its major role in global trade and significant CO2 emissions (2-3% of global total). It carries 80% of world goods, including energy resources. Reducing ship emissions through cleaner technologies is crucial for meeting climate goals and ensuring sustainable trade and economies.

It is important to note that maritime transport is by far the cleanest mode of transport per tonne-kilometer of goods moved

Maritime transport on course for carbon neutrality

The urgency of climate change has led to global efforts promoting low-emission vessels.

Whether on the river or the ocean, Bruno Nicolas, Director at VINCI Energies, believes that the solutions for phasing out heavy fuel oil fall into three categories:

1) OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT: using digital to optimize timetables and onboard energy management, slower speeds, etc.

2) TECHNICAL IMPROVEMENT: enhancing vessel design (hydrodynamics, modernisation of engines, wind-assisted propulsion, etc.)

3) USE OF ALTERNATIVE FUELS (LNG, biofuels, and e-fuels such as hydrogen, e-methane, e-methanol and ammonia)

➡️Read the full article on The Agility Effect website

What solutions exist for phasing out fossil fuel?

"There is no single comprehensive solution. Only a combination of different solutions will make it possible to achieve the stated objectives. The result will depend heavily on our capacity to produce and distribute low-carbon alternative fuels." Bruno Nicolas, explains.

Ports and urban areas join the transformation

The decarbonisation of maritime transport is a concern not only for shipowners and their customers but also for port authorities.

Electrifying ports will be crucial in the sector's energy transition, particularly for passenger ships, which spend extended periods docked. Typically, ships keep their engines running while in port to generate electricity, even just to keep the lights on. This practice is noisy, produces unpleasant odours, and emits significant greenhouse gases.

Let's have a look at some examples:

• Barcelona electrifies its ferry terminal: Approximately €90 million will be invested in Onshore Power Supply (OPS) systems, enabling docked ships to connect to the electric grid using 100 percent renewable energy. An additional €20 million will be allocated to developing the necessary power network infrastructure, including substations, high-voltage connections, and a medium-voltage network. The goal is to supply electricity to all cruise ship mooring points by 2030.

• Electric transport comes to the Seine Vedettes de Paris, an operator of tourist boats on the Seine, appointed Actemium Marine to upgrade its fleet of five vessels to use electric engines, with the aim of halving its carbon impact by 2024.

What is OPS?

OPS (Onshore Power Supply) allows ships to draw electricity from the local grid and thus avoid using their onboard diesel generator. This technology is all the more virtuous in ecological terms, where the local grid provides low-carbon energy.

With this type of installation, emissions can be reduced by approximately 70% for CO2, 95% for NOx (Nitrogen Oxides), and 30% for SOx (Sulphur Oxides). This offers significant benefits for accelerating the environmental transition.

Technically, an OPS system consists of a substation that receives and distributes electricity from the grid, a frequency converter to provide the required frequency (60 Hz for ships compared to 50 Hz for shore-side electrical networks), and a cable management system to transfer the electricity cable from the dockside to the ship.

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