ABS partners in zero-carbon fuel conversion project

ABS is part of a joint development project (JDP) with the Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping aiming to assess the technical, financial and environmental potential of converting existing vessels to zero-carbon fuels and technology.

Other partners in the project are A.P. Moller – Maersk, MAN Energy Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NYK Line, Seaspan Corporation and Total.

The main purpose of the project is to assess conversion options and to de-risk asset investments by analyzing the emission reduction potential and techno-economic opportunity of converting vessels currently fueled by fossil-based fuels to zero or neutral carbon fuels.

In addition, the project will identify a number of technical modifications of relevance for today’s newbuildings to reduce the cost of future conversions, thus minimizing the associated financial risk for ship owners.

The project partners will address various vessel types including containerships, tankers- and bulkers and their potential conversion from conventional fuel oil, or integration with more recent fuels such LNG and LPG, to enable pathways to future solutions such as ammonia or methanol, as well as to the application of onboard carbon capture and storage.

For each pathway, the related safety aspects will be reviewed, and the financial assessment will cover items such as conversion, technology- and fuel costs as well as associated operating costs. The environment assessment will, among other things, cover the Green House Gas reduction potential over the lifetime of a vessel.

The project is facilitated by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center and fully funded by the involved parties. The partners have committed to the center’s collaboration model in which they second experts to the center.

“In order to accelerate the investments in a zero carbon maritime value chain, we have to reduce the risk of stranded assets,” says Claus Winter Graugaard, head of onboard vessel solutions at the center. “With this project, we address that challenge by providing clarity and overview of the operational fuel- and technology options, their associated environmental and financial impact as well as their transition pathways.”

“This is a vitally important piece of work for the industry. We are assessing the opportunities and consequences of converting ships from fossil-based fuels to zero or neutral carbon fuel solution, which is something every ship owner and operator urgently needs actionable insight into. This project will turn the industry’s decarbonization ambitions into a series of actionable steps, a pathway for each vessel type to carbon free operations,” said Georgios Plevrakis, ABS director, global sustainability.

“To accelerate the transition to carbon-neutral or zero-carbon fuels, it is not enough to focus solely on newbuild dual fuel vessels,” says Ole Graa Jakobsen, head of fleet technology, A.P. Moller – Maersk. “We must also look into retrofitting existing vessels in our fleet to operate on carbon-neutral or zero-carbon fuels.”

Global shipping accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions, a share that is likely to increase as other industries tackle climate emissions in the coming decades, says the center. Achieving the long-term target of decarbonization requires new fuel types and a systemic change within the industry. Shipping is a globally regulated industry, which provides an opportunity to secure broad-based industry adoption of new technology and fuels.

SHIPPING’S ROAD MAP TO DECARBONIZATION

Global shipping accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions, a share that is likely to increase as other industries tackle climate emissions in the coming decades, says the center. Achieving the long-term target of decarbonization requires new fuel types and a systemic change within the industry. Shipping is a globally regulated industry, which provides an opportunity to secure broad-based industry adoption of new technology and fuels.