Citing that less than a decade remains for the shipping industry to develop commercially viable fuels and technology to meet its decarbonization targets, The Getting to Zero Coalition, compiled a comprehensive map of all the projects currently underway. According to the industry-led coalition of more than 120 companies within the maritime, energy, infrastructure, and finance sectors, supported by key governments and IGOs, by being able to see all the work that is currently underway they hope to catalyze the pilots and demonstrations.

“The uptake of these projects is a vital step in the transition to zero emission shipping,” said Kasper Søgaard, Head of Research at the Global Maritime Forum, a Partner of the Getting to Zero Coalition. “They demonstrate that progress is already taking place and show direction for the whole maritime sector.”

Most of the current projects, the coalition said concentrate either on ship technologies development or fuel production. “The majority of projects covering fuel production focus on green hydrogen which is largely due to hydrogen’s position as a ‘building block’ for the production of other fuels such as ammonia or methanol,” adds Søgaard.

The Getting to Zero Coalition has compiled a listing of 66 projects incorporating pilots and demonstrations which focus on zero emission pathways for the maritime industry. The projects have been classified in terms of geographical spread, project focus, project type, and the fuel that the project follows. They also noted whether the project has received, or is anticipating receiving, public funding.

The coalition reported that the majority of the projects it identified, 49 in total, are currently taking place in Europe, where it is also common that the projects are publicly funded, which gives them a higher chance of success. The next highest geographical concentration of projects is in Asia with 16 programs identified.

Most of the projects (47) they highlighted are planned as demonstration projects, which means that they are capable of operation under real-world conditions. “Much of what needs to be achieved is already technically possible. The key issue here is to close the competitiveness gap between traditional fossil fuels and new zero emission fuels,” comments Søgaard.

By creating this mapping, the coalition believes it is providing details on their scale and variety which can offer deeper insights into how the future of the maritime industry is unfolding. They also hope to provide information that can be used to further improve technologies and bring down costs.

The Getting to Zero Coalition plans to update the listing every six months.

BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE 08-28-2020 05:08:26