Shipping still in the dark on clean fuel, says industry official
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SHIPPING companies are still waiting for “real green” fuel solutions as part of decarbonisation efforts to clean up the industry, a leading industry official said.
Shipping, which transports around 90 per cent of world trade and accounts for nearly 3 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions, has been under growing pressure from environmentalists to deliver more concrete action.
Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee (GSCC) chairman Haralambos Fafalios said: “We are still awaiting engine and ship builders to come up with real green solutions.”
“We need a simple incentive, such as a fuel levy, as a medium-term measure until safe alternative fuels become available in the long term.”
The industry has tested a number of cleaner fuel options, including ammonia and methanol. It has also tested wind sails, in an effort to find new solutions away from dirtier bunker fuel.
Fafalios said many companies, whether in shipping or commodity trading, “are touting the strengths of their favourite fuels, but none so far have a real green footprint on a well-to-wake basis”. Well-to-wake refers to the measurement of total emissions from fuel production to fuel consumption onboard a ship.
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“None of these alternative green, zero or low-carbon fuels yet have a global bunkering or cost infrastructure to support the world fleet,” he added, citing the example of ammonia. He called it a “very dangerous fuel”, with “not enough safety measures” to make it a feasible option.
The London-based GSCC is one of the leading bodies representing Greek shipping, which is among the world’s biggest shipowners. REUTERS
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