Page 28: of Marine News Magazine (March 2019)

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PROPULSION

Credit: © Polina Krasnikova/Shutterstock industry examines options in race to zero emissions

A maritime consortium, including ABS and Sandia National Laboratories, recently proved the viability of a hydrogen fuel cell ferry designed for operations in the environmentally sensitive San Francisco Bay area.

By Domenic Carlucci he IMO’s mandate to cap the sulfur content in ma- measures that combine improvements in ship design; the rine fuel at the start of next year may be the biggest creation of new fuels and alternative forms of propulsion;

Tregulatory change in shipping since the requirement operational changes; and the application of digital technol- for double hulls, but the challenge will fade in comparison ogy. Because those goals are unlikely to be met without to its future goals to reduce green-house gases (GHG). the development of new technology, industry and govern-

A year ago (April 2018), the IMO agreed to a prelimi- ments will need to expand the resources they make avail- nary strategy that targeted a minimum 40% reduction in able for research and development.

CO2 emissions on a cargo-tonne mile basis by 2030, and a 50% reduction in GHG emissions from shipping by 2050. A TeChnology wiTh poTenTiAl

To support and inform that goal, the mandatory collection One area of promise for energy generation onboard ships of emissions data from ships started in January. The IMO’s is fuel cells. Fuel cells are presently used in a variety of land fnal strategy will be unveiled in 2023. In the interim, it is applications, such as to provide power in remote areas, as well committed to release its fourth GHG study, and to analyze as for industrial, residential and commercial buildings. En- and report the fndings from three years of having collect- ergy from hydrogen fuel cells, in particular, is already used in ed data on the industry’s emissions. land-based transport vehicles, such as municipal buses, trains

The mandatory global targets to reduce the emissions and heavy-duty trucks, as well as for industrial equipment from shipping are the most ambitious yet: they will require such as forklifts.

March 2019 28 MN