Page 31: of Marine News Magazine (March 2025)

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Feature

Workboat Owner

The Svitzer Taurus features a double-ended hull with

Azimuth thrusters on both ends, allowing for omnidirectional movement and exceptional maneuverability.

Karlsen nods enthusiastically, and says, ““That’s exactly the commercial solutions we work on. When we provide towage service to our customers, then we become part of their carbon footprint and what is called their Scope 3 emissions. Our solution is that they get at a modest pre- mium, a green tug job. For example, we’ve had all of our ? eet in the UK on HVO, so that generates a lot of carbon savings. Those carbon savings we can use in tug jobs pro- vided elsewhere in the world where they want a green solu- tion. That’s how it works. We’re not planting trees. We’re not offsetting as such, but we’re insetting from other parts of our own operations to bene? t the big picture.”

Karlsen continues, “I support regulations if it forces the right behavior and the right transition, but it is a ? ne bal- ance. We need to make sure it doesn’t impose a lot of non- value-adding bureaucracy.” Going green doesn’t always create the other kind of green. Svitzer understands this.

Another aspect of Svitzer’s global decarbonization strat- egy is a digital system that actually monitors and manages our Masters such that we try to incentivize to have the right behavior when sailing the tugs. Karlsen describes an

AIS-based system that measures the movements of tugs and gives equal rating to tug masters on how they operate. “We call it the “Aim for 8” campaign. Around eight knots when you’re mobilizing and demobilizing is a reasonable the technology is there and we’re not ready to run that risk. speed in order to actually get to the job, but also where the

We will have to have a booster and a ‘take me home’ solu- power curve is not too steep, so you don’t burn too much tion as well on board.” excess fuel, and you still have time to get to the job.”

That’s a risk-based solution. A prudent risk-based solu- So, we try to make a healthy competition out of that. tion from the world’s largest towboat operator. And that has saved quite a lot of CO2, but also fuel. There’s

Svitzer believes that safety and dependability foster a a lot we can do when we talk about energy ef? ciency, just more certain greener world. To that end, Scope 3 emission looking at behavior. The next thing is how do we work to- management is where Svitzer lays the keel of their environ- gether with the pilots in ensuring that we also do the jobs, mental stewardship. not only safe and ef? cient, but also fuel-ef? cient.

Scope 3 emissions, de? ned in layman’s terms, can be de- A garden variety example of this collaboration might be ? ned by an oil rig sitting in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico with four when the pilot’s got both spring lines out fore and aft and service boats attending to it. The carbon footprint for that he still wants full power alongside the pier. Svitzer’s Karlsen vessel also includes the carbon footprint of the four boats that asks: Do we really need to be wasting this fuel or pushing are hanging around doing what they’re supposed to be doing. it out the stack? “That extra fuel is extra cost and, at some www.marinelink.com MN 31|