Page 29: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2021)

SHIP DESIGN CLASSIFICATION

DNV takes on the &

Digital, Decarbonization

Challenges

By Greg Trauthwein hile COVID has posed some enor- around 10 vessels,” he said. “To get momentum it takes time.” mous challenges to business globally, While maritime today faces challenges aplenty, it is broad- the pandemic has also conspired to ly agreed that the decarbonization is the biggest hump for fast-track many changes already in most ship owners to navigate. “If you go back to the be-

W motion, namely in terms of decarbon- ginning of last year, we saw that the total number of orders ization and digitalization. “I think if you look at the indus- for the dual-fuel gas engine vessels really pick up,” said Ør- try, the pandemic probably accelerated digitalization by half beck-Nilssen. While the number of dual fuel vessels is still a decade,” said Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO, DNV Maritime. a small percentage of the existing ? eet, the orderbook tells a “Apart from that, there’s a big change also on the awareness different story. “If you look to the order book for new con- of the CO2 emissions and greenhouse gases. It’s certainly struction, around 12% of the current order book are looking something that we’ve seen accelerated over the last 1.5 to at alternative fuel systems, where dual-fuel gas systems are three years.” Ørbeck-Nilssen spoke to Maritime Reporter the main trend.”

TV on the eve of DNV’s release of its anticipated “Maritime This trend is expected to increase, particularly with the

Forecast to 2050: Energy Transition Outlook 2021.” With a IMO’s introduction of the Energy Ef? ciency Existing Ship In- footprint of nearly 12,000 employees in 74 countries crewing dex (EEXI) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) this sum- 283 of? ces serving maritime, energy, health, food and even mer, both due to enter force in January 2023. the automotive industries, DNV is global and positioned to DNV is involved in a number of Joint Industry Projects give a multi-sector bird’s eye view. and R&D programs with various industry stakeholders to “You can see that there is quite a lot of different activities pitch in and develop potential solutions to these vexing that goes with the DNV brand, which in and of itself is a emissions questions. While he is often asked to pick the strength,” said Ørbeck-Nilssen. “And we see that develop- ‘fuel of the future,’ Ørbeck-Nilssen offers notes of perspec- ments in certain industries can be taken back into the mar- tive and caution.

itime industry,” noting the recent combination of DNV’s “When it comes to alternative fuels, I’m a big fan of maritime and health services in its certi? cation of infec- the French philosopher, Voltaire: ‘Let’s not make perfect tion prevention through the cruise industry at the outset of the enemy of good.’ Maybe, we don’t have the perfect so-

COVID. Cross sector knowledge is particularly instructive lution, but it’s certainly important to start moving in the today in maritime, an industry in the cross hairs of a genera- right direction.” tional change in regards to digitalization, decarbonization By most accounts it’s still too early to pick the alternate fuel and autonomy. that will dominate maritime for the coming century. “I think in this, we shouldn’t be so concerned about picking winners

The Decarb Challenge and losers. I think it’s really all about having an effort, with

While the maritime industry is broadly characterized as different parts of the industry coming together to collaborate, slow to move in the adoption of new technology, Ørbeck- to work and to make progress.”

Nilssen sees this as much a function of the industry’s structure “The only word of caution that I have is, let’s make sure rather than an aversion to tech itself. “The shipping industry that we are not creating talking clubs. Let’s make sure that is quite fragmented, with more than 70,000 vessels sailing we are actually putting concrete projects into the efforts and the seven seas and the average shipowner probably operating that we are trying to produce something which can be useful www.marinelink.com 29

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