The shipping industry is sailing for stormy seas.
Tougher regulations on fuel are to take effect in 2020, and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has challenged the industry to cut its carbon footprint by half by 2050.
This is no small task. The average container ship burns 200 tonnes of fuel in a day. Some 20 million container ships traverse the world at any one time, contributing to 2.5 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, while air pollution from ships kills an estimated 60,000 people a year.
Yet, shipping is responsible for 90 per cent of goods transported around the world and provides an exciting way to travel. At the same time, countries are beginning to experiment with electric, methane, and natural gas-powered vessels.
In the third episode of the series Tomorrow’s cities: Engineering the energy transition, Eco-Business sat down with Dr Sanjay Kuttan, executive director of the Singapore Maritime Institute, and Soren Kvorning, president for Asia Pacific of Danish engineering firm Danfoss.
Tune in as we tackle questions such as:
- What do IMO’s emissions reduction targets mean for the maritime industry?
- What are the barriers to electrification for shipping?
- How can shipping prepare for decarbonisation?
- What technologies are needed to cut the carb?
- Are electric ships a distant dream?
For more insights into the decarbonisation of the maritime industry, join us for an in-depth conversation at Tomorrow’s cities: Engineering the energy transition, a high-level forum to be held in Singapore on 28 March that addresses how to build climate-smart cities and find energy efficient solutions for food storage and transportation, green buildings and electrification in the maritime industry. Those interested in attending, email Christina at events@eco-business.com with your name, title and organisation.
