Global maritime regulations crucial to hit 5% zero-emission fuel target – UMAS
A transition to 5-10% zero-emission bunker fuels by 2030 would require extending shipping-focused regulations beyond Europe to developing countries and the Global South, a UMAS-led study finds.
CHART: Zero-emission marine fuels needs to cover 0.6 exajoules (EJ) of maritime energy demand by 2030 to be in line with the IMO's 5% target. UMAS
The IMO has proposed that 5-10% of total bunker consumption should be of zero- or near-zero-emission fuels by 2030.
A new report by UK-based University Maritime Advisory Services (UMAS) along with climate coalitions Race to Zero and Getting to Zero estimates that the shipping sector only has 2-4 years to meet this ambitious goal.
According to the report, IMO’s 5% ambition entails use of 5.3 million mt/year of green hydrogen, 28.1 million mt/year of e-methanol or 29.8 million mt/year of green ammonia. These fuels are considered zero- or near-zero-emission because they are produced from green hydrogen using renewable electricity, which can enable them to have near-zero-carbon footprint on a well-to-wake basis.
Regulations to facilitate zero-emission fuel demand and supply have become slightly stricter in the past year, but are still only "partially on track", UMAS says. Regulations for bunker operations and the safe handling of these fuels are underway, with implementation expected by 2030.
However, the authors believe that the sheer scale of fuel new requirements should be met with a more proactive approach at the international level.
10 of the top 20 countries by maritime traffic have published 1.5°C-aligned decarbonisation roadmaps for domestic shipping. These 20 countries are identified by UMAS as Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, UAE, UK, US and Vietnam.
10 of these countries have set zero-emission fuel production targets, but their governments must do their part to ensure that the shipping sector gets a sufficient share of these fuels. And 10 countries have policies that target green fuel adoption in maritime, including financial instruments and cost-reduction assistance.
From a zero-emission fuel standpoint, however, most of these government regulations apply to Europe and other developed nations, making progress "regionally skewed", the report argues.
It is vital that more countries across the globe, including the Global South and developing economies, implement policies to encourage uptake of green ammonia and e-methanol in domestic shipping, it says.
In addition, the report urges the IMO to mandate that all new vessels be zero-emissions-ready by 2030.
“It is important to consider, when thinking of [scalable zero-emission fuels] SZEF adoption, a range of not only global developments, but also national and regional actions as the combined actions on multiple levels can lead to positive reinforcement and create multiple pathways towards decarbonisation,” the report asserts.
By Konica Bhatt
Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online
