Sustainable shipping through alternate fuels and renewable technology.

Abstract

The present use of fossil fuels for maritime applications is environmentally disastrous, and calls for decarbonization processes. A shift from existing energy technologies is essential since they prove to be an inefficient methodology towardcarbon free environment. This necessitates the need of alternate ideology for achieving the same. Maritime authorities such as International Maritime Organization (IMO) in conjunction with classification societies like Det Norske Veritas (DNV GL), American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), BureauVeritas (BV), Lloyd’s Register (LR) etc. work on various techniques to bring out efficient strategies to create a possible outlook. The 75thsession of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of IMO stipulatesa 50% reduction of GHGs, to be achieved by 2050 through sustainable shipping compared to 2008. The latest mandate by regulatory agencies is the stepping stone towards sustainable shipping across the globe. The focus has now deviated to renewable energy alternatives such as solar energy, wind energy, zero emission fuels etc, with the ultimate goal of developinga ship into a sustainable entity, which would not only comply with the new environmental regulations but would also result in least possible carbon emissions. India’s first solar ferryAditya, wind propelled ship developed by Wallenium Marine etc are the leading milestones in sustainable shipping. Along with alternate fuels, efficient design alternatives like cross bow, hull vane, flettner rotor etc contribute to energy efficient operation. Various researches are in progress around the globe to develop more and more efficient technologies to accomplish the targets