In the face of stricter emissions regulations, wings, sails and kites can do more than propel container vessels – they are shipping’s key ally to prevent stranded assets. As a result, wind power is ready to go mainstream, says Airseas general counsel and corporate secretary, Stephanie Lesage
With the imminent entry into force of Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulations, the playing field is about to change for the global container shipping fleet. This is a significant step, but certainly not the last regulatory change the industry will face in the critical years ahead.
With CII requirements set to become more stringent with time and more legislation on shipping’s emissions also being developed by regional regulators such as the European Union (EU), the industry must take the first steps towards decarbonisation today – to ensure that both existing vessels and newbuilds remain compliant throughout their lifetime.
The compliance challenge is real for many in our industry. Recent figures from Clarkson Research indicate 12% of container vessels could fall into the lowest ’E’ category when CII comes into force early next year. The study also shows that a quarter of the container ship fleet could be rated ’E’ by 2026. Meanwhile, close to a quarter of the fleet is over 20 years old. Many of these ships are likely to require carbon efficiency improvements, raising the question of ’retrofit or renewal’.
A strategic decision
Investing in the energy efficiency technologies available today is essential if ships want to remain compliant with emissions regulations as they are progressively tightened, thereby preventing these assets from being stranded prematurely. One of these technologies is our automated kite system Seawing, which reduces fuel consumption and emissions by an average of 20%. Our system, which is well adapted to container ships as it requires minimal deck space and does not interfere with cargo operations, is providing an estimated six to seven years of additional lifetime to vessels before they hit the CII threshold.
Furthermore, investing in clean technologies will buy shipowners vital time to analyse emerging trends and gain insight from thorough and conclusive studies, to make better-informed decisions when the time comes for critical investment on new vessels and alternative fuels. It also provides a solution to the energy density issue, a potential complication to adopting alternative fuels. Indeed, energy prices will continue to rise. Due to that underlaying tendency, and to heavy production and infrastructure costs, future fuels will be more expensive and less energy dense than their fossil counterparts. This makes an even more compelling case for technologies that help reduce fuel consumption in the first place.
Ultimately, vessels don’t exist to burn fuel – they exist to move goods around the world. It is time we look beyond the engineroom to make the most of solutions that can make ships more sustainable today and facilitate the transition in the long term. It is time to switch from a fuel-centric approach to an energy-centric approach. Wind power is ready to scale up. Driven by their customers’ expectations, charterers are becoming more and more demanding when it comes to decarbonising their supply chain. Industry frontrunners like K Line are already setting the tone by making wind an integral part of their decarbonisation strategy.
Regulators must support this trend, and wind is indeed making its way into new legislation currently being discussed by the EU and IMO. At Airseas, we see a future where all vessels will, at least in part, be propelled by the free and widely available power of the wind. This already makes business sense and will help drive the climate action needed by the planet and our communities.
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