Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, and a world leader in global,
mobile satellite communications, has published its Decarbonisation
Toolkit, which outlines a practical blueprint for decarbonisation in the
maritime industry.
Compiled by maritime innovation consultancy Thetius, the report uses
real life examples to set out a framework across three domains of energy
transition: ‘Operation’, ‘Ship’ and ‘Human Element’.
At the operational level, voyage optimisation is a particularly
effective means of decarbonisation. In September 2022, Scandinavian
shipping company Wallenius Wilhelmsen announced its intention to adopt
an AI-based voyage optimisation system across its 120-vessel fleet. The
announcement followed the company’s 18-month trial of a
performance-routing solution that yielded a 6.9% increase in vessel
efficiency, equating to a projected 170,000-tonne carbon dioxide
equivalent (CO2e) reduction in emissions with a fleet-wide roll-out.
Alongside voyage optimisation, collaboration and data sharing could play
a key role in lowering emissions. In February 2023, KCC Chartering and
integrated energy company Raízen signed a three-year contract of
affreightment targeting more energy-efficient operations through
improved charterer–cargo owner communications and data exchange. By
minimising legs in ballast and improving the efficiency of loading and
discharge processes, the partnership is expected to result in a 40%
reduction in the carbon intensity of its agreement.
Under ‘ship’, other methods include port-call optimisation and green
corridor schemes, while tools available for decarbonising the vessel
itself include carbon capture and storage, optimised hull design,
energy-saving coatings and devices, wind propulsion, future fuels and
connectivity and data-exchange infrastructure.
For example, in the first quarter of 2023, ship management company
Eastern Pacific announced the successful installation of carbon capture
and filtering technology on board the chemical tanker _Pacific Cobalt_.
Installed in the ship’s stack, the system will capture up to 40% of
the vessel’s carbon dioxide emissions, filtering out sulphur and
particulate matter from the exhaust gases.
The ‘human element’, meanwhile, relies on behavioural economics and
change management in addition to skilled decarbonisation teams.
According to the report, crews should be trained in the new technology
and processes that enable greener shipping operations, and they must be
willing to embrace the changes that the maritime energy transition
entails.
Ben Palmer, President, Inmarsat Maritime, said: “The key to a
successful decarbonisation strategy lies in implementing a practical,
data-backed plan for the application of solutions that support greener,
more efficient shipping companies today and for decades to come. As a
long-standing technology partner to the international maritime industry,
Inmarsat remains committed to supporting businesses in overcoming their
challenges, seizing their opportunities and achieving their
decarbonisation goals.”
Matthew Kenney, Principal Research Consultant, Thetius, said: “It is
overly simplistic to think of decarbonisation as a compliance issue
alone. Companies that have made proactive moves to seize the
opportunities of decarbonisation are already seeing return on their
investments. Carbon footprints are being reduced at the voyage, vessel
and fleet level, and fuel costs, time and effort are being saved as a
result. This report examines some of these achievements and maps out a
practical blueprint to success.”
About Viasat
Inmarsat Maritime is now a Viasat business and continues to power the
digitalisation of the maritime industry [6], making operations more
efficient and safer than ever before. Viasat is a global communications
company that believes everyone and everything in the world can be
connected. With offices in 24 countries around the world, our mission
shapes how consumers, businesses, governments and militaries around the
world communicate and connect. Viasat is developing the ultimate global
communications network to power high-quality, reliable, secure,
affordable, fast connections to positively impact people’s lives
anywhere they are—on the ground, in the air or at sea, while building
a sustainable future in space. On May 30, 2023, Viasat completed its
acquisition of Inmarsat, combining the teams, technologies and resources
of the two companies to create a new global communications partner.
