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New Energy World magazine logo
New Energy World magazine logo
ISSN 2753-7757 (Online)

All aboard for decarbonisation: How IMO is embarking on a voyage to a net-zero 2050

25/9/2024

10 min read

Feature

Aerial view of cruise ship in dock yard, emitting vapours from its chimney Photo: Adobe Stock/nikitamaykov
A Barcelona medium-voltage ship-to-shore connection reduces port-side cruise ship emissions such as those pictured here from a cruise ship docked in Palermo, Sicily – one of a number of decarbonisation measures from the maritime industry

Photo: Adobe Stock/nikitamaykov

Net-zero goals set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) a year ago include long-term ambitions and short-term actions, and have already begun to impact the maritime world, reports Selwyn Parker.

When the Grimaldi shipping company’s ferry, Ciudad de Soller, berths at the Port of Barcelona on its daily trips between the city and the island of Palma in the Mediterranean, the vessel no longer has to keep its auxiliary engines running to maintain air-conditioning and other essential equipment. Since July 2024, in one of the more recent examples of shipping’s pursuit of decarbonisation, the engines are switched off while the ferry functions courtesy of shoreside power.

 

Often overlooked in the pursuit of maritime’s holy grail of net zero, the great ports are investing heavily in a cleaner future as the IMO urges them and shipping to work together. Apart from the provision of onshore power supply, as at the Port of Barcelona – preferably delivered from renewable sources – the ports are bunkering low- and zero-carbon fuels as they become available, running giant battery-powered cranes and flying electric drones to inspect cargoes.

 

Spirit of urgency 
There’s an urgency in the shipping industry. Indeed, the Port of Barcelona’s shoreside charging facility was installed six years ahead of the European Union’s (EU) mandatory deadline. The system is based on a medium-voltage network that allows ferries like the Ciudad de Soller and container ships to shut down their auxiliary engines and hook up to a 100% electrical network. The Barcelona project follows Hamburg’s example which switched on a similar system in January 2024.

 

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