What can be done to limit shipping's environmental and climate impact?

Photo: A Gude Flickr cc-by-sa
 

I was asked that question yesterday.

The shipping industry accounts for 90 percent of all international freight. It carries 7.4 billion tons of freight annually and consumes 370 million tons of oil!

Due to increased consumption in the world, the shipping's carbon emissions are expected to increase by nearly 40 percent over an 8-year period - from 1.2 billion tonnes (2007) to 2 billion tons in 2015!

According to a new report from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) the shipping industry can with relative simple means reduce vessels carbon emissions by 15 percent – while saving money – through measures like:

• Trimming of the main engine to save fuel .
• Better planning of routes (to reduce fuel consumption). Giving full speed for hours toward a port, only to have to wait a day or more, is waste of fuel.
• Cargo ships use more fuel at high speed and in bad weather. Better planning of routes and lower speed reduces fuel consumption.

New technology can further reduce the transport sector's negative environmental impact. The German company SkySails has combined century old experiences with revolutionary innovation and developed a kite for cargo ships.

Freight companies can reduce annual fuel consumption by 10-35 percent, depending on wind conditions, by letting wind power do part of the transportation. Kites for cargo ships are the size of a soccer field, have five times more thrust than conventional sails, and can be used for wind speeds between 7 and 40 knots (12 -74 km/h).

Another shipping innovation comes from the Danish company DK Group, which in 2008 launched a mini-bulk carrier with a built in air pocket in the hull. The air pocket forms a thin layer between the hull and the water that reduces friction. Less friction means less fuel consumption (15 percent) and less carbon emissions.

Still other examples of solutions are ferries that run on solar energy (photovoltaic panels) in Hong Kong, shore power (also known as Cold Ironing) to power marine vessels when in a harbor, and hull cleaning to reduce friction and fuel consumption.