To reduce the carbon footprints the current shipping industry is open up to a lot options. However, the point is that which option is more efficient, cost effective and preferable. All the options have its own pros and cons. The shipping industry is already on verge of adopting an alternate source of power to reduce the carbon emissions. The only awaiting factor is which alternate fuel develops faster and is made available in market and how much efficient is it compared to its other competitors. The pace with which the developments are ongoing and efforts that are been put on to reduce the carbon emissions by 2050, its not going to be further before which the transition is going to complete.

1. ~Nirjhar Sarkar
Reduction of Carbon Footprints in Shipping Industry

2. Introduction
During the COP26, the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow,
Scotland, United Kingdom, from 31 October to 13 November 2021, IMO set out for a commitment for reducing
carbon emissions per transport work by at least 40% by 2030 and extending its efforts in achieving net-zero
emission by 2050.

3. • Driven by the international trade and economic growth, the shipping industry is predicted to grow its fleet by
60% over the next 30 years , up from today’s 3 billion deadweight tonnes to over 5 billion deadweight tonnes
in 2050. The shipping industry been growing at this pace it is been assimilated to overshoot its carbon budget
by 25 gigatonnes by 2050.

4. Foot Steps in Achieving Zero emissions by 2050
• Our shipping industry is contributing to near about 2.5% of total global emissions. Although the shipping
industry been moving towards energy transitioning and reducing carbon foot. While transitioning,
shipping’s hidden carbon overshoot is a threatening problem. Although we are focusing towards greener
fuels and using it as an alternate, the increasing large global fleet is a difficult barrier to overcome.

5. Development of E-Fuels and High power LTO batteries
• With the concerning depleting levels of Fossil fuels, the carbon footprints developed due to the usage of it and high
increasing demands of alternate green fuels, multiple companies have started to focus on developing better quality e-
fuels with mass production.
• Companies like Aramco, HIF, Sunfire, Norsk e-Fuel and many others have started their research on these e-Fuels and in
improving its efficiency to replace it with fossil fuels. These synthetically produced e-fuels are made from electricity,
water and carbon dioxide through the use of power-to-X technology, more precisely the power-to-liquid (PtL) process. In
these fuels CO2 is captured during production and is later emitted again during consumption.

6. • These E-fuels have a humongous scope in replacing the conventional fuels as it has no sulphur content, has higher energy
density, can transported cost-effectively over long distances, good stationary storability, however the biggest advantage of it in
the shipping industry is that existing fleets can be operated in a climate- neutral way hugely reducing the amount in the carbon
footprints currently generated by it.
• Having all the above advantages, the energy efficiency is still four to six times lower compared to combustion engines, there are
still air pollutant emissions and is still many times expensive than fossil fuels. Even if these e-fuels have a high chance of
replacing the fossil fuels in the upcoming future, a lot of research and developments are still needed to be done in order to
increase the efficiency and reduce the production cost of these e-fuels as these two factors would play a vital role for a ordinary
person to chose e-fuels over fossil fuels.

7. • High power LTO batteries is another alternate source of power that is been now looked upon to power up the fleets that
are going to start operating in the upcoming years. As the name suggests these batteries are going to be made of lithium-
titanate or lithium-titanium-oxide.
• These High power LTO batteries consisting of lithium-titanate nanocrystals and their increased surface area are
especially designed to enhance the lifetime of these batteries. With over 30 times larger surface area, this technology is
able to recharge and discharge substantially faster and has a cycle count 10 times more than its more traditional
alternative, the Li-Ion battery.
High power LTO batteries

8. • To manufacture these batteries the technology used is known for its high level of safety as Lithium Titanate batteries
are entirely free of carbon, they avoid thermal runaway or overheating which is a main cause of fires in traditional
energy storage systems, making it risk free of fires and explosions.
• These batteries also have a much better low-temperature performance. Due to these low-temperature discharge
characteristics, it is able to obtain up to 80% of its full capacity at a mere -30oC. This allows companies to start
employing Lithium Titanate in even colder regions.
• With an increasing importance of renewable energy options, the shipping industry is also looking forward to start
using solar and wind energy. The Lithium Titanate batteries allow for a synergy between solar and wind power,
battery storage and the grid.
• These LTO batteries with a little more advancement have a bright future in the shipping and other transportation
industries, providing zero carbon emissions and providing a greener future.

9. • Green ports are the ports which all the countries are aiming forward to. These ports are supposed to be equipped with
highly integrated network and infrastructure mainly powered by renewable energy and depending on non-renewable
power sources just for auxiliary or emergency purpose.
• These ports should be powered tidal, solar and wind energy and perform all the operations and even recharge fleets and
tugs operating via batteries which would greatly reduce the carbon emission from the vessels operating nearby coastal
regions and also the vehicles operating for loading and unloading of the cargo.
• The cost affiliated in making of these ports are quite high however once the cost is been recovered these ports can be
highly efficient and provide high returns with bare minimum maintenance. Meanwhile recovering the construction cost
it would also emit almost zero carbon contributing in reduction of carbon footprints.
Development of Green ports

10. Transitioning to Ammonia, Methanol and Hydrogen Fuels
• Keeping in mind the increase in carbon footprints at an alarming level, the shipping industry which carry over almost
80% of the world trade and contributing to 2.5% of total carbon emissions as mentioned above has started to transition
to dual fuel engines to reduce the carbon emissions.
• The use of Methanol has already been started as a fuel in dual fuel engines in some of the chemical tankers. Methanol is
been used in internal combustion engines in pure form or in mixture with gasoline or diesel. The combustion of pure
methanol has no nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, no sulphur oxides (SOx) emissions and very low particulate matter
(PM) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared to gasoline or diesel.

11. Hydrogen been a sustainable and inexhaustible resource can easily be used as an alternate fuel by the shipping industry.
The transition to hydrogen as fuel can bring down carbon emission by the shipping industry to net-zero. The storage of
hydrogen fuel requires -234oC of cryogenic temperature or holding pressure of 700 bar which makes it very difficult to
store or produce. However, with proper technology it can play out to be a good alternative.

12. • Among the board spectrum of technologies and fuel solutions ship designers, builders, owners and operators, anhydrous
ammonia (NH3) has been identified as a potential long-term fuel that could enter the market relatively quickly and offer
a zero, or a near-zero, carbon solution. It has an energy density by volume almost 30% higher even than that of liquid
hydrogen and it’s easier to distribute. As ammonia contains no carbon it does not emit any when CO2 when used to fuel
an internal combustion engine. This creates the potential for truly zero carbon propulsion. An additional small quantity
of pilot of fuel is required for combustion however, which should also be zero carbon.
• The main problem in transitioning to any of alternate fuel is to make the fuel bunkering station with the required
criteria of the fuel to be bunkered available on shore. Specially for methanol and ammonia which require specialised
bunkering and storage arrangement and fuel like hydrogen which require storage cryogenic temperature and pressure
of -234oC and approximately 700bar respectively.

14. • The blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, reduced carbon footprints, improved
livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.
• The concept of blue economy covers all the areas including development of green corridors, development of green ports,
transition to dual fuel engines, usage of alternate fuels and development of E-fuels and High power LTO batteries.
• In blue economy the use of ocean resources should be monitored and should be given sufficient time to replenish itself. It
includes managing and reducing the waste disposed in the ocean every year, cleaning the wastes and plastics already
been disposed in the oceans, shifting to lower carbon emitting fuels such as Methanol, Hydrogen, Ammonia, E-Fuels,
High Power LTO batteries, developing green corridors and green ports to reduce the carbons emitted by the port and
coastal city regions, supporting the fishermen and encouraging them to maintain the oceanic flora and fauna, etc.
• Adoption of Blue Economy can effectively help in reduction of carbon emissions and reduce the persisting carbon
footprints.
Adoption of Blue Economy

15. Conclusion
• To reduce the carbon footprints the current shipping industry is open up to a lot options. However, the point is that
which option is more efficient, cost effective and preferable. All the options have its own pros and cons.
• The shipping industry is already on verge of adopting an alternate source of power to reduce the carbon emissions. The
only awaiting factor is which alternate fuel develops faster and is made available in market and how much efficient is it
compared to its other competitors. The pace with which the developments are ongoing and efforts that are been put on
to reduce the carbon emissions by 2050, its not going to be further before which the transition is going to complete.

16. Acknowledgments
• We thank Dean GUNI Maritime Studies Chief Engineer Giriraj Tejra for supporting the paper, Placement
In-charge GUNI Maritime Studies Chief Engineer Jitendra Singh Rawat assessing the data, Programme
Head GUNI Maritime Studies Captain Shree Prakash.
References
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/nilsrokke/2021/10/05/ammonia-a-sustainable-fuel-option-for-shipping/?sh=319f843d7c00
• https://eibip.eu/publication/methanol-fuel/
• https://shop.gwl.eu/LTO-Tech/
• https://www.man-es.com/discover/shipping-emission-overshoot
• https://english.bdi.eu/article/news/e-fuels-co2-neutral-fuels-of-the-future
• https://www.un.org/regularprocess/sites/www.un.org.regularprocess/files/rok_part_2.pdf