(NEWS) WMU Partners on Decarbonizing Long Distance Shipping Research

December

2020

WMU Partners on Decarbonizing Long Distance Shipping Research

The World Maritime University (WMU) is partnering on the EU funded Horizon 2020 (H2020) research project CHEK - deCarbonizing sHipping by Enabling Key technology symbiosis on real vessel concept designs, which was the response to the call on ‘Decarbonizing long distance shipping’ (ID LC-MG-1-13-2020). The consortium partners are the University of Vaasa (coordinator), WMU, Wärtsilä, Cargill, MSC Cruises, Lloyds Register, Silverstream Technologies, Hasytec, Deltamarin, Climeon, and BAR Technologies.

Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, WMU President, welcomed WMU’s participation in the project saying, “As a leader in Maritime Energy Management (MEM) education and research, WMU is pleased to join the CHEK project. It underscores our commitment to supporting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), namely Goal 7 focused on affordable and clean energy for all and Goal 13 focused on climate action.”

The Paris Agreement and new International Maritime Organization (IMO) Draft regulations, along with its GHG strategy, mean that a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is necessary over the coming decades, with zero emissions of CO2 before the end of the 21st century (IPCC, 2014). No single existing or emerging “silver bullet” technology is able to decarbonize long-distance shipping in light of the IMO’s ambitious 2050 and 2100 goals. Batteries cannot store sufficient green electricity to decarbonize long distance shipping, and fuel cells are expensive and have a significant life-cycle environmental impact from the use of rare metals.

The reliance on carbon-neutral fuels alone (ammonia, hydrogen) wastes the immense potential for wind and solar propulsion available on board. If future shipping is to connect the world reliably, cost-effectively and quickly – and do so in line with the IMO’s 2050 goals – it must use a combination of future technologies working in symbiosis.

Project CHEK aims to demonstrate a combination of innovative ship design and technologies operating in symbiosis. Sail power, hydrogen propulsion, waste heat recovery, battery electric power, hull air lubrication, innovative anti-fouling technology, and digital operational improvements will be used in combination to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 99%, achieve at least 50% energy savings and reduce black carbon emissions by over 95%. The technologies will be demonstrated at full scale with two first-of-their-kind vessel concept designs (Kamsarmax bulk carrier and Meraviglia class cruise ship) based on real operational profiles.

WMU’s role in the project will be to conduct life-cycle assessments of the various technologies, and to calculate potential greenhouse gas emissions savings. WMU will also be responsible for dissemination of the project results and communicating them to stakeholders and policy makers.

The project is expected to commence on 1 June 2021, with a duration of 36 months.

The maritime research portfolio of WMU, in particular the MEM research stream, is further boosted and strengthened with CHEK.

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