Page 44 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2022

SHIPPING & CLIMATE CHANGE

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and
University of Chicago scientists who helped develop the first atomic weapons in the
Manhattan Project. They introduced the concept of the Doomsday Clock to convey threats
to humanity and the planet. With the detonation of the first hydrogen bomb in 1952, the
clock struck two minutes to midnight; the end of the Cold War in 1991 reset the clock
to 17 minutes to midnight; the accelerating climate change and increasing nuclear threat
in 2019 brought the clock to 2 minutes to midnight. With the Ukraine war in 2022,
the clock struck 100 seconds to midnight. As Dr Ludwig Eduard Boltzmann (1844-1906)
had said, “Available energy is the main object at stake in the struggle for existence
and the evolution of the world”. Unfortunately, his words have come true.

MEETING THE IMO

STANDARDS &

MOVING TOWARDS

A ZERO-EMISSIONS

INDUSTRY:

TIME TO GET AWAKE

Even now that the world is facing a GHG targets and must be combined
war in Europe, we should not ignore with other technologies. Methane slip is
the impact of climate change on our an additional challenge. Marine engine
planet. Shipping must achieve a Green technology is also available for the
House Gases (GHG) reduction of 50 % Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) option.
by 2050, a very difficult target. However, LPG bunkering infrastructure
As per data published by the UN, the is still limited, and its GHG reduction
world population will increase by 22.5 % is lower than that of LNG.
to 9.7 billion people by 2050 - 12.2 % Methanol can be produced from both
of this increase will be in Asia, 77.7 % in natural gas and renewable sources, but
Africa, 14.7 % in Central and South Amer- its production is energy intensive. Addi-
ica, 14 % in North America and 31.3 % tional challenges include its corrosive
in Oceania. The population of Europe nature and limited experience operating
will shrink by 5.1%. methanol-fueled marine engines. Never-
In the same period, the growth of sea- theless, there have been several orders
by Stavros Hatzigrigoris, borne trade will be 8.3 % for bulk cargoes, for methanol-powered ships lately.
Chairman, MARTECMA & 73.4 % for containerised goods, 327 % The development of an ammonia-fu-
Advanced Engineering Services
for gas and 28.7 % for other cargoes. eled marine engine is underway, which
Tanker transportation will shrink by 21.8 %. is expected to be available by 2024.
The shipping industry is considering Ammonia as a marine fuel is carbon-free,
several alternative fuels as potential but it produces significant NOx emis-
long-term solutions. - each with its sions requiring the introduction of SCR
advantages and challenges. Liquefied technologies to manage them. Although
Natural Gas (LNG) is one of the lead- its production can also be carbon-free, it
ing options, as multiple marine engines is not economically feasible for shipping.
(*) The above article includes remarks and and handling technologies are already Ammonia slip and NOx issues should
conclusions drawn by the presentation made available for LNG. However, although it be investigated further. As ammonia is
by Mr Stavros Hatzigrigoris during the technical
seminar of the Hellenic Institute of Marine is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel, LNG highly toxic, its use as a fuel should be
Technology at Posidonia on Thursday, June 9, 2022. alone cannot meet the 2030 and 2050 addressed at the IMO level.

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