Wind can be solution for IMO climate targets

Wind power should be the basis for IMO’s drive towards climate neutrality, argues Heikki Pöntynen, CEO of rotor sail manufacturer Norsepower. Martin Krafft of the Veer Group is also convinced of this.

Pöntynen: “The world is committed to being climate neutral by 2050. For shipping – a sector responsible for 90 per cent of world trade – the clock is ticking loudly.

At this week’s IMO meeting, aptly titled “Extraordinary Session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC)”, the long-awaited Greenhouse Fuel Index (GFI) is likely to be adopted, ensuring clarity and alignment among parties. But that will not be enough.

Before internal combustion engines were invented, shipping was a good example of carbon-free technology. However, over the past 100 years, shipping has been dependent on fossil fuels and ended up being responsible for about 3 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions. Alternative fuels such as ammonia, methanol and hydrogen are often seen as the future of clean shipping and will undoubtedly play an important role. But these fuels are expensive and not always readily available. Wind, an abundant element, is key to driving decarbonisation.

Wind propulsion is as practical as it is scalable. Wind can reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 5-25% – and up to 70% in good weather conditions. This is not a hypothetical prediction; these results are verified, repeatable and achievable for a wide range of vessels, as demonstrated on the world’s largest trade routes.

IMO’s Net-Zero Framework offers a unique opportunity to embed wind propulsion in regulatory and incentive mechanisms. The International Wind Shipping Association (IWSA) calls for consistent and equitable treatment of wind propulsion within the proposed framework.

Based on the best data from our experts’ forecasts, the Energy Cost-Emissions Curve measurement tool (below) shows that while the use of alternative fuels leads to lower CO2 emissions, it also leads to higher energy costs. As pioneers in wind propulsion technology, we know this all too well. With 35 rotor sails built and installed and 48 on order, we see wind propulsion as the only solution that delivers both low energy costs and high GFI improvement potential.

Onward and upward!

The Veer Group is an initiative of Danielle Southcott, a Canadian tallship captain who trained at the Enkhuizer Zeevaartschool and learnt Dutch to do that. Southcott wants to offer merchant shipping a sustainable alternative with zero-emission container transport. To this end, the consortium plans to build an Ecoliner, to be ready by 2028. The Veer Group comments in a special newsletter:

“Whatever happened – or didn’t happen – at MEPC this week is already behind us. Either way, people will wake up tomorrow with a hangover: either from celebrating their political victories, or from deeply felt sadness. It is what it is, and the earth and future generations will do with it what they will. For Veer and all of us committed to sustainable shipping, there is no time to look back or mourn what could have been. We need to look forward – and more importantly, work forward.

Not because we are obliged to, but because we believe in this path and in building the future we want to see for ourselves and our children as a life worth living. Let us continue to sail towards it with determination and resolve. There is no time to waste with regrets – only time to build and lead.” – said Martin Krafft, a member of Veer’s advisory board.

His colleague Dr Richard Hixson is less optimistic: “Delays in decarbonising any industry lead to more loss of life and increased species extinction. Shipping and our health are inextricably linked and failure to agree a pathway is a violation of the World Health Organisation’s Constitution on the right to good health.”

However, Krafft advises staying sober, clear and principled: “Keep up the moral stance and stay forward-looking. Momentum does not come from commitments, but from conviction. Now is the time when we will see who is really with us on this journey. Onward and upward!”

Sources: Maritime Executive and Veer’s newsletter.
Image: the Ecoliner that Veer plans to build (Veer).

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