The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) working group at the International Council on Combustion Engines (CIMAC) has released a policy position around the need for zero carbon energy sources in shipping. The working group explicitly calls on the IMO to “adopt binding measures until 2023 to phase-in net zero and zero carbon fuels”. The IMO should also consider a well-to-wake approach when assessing a fuel’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Unless such steps are taken, no investment in the production of net zero and zero carbon fuels will be incentivised, and the supply of such fuels will remain insufficient in the 2030s.
Centrality of ICE engines
CIMAC noted that while internal combustion engines are likely to remain the prime mover in future maritime propulsion systems for deep-sea shipping, hybridisation and electrification are set to become increasingly important in the short-sea market. The statement also recognised that fuel cells may potentially play a greater role in the future.
Hydrogen as a starting point
CIMAC’s GHG working group also noted that hydrogen was likely to represent the starting point for the main future fuels in shipping. The inclusion of net zero carbon fuels means fuels produced with renewable energy that contain carbon from renewable resources, such as biomass, are also included.
The Motorship notes the limited availability of merchant hydrogen produced via electrolysis from renewably-generated electricity is a supply-side constraint to wider adoption. However, CIMAC's position explicitly notes that the production of hydrogen with steam methane reforming combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) or pyrolysis as an intermediate step could represent an alternative until sufficient renewable energy (and electricity) is available.
Biofuels a variable
Biofuels were assessed as the most likely fuel for the short-sea shipping market, while their role as a fuel for the deep-sea industry during a transition period, was dependent on whether “volume constraints” can be solved without compromising sustainability.
The report notes wider technical and operational efficiency measures “will continue to be the main driver to reduce GHG emissions”.
The Position Paper is based on a White Paper that summarises the production pathways for hydrogen with a zero carbon footprint, and a second White Paper that assesses future fuel options from the perspective of the large engine industry. The papers are available for download here.
Update: The article was updated on 21 February to clarify CIMAC's definition of net zero carbon fuel.
