It is not an exaggeration to say that without turbochargers the shipping industry could never have made the strides in engine efficiency that it has over the years, and it is doubtful if many of the larger vessels plying the seas today would even have been possible.

Despite the sudden stalling of shipping’s voyage towards Net Zero caused by the events at MEPC ES2, the search for further efficiencies and reductions in emissions is continuing apace. At some point in the future, fuel cells and nuclear power may make turbochargers in commercial shipping obsolete but so long as propulsive power for ships comes from an internal combustion engine, turbochargers will remain an essential component of the engines used regardless of the fuel type.