Green ship low carbon development trend

In order to meet the future market demand, Lloyd's Register of Shipping conducted research and judgment on the influencing factors and application feasibility of the development of zero-emission ship technology; By constructing different regulatory and economic scenarios and combining seven viable zero-emission ship technologies (see Table 1) with five ship types (bulk carriers, container ships, tankers, passenger ships, and ro-ro passenger ships), the life cycle of each technology and ship type combination and its revenue capacity and cost impact are assessed. A relatively comprehensive answer to the industry's question about "which zero-emission technologies are best suited for today's conventionally performing ships". According to the survey of stakeholders in the shipping industry, most shipowners believe that the reliability and scalability of zero-emission ship technology are more important than the cost factor, but the cost increase of zero-emission ships should not exceed 10%[10]. To this end, Lloyd's Register of Shipping has specifically analyzed the price factors that affect the construction and operation of zero-emission ships, and concluded that the current scenario of zero emission cannot meet the above requirements, even for advanced biofuels. Although the cost of technology and equipment in the zero-emission transition will gradually decrease with the significant investment in research and development and the improvement of technical readiness, operating costs will always be a constraint to the early market application of zero-emission vessels.

(4) The development of foreign green ships

In order to comply with the development situation of green emission reduction in the international shipping industry, maritime powers have increased investment in the field of green ships, shipping companies have accelerated investment in green ship research and development, shipping companies are also vigorously promoting the green work of ship operations.

In terms of policy guidance, the initial carbon emission reduction targets of IMO in 2030 and 2050 should be set, and medium and long-term development plans for carbon emission reduction of domestic shipping industry should be formulated respectively. Examples include UK Maritime 2050 (2019), Norway's Green Shipping Action Plan (2019), and Japan's Zero-Emissions Shipping Roadmap (2020). Provide corresponding financial support and tax concessions, and actively guide the shipping industry market players, universities, research institutes and other industry units to participate in the technical research and development and production of green ships.

In terms of scientific research, development and application promotion support, green ship technology is listed as a priority development project of the shipbuilding industry, and various research and development units and organizations are encouraged to actively invest in the research and judgment of the scientific and technological development trend of green ships and the improvement of equipment performance, so as to ensure the technological leadership of the country in the field of this industry. For example, NYK Group has developed and designed 80,000 DWT hydrogen fuel bulk carriers, 80,000 DWT ammonia fuel bulk carriers, and ultra-efficient LNG fuel container ships, which have led the development concept of super ecological ships.

Advocate international cooperation and establish international cooperation projects. Through the cooperation with the international industry technology leading enterprises, engineering contractors, core system/module design and manufacturing enterprises, in the accumulation of experience, training talents, while promoting the promotion of international competitiveness and influence. For example, the EU established the LeanShips Innovation Project, which brings together 46 shipbuilders, equipment manufacturers and research institutions in 13 countries to work on eco-friendly shipping technology/all types of zero-emission vessels. It focuses on issues such as ship alternative fuels, ship energy efficiency decision support system, and sulfur emission control area rectification, aiming to achieve the goals of 25% reduction in ship fuel consumption, 25% reduction in CO2 emissions, and zero emissions of SOx, NOx and particulate matter.

Looking at the status quo of international green ship development, the current hot spots of green ship technology mainly focus on the overall optimization of ships and the low carbonization of ship power fuel, supplemented by green ship operation and construction technology. Ship overall optimization technology is mainly embodied in optimizing ship design, new hull materials, reducing ship ballast water, reducing ship resistance and so on. Marine power enhancement technology is mainly developed around the use of new alternative fuels, including gas fuel technology, hybrid/electric propulsion systems, fuel cell technology, engine waste heat recovery, etc. This is also the key technical competition field for China's green ship industry to achieve high-quality development.