IT has become clear no single fuel will be capable of driving both shortsea and deepsea shipping in the 2030s, 2040s and beyond. The options available for the industry are well known, and each one has its champions. Shipowners have been advised not to wait until the fog clears before ordering the next generation of ships, but how will they choose the right propulsion technologies and the correct fuels?

If the first DNV GL podcast underlined the significant impact of energy efficiency technologies, it also showed that the 2020s will be a time of trials — trialling new fuels, piloting new innovations, understanding the risks and rewards for the global maritime business.

In this podcast, Christos Chryssakis explains why DNV GL has recommended an initial shift to liquefied natural gas as a transition fuel, and how shipping can progress from LNG to biofuels, methanol and ammonia. He clarifies how quickly progress can be made, and what incentives are required to keep the transition on track.

Narve Mjøs looks at the expansion of the Green Shipping Programme to encompass 26 pilot projects, eight of which have been realised and are now under construction. Although most of these projects began with shortsea, the shift to deepsea has prompted a change of the Green Shipping name. Several deepsea shipping companies have taken a great interest in this programme and are already engaged.

There are plenty of challenges ahead for an industry moving to carbon-neutral fuels, among which are the fuels supply chain, the overall emissions footprint from well-to-wake, and the sheer cost to shipping of cleaning up its act. DNV GL’s experts agree that cost is the main issue; tackling this will be require industry-wide collaboration.

In this podcast, DNV GL reveals there are real opportunities in spite of the challenges. There’s also a warning that these opportunities can only be taken if the industry pulls together to provide real incentives to develop.

This is the second of three Lloyd’s List podcasts with DNV GL. Next month Richard Clayton will be joined by Stener Stenersen, head of the technical support team, for an overview of shipping’s journey into digitalisation, assessing the impact of Covid-19, the rapid expansion of remote surveying, and the technologies the industry can expect to see in the next five years.