The number of projects and demonstrations underway to
facilitate shipping’s transition to zero emissions increased dramatically in
the past six months according to a new report from industry-led Getting to Zero
Coalition. The strongest increases have come in the number of projects focusing
on ammonia and hydrogen as well as the number of initiatives underway in Asia
according to the mapping project.
The number of pilots and demonstrations focusing on ship
technologies, fuel production as well as bunkering and recharging facilities
identified in the mapping project grew by more than 60 percent in the past six
months to a total of 106, up from 66 in the first report. The Getting to Zero
Coalition’s biannual Mapping of Zero Emission Pilots and Demonstration Projects
outlines the spread and scope of existing zero-emission projects, encompassing
the full value chain of technologies needed to facilitate shipping’s transition
to zero-emission fuels.
“We see an increased specialization in small and large ship
technology projects. There is an uptake in hydrogen-based ship technology
projects, but particularly in ammonia projects. For fuel production projects,
we see a continued trend towards hydrogen-based Power-to-X fuel production,”
says Jesse Fahnestock, Project Director at the Global Maritime Forum and lead
of the Getting to Zero Coalition’s Motivating First Movers workstream. “In the
last six months, around 10 percent of the projects have increased in size or
ambition or moved from the concept study stage to the demonstration stage. This
shows a tangible move towards raising ambition and scaling up existing
projects.”
Three trends emerge from the 106 projects that are
categorized by their project focus, project type, fuel choice, geographical
location, and the existence of public funding. 2020 saw a notable increase in
the focus on large ammonia vessels. Ten large ammonia demonstration projects
have been launched, bringing the total to 14. For small ship projects, there is
a continuing trend towards exploring hydrogen and battery power or a
combination of the two. For fuel production projects, the mapping shows a
preference towards Power-to-X fuel production with hydrogen as an input.
“The new mapping includes twice as many Asian projects.
Based on the timing of the projects that we have uncovered, we judge that there
is an increase in activities in Asia. It is also encouraging to see an
expansion of new geographies now pursuing zero-emission pilot projects,” says
Fahnestock.
The geographical spread of the mapping has become more
representative in the second edition according to the Coalition. This is
reflected in the number of Asian projects which has increased from 16 in the
first edition to 31 in the second edition. Most projects in the mapping, 71,
however, have a significant connection to Europe.
Of the 106 projects in the mapping, just over half, 54, are
known to receive some amount of direct public funding. The majority of this
funding originates in Europe. The largest awards of public funding in the mapping
continue to go to large-scale fuel production projects.
“Our mapping aims to support potential first movers in
kickstarting shipping’s zero-emission future. By making the full list of
projects publicly available today, frontrunners can draw upon learnings from
other projects and improve confidence in undertaking new innovations that will
get the industry on a zero-emission path,” says Fahnestock.
The Coalition is committed to having commercially viable
zero-emission vessels operating along deep sea trade routes by 2030, supported
by the necessary infrastructure for scalable zero-carbon energy sources
including production, distribution, storage, and bunkering. The Mapping of Zero
Emission Pilots and Demonstration Projects will be updated on a continuing basis,
with future reports being released biannually.