When it comes to launching the energy transition, maritime
policy is one of the key battlegrounds. But many ports, aware of their
ecological and economic vulnerability, have committed to sustainable
development strategies.
According to the latest research, sea levels will rise
considerably (from 1.1 to 2 metres, on average) by 2100, putting about 14 per
cent of the world’s major maritime ports at risk of coastal flooding and
erosion. Ports in France, including 66 that are used for maritime trade, are
also under threat, and will have to adapt their infrastructure.
Maritime transport accounts for about 80 per cent of global
merchandise trade by volume. Shipping is responsible for three per cent of
global CO2 emissions, which have increased 32 per cent over the past 20 years.
If nothing is done, shipping emissions could climb to 17 per cent of global
emissions by 2050.
Enter the “ports of the future.” Ports govern globalized
economic activity and are true “energy hubs,” bringing together all kinds of
transport (maritime, land-based, waterway and aeronautic). Now, they’re aiming
to cut back on real estate, be more respectful of the environment and better
integrated into cities, particularly through the concept of “urban ports.”
Freedom from oil
At least US$1 trillion will have to be invested between 2030
and 2050 to reduce shipping’s carbon footprint by 50 per cent by 2050. As of
last year, oil-derived fuels accounted for 95 per cent energy consumption in
transportation. Meanwhile, maritime traffic is predicted to increase by 35 to
40 per cent over the same period.
This dependence on hydrocarbons also represents an economic
vulnerability for the maritime shipping sector due to new environmental
standards.
In France, liquid bulk transport has been in decline since
2009 (decreasing three per cent on average since 2016), despite a slight uptick
in 2017 (2.1 per cent). Fuel shipping (50 per cent of shipping by weight in
major maritime ports) has also decreased by 25 per cent since 2008.
The golden age of oil cannot will not hold for much longer,
given its environmental impact and increasing scarcity. As the consumption of
hydrocarbons and coal drops, we should also see a steady decrease in fuel
shipping.
The French government’s National Low-Carbon Strategy
(“Stratégie nationale bas carbone,” or SNBC) aims to reduce emissions from the
industrial sector by 35 per cent by 2030 and 81 per cent by 2050. This will
mean a nearly complete decarbonization of maritime transport, creating a real technological
challenge for the sector.
To meet these targets, ports are working to become
carbon-neutral by redesigning their logistical operations (flow management) and
means of production (value creation), as part of an industrial reconversion
approach. They’re banking on new environmental technologies to generate a
double dividend, both environmental and economic.
Three approaches could be used to achieve these goals:
energy efficiency, renewable energy production and industrial ecology.
Building the ships of tomorrow
A 2021 study by the Getting to Zero coalition found that
zero-carbon fuels had to represent at least five per cent of the fuel mix by
2030 for international shipping to comply with the Paris Agreement. Around
100,000 commercial vessels will be affected by this energy transition,
according to GTT, a company specializing in the transportation and storage of
liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In this vein, an ambitious environmental certification
program, Green Marine Europe, launched in 2020 in order to create the European
maritime industry of tomorrow.
New fuels with smaller carbon footprints, such as liquefied
natural gas, ammonia and ethanol, and the accelerated adoption of alternative
propulsion systems will be needed for the sector to become greener.
In 2020, Bordeaux’s port was fitted out with an LNG-powered
dredger, which requires less energy and is more environmentally friendly,
thanks to its water injection-dredging mechanism. (Delphine Trentacosta),
Author provided
Hydrogen fuel (initially “grey,” now increasingly “green”)
represents another viable alternative in the medium-term for fleets subjected
to heavy rotation. Although the project is currently in its early stages
(involving small vessels of 60-80 seats), more ambitious initiatives have been
launched, such as the Hydrotug boat in construction for the port of Antwerp.
The arrival of steam-powered engines put an end to the use
of large wind-propelled clippers in the late 1800s. But technologies that
harness the wind could make a major comeback, with ships using sails and kites
to reduce fuel use.
Offshore wind turbines, a promising solution
Developing electric facilities and technology is also
essential to the energy transition, whether through electrified wharfs, turning
port seawalls into energy producers, or developing electric ferries that use
solar power, bioenergy or marine power.
As the energy transition progresses, we will see ports go
from consuming large quantities of a single energy source to using multiple
energy sources and becoming electricity producers.
On that note, offshore wind turbines will profoundly change
French coasts over the coming years. The first sites will be near ports (with
the first French offshore 80-turbine wind farm due to launch in Saint-Nazaire
in 2022). In the medium term, the objective is to reach a capacity of 5.2 to
6.5 Gigawatts of offshore wind energy in France by 2028.
This technology brings a new vibrancy to port areas in
search of industrial diversification, optimized real estate revenue and local
expertise (construction and maintenance operations).
The forthcoming offshore wind farm near Quai Hermann du
Pasquier in the city of Le Havre, which will launch in 2022, is being presented
as the “biggest industrial renewable energy project in France,” and symbolizes
the port’s industrial and energetic transition. What’s more, after 53 years of
service, the thermal power station in this area, which used 220 tonnes of coal
daily, closed down on 31 March 2021.
Finally, it should be noted that offshore wind farms
represent an opportunity for ports to produce their own hydrogen by
electrolysing seawater.
Bringing city and port closer together
The energy transition forces governments to reconsider the
connections between city and port. Development projects based on an entirely
oil-based economy and the globalized boom in shipping container transport in
the second half of the 20th century disconnected city and port at every level.
Ports were removed from urban settings due to a lack of space, with huge
industrial port zones created on the city’s outskirts.
Now this separation is being questioned, marking the return
of the port as a space that’s open to the rest of the city.
For port cities, where ships coexist with residents,
industry, businesses and tourism, pollution has motivated citizens into action.
Local environmentalism has pushed ports to become open to cities, by promoting
the development of circular economies and industrial ecology.
Many ports have launched energy transition projects, aiming
to transform city-port relations. The port area is turning out to be an
excellent setting to try out new practices founded on greater co-operation
between local players.
In La Rochelle, for example, environmental and energy-based
issues provided an opportunity to start a shared, collaborative discussion
about the future of the metropolitan area. The La Rochelle Zero Carbon
Territory project, where the greater urban area aims to become carbon neutral
by 2040, the energy transition is being undertaken through concerted planning
between the city and its port. The port has committed to initiatives that limit
its environmental and energy-related impact, while providing benefits to the
local economy.
The roof of the submarine base in the La Rochelle port was
fitted out with 7,580 solar panels in 2018. (Olivier Benoît), Author provided
In Le Havre, as in Bordeaux and elsewhere, this city-port
interconnection is being strengthened by combining energy-related challenges
and digital opportunities.
In time, this should lead to the birth of “smart port
cities” (connecting “smart cities” with the “ports of the future”), for a “new
model for urban and industrial port areas, blended together by innovation.”