American Bureau of Shipping publishes report on trends in decarbonization

In Texas, the American Bureau of Shipping has published the latest trends and projections on carbon-reduction strategies for shipping as the industry looks to meet decarbonization ambitions.

Setting the Course to Low Carbon Shipping examines new fuels, technologies and operational measures and matches that with forecasts for the world’s key trade lanes to envision what shipping may look like in 2030 and 2050.

The second of two ‘Outlook’ documents – the first was published in June 2019 – it applies what ABS currently knows about existing and future fuels to project which energy source could be best suited for each trade lane and what that may mean for the design of the vessels working them.

ABS collaborated with Maritime Strategies International (MSI) to create a global scenario for the future CO2 emissions from shipping, which takes into account the future variation of fuels used in vessels, as well as the decarbonization of different industrial sectors on which shipping depends. ABS also worked with Herbert Engineering Corp. (HEC) to develop a series of tanker, bulk carrier and container ship design concepts to explore practical options for meeting IMO greenhouse gas goals.

Research in the Outlook suggests that, on the current trajectory, petroleum-based fuels will still have considerable market share by 2050, which has significant implications for meeting the emissions challenge.