HOW IS THE ELECTRIFICATION OF MARITIME TRANSPORT PROGRESSING?

The environmental impact caused by maritime transport is beginning to alarm the industry, especially due to the congestion caused last month in the ports of the neighboring country, the United States, where ships were unable to arrive at the port for hours, emitting greenhouse gases due to a strike.

The electric vessel proposal is just as positive and challenging as the transition to electric land vehicles. There are challenges such as outdated infrastructure, high investment costs, but above all, general resistance from the industry.

Currently, the study The State of the Industry Report 2024 presented by the Digital Container Shipping Association, mentions that 43% of the maritime industry partners claim to have a strong commitment to reduce their environmental impact, however, they focus on practices such as route optimization and paper reduction, without wanting to invest in an electric fleet. These companies are looking for the competition to take that first leap and see the benefits or challenges of modernizing their fleet.

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Costs of electric vessels

Although the implementation of an electric fleet requires great economic effort, cost reduction will be one of the favorites for those companies that involve electric vessels in their supply chains.

A study conducted by Deloitte assures that the maintenance of an electric ship can be up to 30% less than that of a traditional ship, since electric engines have fewer moving parts than combustion engines and do not require as much service as traditional ships.

In addition, fuel cost savings are significant in supply chains because electricity is cheaper than fossil fuels.

One example is BYD, the company seeks to be at the forefront of electric transportation, and it is not enough with land transportation, it has already started with maritime transportation.

Thanks to its current fleet of electric vessels (it has two operational vessels that can carry up to 7,000 vehicles per trip each one), the Chinese multinational can manage more efficiently the shipment of its automobiles around the world, improving not only its operating costs but also its delivery times.

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Ongoing projects

Floating gas stations. By: Maersk

Maersk, one of the world's largest maritime cargo shipping companies, is working on an ambitious “floating gas station” project.

One of the main limitations in the electric transition of ships is the small distances that ships can travel, because current batteries are not yet capable of providing the autonomy that fossil fuels provide.

The project aims for floating gas stations to allow ships to recharge their electrical energy without having to come to a complete stop.

Green ammonia. By: Yara Sluiskil

Yara International has officially opened its renewable hydrogen and ammonia plant in Norway.

It is looking for green ammonia to replace fuel in shipping, annually reducing 41,000 tons of CO2 emissions from the site.

Yara International is evaluating the possibility of a green ammonia production project in the United States, although the country has refused for years to produce offshore wind energy, it now has dozens of projects in the pipeline.

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China and Norway as pioneers

Norway was the first country to make an electric container ship voyage. Yara Birkeland transported mineral fertilizer between the Nordic cities of Porsgrunn and Brevik.

Followed by BYD, which scheduled on January 10, 2024, from the port of Yantai the first voyage of Explorer No.1 that transported a total of 7,000 company vehicles.

In Mexico we still do not have a 100% electric boat that can make maritime trips, however we are not far away from this.

The idea of the electrification of maritime transport is not new, however its demand has grown not only in response to current environmental needs, but also in response to international regulations on environmental protection.

The International Maritime Organization assures that this transition will allow CO2 emissions to be reduced by up to 70%. However, although ninety percent of the industry claims to be ready for the transition, 66% of the industry believes it needs external support to get there.

It is time for those technology companies to get together with shipping companies to undertake major projects that will accelerate the electric transition of maritime transport.