EMEA News
New Lobby Group Wants Green Tech to be Commercially Viable
A new lobby group wants to rid shipping of its greenhouse gas burden.
Called the Emission Free Shipping Association (EFSA) and based in the Netherlands, the organisation wants to ease the way for fossil-free technologies to be able to compete commercially in a level-playing field with mainstream technologies.
"For shipowners wanting to travel the emissions-free route, cost is the main barrier," the group's co-founder, David Anink, told Ship and Bunker.
Put simply, when carbon-based technology remains the cheaper option, the shipowner has little choice but to go along with the status quo.
But Anink can see a way through the impasse. "We see a gap in the market to a more focussed approach to this issue," he said.
That means incentives to encourage shipowners to make the move to greenhouse gas-free shipping.
"There are a lot of organisations representing the technological side of the argument but not so many looking at policy."
Anink said the association wants to work with parties right across the shipping chain, from shipowner to shipbuilder in order to affect policy change. At present, the process is too slow.
"There is no time left for delay," said Anink pointing to a goal of greenhouse gas-free shipping by 2050.
On ships' fuel, Anink can see oil-derived energy fading away towards the end of the decarbonisation process, leaving a fuel transition period of "around 20 to 30 years".
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