No Single Solution for Decarbonising Shipping: Wärtsilä

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday April 20, 2018

Just as shipowners are coming to grips with the various compliance choices for the upcoming IMO 2020 rule, Wärtsilä today warned there would also be no single solution for decarbonising the shipping industry either.

As previously reported, International Maritime Organization (IMO) earlier this month adopted an initial strategy for a reduction in shipping GHG's of at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008 levels.

"It is vital to note that there is no single solution for decarbonising the shipping sector while also controlling the other pollutants," says Wärtsilä CEO Jaakko Eskola.

"A clean-shipping future must be based on the combining of different technologies and various solutions. These will include cleaner fuels, efficient vessel designs, hybrid propulsion technologies, and intelligent vessels."

Wärtsilä is involved in a wide range of applicable emissions reduction technology, including exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkers.

Unfortunately for Shipowners, as with the debate over the suitability of various SOx reduction methods, the programme of mixed messages looks set to continue over the "best" way to reduce GHGs.

Recent comments regarding alternative fuels such as hydrogen + ammonia are a case in point.