Petteri
Partanen
Business
Manager
Regional
Council of Southwest Finland
Finland
The shipbuilding industry has been quite conservative branch, and traditionally it has not been a forerunner in the green transition. However, after a slow start the speed and understanding of green transition has improved rapidly.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has a crucial role in the regulation of international seafaring. The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy envisages a reduction in carbon intensity of international shipping (to reduce CO2 emissions per transport work), as an average across international shipping, by at least 40 % by 2030. The 2023 IMO GHG Strategy also includes a new level of ambition regarding the uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources which are to represent at least 5 %, striving for 10 % of the energy used by international shipping by 2030.
One example of the high-level ambition in the green transition in the shipbuilding industry is the aim to build climate neutral cruise ships. This should be done in collaboration between companies, universities, and research institutes. The goal is to develop a climate-neutral cruise ship concept by 2025 and achieve carbon neutral shipbuilding by 2030.
Big projects are often in the headlines, but there are many new solutions and good examples also in smaller vessels. Good examples are e.g. electric ferries in the Archipelago Sea between Parainen and Nauvo. And naturally, it´s easier to do tests and improvements first in small scale ships.
The demands, the way of thinking and the drive towards a green transition are increasingly spreading through the entire value chain. There is a real interest in making sustainable solutions as well as mandatory solutions that come from the customer´s requirements. In the international markets the clients are all the time more interested and demanding concerning the greenness of the supply chain. On the other hand, the smallest companies might not even realise that they are part of green transition when they are modernising their processes.
Virtual test environments for ship design and commissioning helps to reduce CO2 emissions. Especially sea-trial tests cause a lot of emissions to the shipyards. It would be a concrete action towards green transition if even a part of those test could be executed virtually.
Significant innovations can be found also in the refining of traditional raw materials. Steel production is causing at the moment very huge climate emissions. Fossil free steel will reduce emissions in a large scale. Also, the recycling and reusing of the existing steel will help to reduce the emissions.
In addition to shipbuilding, green transition is increasingly taken into account in the operation phase of ships. First comes to mind alternative fuels and new solutions reducing the fuel consumption. Concerning cruise ships the management of the food chains is important. It makes a difference how the food is produced, from where it is transported and how the food waste can be minimised. Again, there is a lot of potential to reduce the carbon footprint.
In addition to building completely new ships, sustainable ship repair offers good solutions. With ship repair it is possible to update old ships to the era of green transition. It also makes the life cycle of ships longer and in that way, one can avoid ship breakings which are made to early.
Lack of skilled workers also affect the shipbuilding industry. Often concerns are focused to the of lack of engineers and planning professionals, but skilled workers are of course needed in the actual building of the ships as well. So, there should be training programs which include green transition through the whole training chain from the vocational level to doctorate. Training programs should be put in practice in fluent collaboration between educational institutes and companies. It´s also important to develop training methods to increase the skills of current workers.
There is a desire to attract more young people to the maritime industry. The sector needs more labor when the previous generation retires. The green transition offers young people new and diverse opportunities and increases the attractiveness of the industry among young people.
The future competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry requires adaptation to the green transition in the entire value chain. The future workers appreciate it and so do financiers. The financiers’ values include green transition and sustainability. If the shipbuilding industry does not have these values in its daily work, then the financiers will easily find other sectors to finance.
Overall, the green transition offers new opportunities to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of the shipbuilding industry. This stands out especially in the construction and operation of the most advanced ships, such as cruisers. Adapting green transition is the best way to be competitive in the future global market.