phrasebook made it so. But the green shift in the sea is slow. – H 24

Innovations are getting attention. Last year, the Oslofjord acquired the world’s largest electric ferry.

It works more quietly, and it is good to reduce emissions.

This is how Pasto Electric passengers answer questions about what it’s like to travel electrically between Horton and Moss.

The ferry is one of three battery-operated ferries now operating this route. When the shipping system is also in place at Moss in a few weeks, ferries can be shipped on both sides of the fjord. After that, emissions from the ferry service will be reduced by 75 percent.

Similar cuts were made on many ferry routes along the coast.

Not seeing a new wave after the ferries

The ferry revolution can give the impression that the green shift in shipping is going at full speed. no. Behind the ferries, there is no fleet of zero-emission vessels.

The ferries were the first wave of green ships, but we don’t see a second wave.

That’s what Magnus Eddy says. He is a project manager for the Green Shipping Program. More than 100 companies participate in this program, and so far they have participated in more than 40 pilot projects.

Fossil shipbuilding still

Norway has set itself the goal of halving emissions from shipping by 2030. To achieve these goals, it is estimated that Norway will need 700 new low-emission ships and 400 zero-emission ships.

According to an overview from the rating company DNV, the situation at the end of 2021 was as follows: Norway has 139 ships with low- and zero-emission vessels.

Of those, 59 have zero-emissions operations, especially ferries and smaller passenger ships. That’s double what it was in 2019, but it’s not a rate that will last.

In 2021, there were only 46 vessels with eco-friendly technology in the order book of Norwegian shipping companies. There are 32 less than three years old.

Norwegian shipowners have been building conventional ships powered by fossil fuels for 20-30 years. According to the Norwegian Maritime Directorate, two out of three new buildings are still based on fossils.

– FifthI have to do many revolutions to reach the goals, says shipping manager Knut Arild Hared.

The barometer drops to dark red

Every two years, DNV creates a Shipping Green Transformation Scale. The latest barometer paints a picture of an industry with “low modulation pressure”. The report summarizes the situation as follows:

• The current measures did not lead to the necessary restructuring.
• Emissions will not drop enough to reach the 2030 target.
• Ferries led the way, but zero-emission ships are absent in other fleet groups.

– The arrow is lower in the red range of the barometer than it was two years ago. Eddie says time is getting too short.

In addition to ferries, the green shift came the furthest distance within other passenger ships:

• Color Line deployed a hybrid ship in Sandefjord-Strømstad in 2019.
• The Kyruten vessel, on the Bergen-Kirkenes route, can operate for up to four hours on battery power.
• Hurtigruten is in the process of upgrading its ships. Three of them got batteries.

We will build a hydrogen powered cargo ship

Within the other ship groups, very little happens. The most talked about project is a hydrogen-powered cargo ship initiated by Heidelberg Cement and Felleskjøpet Agri.

Managing Director Arild Hoff at Egil Ulvan Rederi in Trondheim says the project is alive and the intention is for the ship to be completed in 2024.

– Offers were sent to both Norwegian and foreign shipyards. During the year, Hof says, we’ll be ready to sign a construction contract.

The state corporation Enova also supports the development of ammonia-powered tankers, automobile ships, hydrogen-powered container ships, and fishing vessels.

The first may be launched in three to four years, but it will likely take some time before the rest of the fleet follows suit.

He could have achieved more by making demands

It hasn’t been more than nine years since Norway acquired its first electric ferry. Now there are about 60 of them. Electricity was largely implemented as a result of tendering requirements from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and county municipalities.

However, the authorities did not adopt the same tool for other ship groups.

There is little understanding among politicians of what can be done. We lack the means to roll out the technology, says Frederic Hogg of Bellona.

It’s no longer about technology, according to Magnus Eddy. The challenge is to present it. Eddy highlights the two main tools:

• general purchasing power.
• Support to cover additional costs.

It’s about political will. Eddie believes that if there had been the will, we would have achieved a lot.

No new coastal power facilities are used

But at one point, Norway is on the right track, and rightly so. This applies to the development of coastal power systems, which can help ships turn off their engines when they are at berth.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration has recorded 162 such A power plant on the beachA power plant on the beachWhen the ship is docked, it still needs power. This was covered by auxiliary engines using petroleum fuels. By connecting to the power grid on the ground (shore power), the power requirements can be met with electricity.. Another 41 are under planning or development.

But many of the facilities were hardly used. The newspaper wrote recently weekend About the facility in Mosjøen. It has been working for 2 years, but no boats have been delivered yet.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration asserts that there may be a relatively high use of shore energy in some ports, while it may be of little use in others.

The reasons for this may be that ships docked in ports are not prepared to use shore power, explains Section Chief Tori Rilling of the Coastal Administration.

He believes that one factor can influence its use: the requirements of shipping companies.

– Today we see that some customers, such as Equinor, are clamoring for shipping companies regarding the use of shore power.