The future of a decarbonised maritime footprint took a step closer yesterday after Greece announced that it had joined the Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative (CEM-Hubs) and become its seventh member.
The initiative is led by Brazil, Canada, Norway, Panama, the UN and Uruguay.
Nelson Mojarro, the head of innovation and partnerships for the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), speaking on Monday at the 14th Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, welcomed Greece joining the initiative and highlighted how the maritime sector was set for major disruption in the pursuit of clean energy.
The initiative, which was launched last year, brings together the private sector and governments across the energy-maritime value chain to transform maritime transportation and production hubs for future low-carbon fuels.
The CEM-Hubs initiative is also in partnership with the ICS and the International Association of Ports & Harbours. It is also supported by the Irena and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation.
Mojarro shared a vision of how shipping aimed to transition and planned to decarbonise the sector in 26 years.
This as the sector, in the past, had transitioned from coal to combustion engines.
He said the current energy transition was different because for the first time, it would look at direct and indirect electrification.
Electric propulsion and battery storage systems would play a key role in cutting annual emissions in maritime shipping.
Mojarro said: “We looked at when we moved from business as usual to net zero, we will need up to 3 000 Terawatt hours, which is equivalent to the world's renewable energy generation. This is a massive number just to have the supply of new fuels for ships.”
New fuels included hydrogen and other bio-fuels.
Only 4% of hydrogen projects are operational worldwide, with pledges in the pipeline, but they were not situated at maritime ports.
Mojarro said shipping would be a minor player in hydrogen demand by 2050 but a key enabler of transporting the fuels.
Shipping transports 80% of global trade.
Irena estimates that more than 50% of trade of zero-carbon fuel would need to be transported by ship from producing to importing countries by 2050.
Storing the zero-carbon fuels at ports would require a massive infrastructure build .
Mojarro said the ICS was developing a wider coalition, for example, getting new members such as Greece, and getting the work done, that is, enabling the energy hubs.
“This is were Irena and other stakeholders have a key role to play by providing the knowledge, by working with the public and private sectors, by making sure that what we recommend, we have worked towards,” he said.
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