Techno-economic study to assess case for alt fuel conversions

The project brings together several of the members of the Copenhagen-based Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, including American Bureau of Shipping, A.P. Moller – Maersk, MAN Energy Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NYK Line, Seaspan Corporation and Total.

The project is intended to assess conversion options for the current fleet fuelled by fossil-based fuels to zero or neutral carbon fuel solutions.

The project has a clear focus on the financial sector, explicitly identifying the de-risking of asset investments as one of the expected outcomes from analysing the emission reduction potential as well as techno-economic opportunity of converting vessels.

In addition, the project will identify a number of technical modifications of relevance for today’s new buildings to reduce the cost of future conversions, again minimizing the associated financial risk for ship owners.

The project will encompass a range of different vessel types including container vessels, tankers and bulk-carriers. It will also examine their potential conversion from conventional fuel oil, or integration with more recent fuels such LNG and LPG, to enable pathways with future solutions such as Ammonia or Methanol as well as the application of onboard Carbon Capture and Storage.

“In order to accelerate the investments in a zero carbon maritime value chain, we have to reduce the risk of stranded assets. With this project, we address that challenge by providing clarity and overview of the operational fuel- and technology options, their associated environmental and financial impact as well as their transition pathways,” said Claus Winter Graugaard, Head of Onboard Vessel Solutions, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.