SIMIC

THE University Maritime Advisory Service (UMAS), a commercial advisory service affiliated with University College London, has issued a report looking at ways in which a 1.5 degree Cenitgrade-aligned pathway can be achieved based on efficiency to meet 2030 reduction targets, reports Singapore's Splash 247.
The UN's International Maritime Organisation's greenhouse gas debates have centred on fuel transition to get to zero emissions, but absolute emission reductions required this decade can mostly be unlocked with efficiency, says the UMAS report.
The Science Based Targets Initiative announced maritime guidance in November 2022 to guide stakeholders in the shipping industry to align their commitments to an IPCC-derived 1.5 degree pathway.
The magnitudes of GHG reduction, 37 per cent in 2030 and 96 per cent in 2040 on a 2008 baseline, have also been championed by a number of developed and developing country governments as the targets that IMO should use in its revised GHG reduction strategy - due for adoption at MEPC 80 in July this year.
The UMAS report shows that irrespective of how new fuels enter the global fleet, the nearer term 2030 target predominantly needs a further step change in energy efficiency in the global fleet by 2030, 40 per cent improvement in efficiency compared to 2018, or 55-60 per cent greater efficiency than the fleet's average efficiency in 2008.
These are similar to the 32 per cent efficiency increase seen between 2008-2018, but are significantly higher than the target set in the IMO's initial strategy.
Jean-Marc Bonello, principal consultant at UMAS, said significant gains in energy efficiency through technologies, including wind assist, and operational measures are needed this decade.
"There are well known options, that will not see significant uptake without much stronger regulatory and voluntary focus and attention," Mr Bonello said.