Decarbonizing in Maritime Transportation: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

As global warming caused by greenhouse gases grows (GHGs) into a global environmental threat, carbon dioxide emissions are drawing increasing attention in these years. Among all emission sources, transportation is a major contributor to climate change because of its high dependence on fossil fuels. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has therefore been promoting the reduction of fuel usage and carbon emissions for container ships by such measures as improving shipping route selection, shipping speed optimization, and constructing clean energy propulsion systems. In this paper, a review of the impact of carbon dioxide emissions on climate change is presented; the current situations of carbon dioxide emissions, decarbonizing methods, IMO regulations, and possible future directions of decarbonizing in the maritime transportation industry are also discussed. Based on the result, it is found that in the case that non intelligent ships still occupy the vast majority of operating ships, the use of new energy as the main propulsion fuel has the defects of high renewal cost and long effective period. It is more likely to achieve energy conservation and emission reduction in the shipping industry in a short period of time by using intelligent means and artificial intelligence to assist ship operation.

A Review on Navigating Sustainable Naval Design: LCA and Innovations in Energy and Fuel Choices

“…The expansion of maritime traffic continues to solidify its status as the primary mode of global goods transportation, especially for long-distance shipments, which constitute a significant portion of world trade. This enduring prosperity, spanning centuries, has propelled water transportation to encompass nearly 90% of global trade [1,2]. The escalating threat of global warming, induced by greenhouse gases (GHG), is emerging as a critical environmental concern on a global scale.…”