Emissions - Harbour insights

Trusted by more than 3,000 ships worldwide, NAPA’s Safety Solution software has promoted ship safety and operational efficiency for 35 years, working closely with customers. NAPA's solutions aim to positively impact the maritime industry by simplifying and streamlining onboard and shoreside operations through digitalisation, reducing errors and workload for seafarers, enhancing safety, and enabling more sustainable decision-making.  Paper-based system challenges “Historicall...

The maritime industry is taking important steps to improve cybersecurity, catching up rapidly by introducing other industries' best practices into information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) onboard vessels. Work remains to be done to ensure a cyber-resilient worldwide fleet of maritime operations. The way forward is through collaboration among all major stakeholders. Remote-controlled and autonomous ships In the future, the marine industry will increasingly use remote-control...

Augmented reality (AR) is making waves across various industries, and maritime is no exception. For maritime professionals, AR offers practical, real-time solutions that enhance safety, optimise operations, and improve decision-making both at sea and onshore. Whether it’s helping crews navigate complex environments, assisting in ship maintenance, or providing on-the-job training, AR’s ability to blend digital information with the physical world is proving invaluable in the fast-pac...

As the maritime industry accelerates its journey toward decarbonisation, the focus on alternative fuels has intensified. E-methane E-methane, a synthetic gas produced using renewable electricity and carbon capture, is emerging as a promising substitute for conventional natural gas. This innovative fuel offers a way to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while leveraging existing liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. For maritime professionals, the potential benefits of e-metha...

The maritime industry, steeped in tradition, is now riding the wave of digital transformation, with big data playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and efficiency. For maritime professionals, the question isn’t whether to embrace big data, but how to maximise its practical benefits. Whether it’s a ship owner, port operator, or related to supply chain logistics, big data has the potential to streamline operations, enhance safety, reduce costs, and bolster profitability. This a...

FuelEU Maritime regulations, which will take effect in 2025, will help to encourage investment in research and development (R&D) for the maritime industry. The European Union initiative is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships operating within EU waters.  Adopting cleaner alternative fuels By setting increasingly stringent limits on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, FuelEU Maritime makes it clear to the industry that traditional high-emission fuels are not sustainable...

Offshore wind farms are a major component of the future of clean energy, and the share of electricity generated by offshore wind turbines will increase as the global community works to minimise carbon emissions to achieve net zero by 2050. Current expectations for the vast expansion of energy production from offshore wind farms may lead to environmental impacts and ecological risks to marine ecosystems. Maritime consequences The increase in offshore wind farms will also have broad conse...

U.S. President Joe Biden has signed an Executive Order aimed at shoring up the cybersecurity of U.S. ports, a move fuelled by mounting concerns about the vulnerability of this critical infrastructure to cyberattacks. This initiative marks a significant shift in policy, empowering key agencies and outlining concrete actions to bolster defences. By empowering key agencies, establishing clear standards, and fostering collaboration, the initiative aims to strengthen U.S. ports against the evolving...

We are in the midst of a decisive decade when it comes to the future of maritime. Facing a long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, the industry needs to make more informed and science-based decisions, and a new level of collaboration and flexibility will be needed among all maritime stakeholders.  DNV’s Maritime Forecast to 2050 report provides a deep dive into shipping’s decarbonisation journey.   Energy Transition Outlook 2023 The Energy Transition...

As regulations on emissions become more stringent, more companies and organisations in the maritime industry will likely start to use methanol as a cleaner and more sustainable fuel. Methanol Methanol is a promising alternative fuel for the maritime industry due to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy security, and improve air quality. The future of methanol as a maritime fuel depends on several factors, including regulatory policies, technological advancements, a...

Millions of cargo containers are transported each year, and only a tiny fraction are lost at sea. However, the number of lost containers has increased in recent years, propelled by high-impact incidents that skewed the numbers upward. Factors impacting the higher number of lost containers include more violent weather events (due to global warming) and rough seas. Stresses on the global supply chain have led to higher numbers of containers loaded per ship and possibly less care being taken when...

Liquid natural gas (LNG) can avoid concerns about global warming in the maritime industry – to a point. LNG is a carbon-based fuel but yields lower emissions than current fuels used in the maritime industry, thus enabling compliance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) goals to address greenhouse gas emissions. LNG offers an attractive transition route until even more environmentally friendly approaches become practical, although costs to transition existing vessels to LNG are...

Green shipping corridors are a shortcut path to achieving zero-emissions shipping. The strategy of focusing green initiatives on a limited number of routes between major port hubs will lower obstacles and costs as the industry transitions to more environmentally friendly shipping. The goal is to create specific trade routes where zero-emission solutions are demonstrated and supported. Green initiatives Targeting certain shipping corridors for environmental efforts allows policymakers to create...

For most of maritime history, wind power drove vessels all over the world; that is until steam and other forms of propulsion came on the scene in the mid-1800s. Now in the 21st century, given a renewed interest in preserving the environment and lowering costs, wind power is on the verge of making a comeback. The latest technologies, including big data and computer simulations, are helping to drive a renewed interest in maritime vessels propelled by wind, with a 90% reduction in the use of fossi...

The maritime industry is not covered by the Paris climate agreement, which seeks to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels. However, carbon emissions from maritime activities account for 2 to 3% of total global warming potential (GWP) worldwide, and the share is likely to increase in coming years, approaching 17% of CO2 emissions by 2050. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) is tasked...

If the ocean were a national economy, it would be the seventh largest in the world. Contributions of the oceans to energy production, transport and sustainable food production are essential to the global economy. In the global ‘blue economy,’ environmental protection and economic growth are intrinsically linked, especially in the maritime industry. The European Union has detailed a realistic agenda for the blue economy to play a major role to achieve the objectives of the European...