The International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations encourage and advocate for the usage of productive maritime solutions to reduce carbon emissions. The development of affordable alternative solutions nevertheless requires technological improvements which could be long to emerge.

Fuels like LNG, Biogas, and Biofuel are great sources of sustainable energy. Not only do they allow the maritime industry to get rid of carbon emissions, but they are in synergy with consumers’ target of reducing carbon emissions as well whether it is for a one-time shipment or all year round.

So, in this article, we will be discussing more sustainable maritime fuels, and how they can effectively lower our greenhouse gas emissions, limit our carbon footprint and improve air quality.

What is Sustainable Maritime fuel?

For those of you who are not already aware, sustainable maritime fuels are an ideal eco-friendly alternative to conventionally used petroleum-based fuels which are slowly growing popular today because they have a relatively low carbon footprint. The usage of sustainable maritime fuels is integral, especially in all those countries that are striving to reduce their carbon emissions and want to bring environmental justice to the world.  

Today, businesses can easily use sustainable maritime fuels for transportation, especially for global goods that are sent from one place to another using cargo ships. Conventionally these cargo ships are being fuelled by HFO or heavy fuel oil which releases unhealthy amounts of greenhouse gasses when combusted, so sustainable maritime fuels present an alternative green solution that can allow for transport to take place as usual but with a much little cost to the environment and its well being.  

How are Sustainable Maritime fuels produced?

You must be wondering now what exactly it is that makes sustainable maritime fuels so much better for the environment as compared to other fuels. Well, the answer is simple. These sustainable marine fuels are produced using mostly safe materials referred to as feedstocks that with the assistance of technological methods convert domestic resources into energy-dense fuels that are of properties that facilitate their safe usage in marine engines. These feedstocks could include a variety of different things such as agricultural waste, wet waste, fats, greases, algae biomass, landfill gas, etc.  

Emerging maritime fuels

The maritime industry is striving to facilitate emerging marine fuels that have to offer sustainable solutions such as the potential of nearing net zero greenhouse gas emissions. These emerging marine fuels include mainly, Bio-methanol, Bio-based natural gas, and Lignin-alcohol mixes and have to offer both greater flexibility and better performance. However, the model is still undergoing modifications and it might take a few years before it is launched in the market officially.  

Sustainable Maritime fuels and improved air quality

We have already discussed some of the benefits of sustainable marine fuels above but another major benefit of this fuel is that it has the potential to improve air quality, especially near the port areas. This is because HFO and other petroleum-based marine fuels that are used for cargo ships generally contain high levels of sulfur which is emitted out in the form of sulfur oxide during combustion. This sulfur oxide along with other toxins that the combustion process creates results in air pollution. As a consequence, thousands of people who live near seaports have to suffer from bad air quality.  

With sustainable maritime fuels, this huge inconvenience can also be sorted out and we can start prioritizing the health and wellbeing of people who live near seaports and have been suffering for a long time.  

Joint efforts towards developing sustainable fuel

According to the researches, Europe has enough feedstocks available to be able to produce millions of gallons of sustainable biofuels every year. However, to achieve this, the global maritime industry must understand all regulatory requirements, analyze the scope of biofuel performance and address possible challenges that can be encountered. Through collective research and the joint working of the entire community, it is possible that we can switch from conventional fuel to this sustainable maritime fuel which seems to be promising a much more peaceful planet in the future.

Conclusively, it would be useful to point out that sustainable logistics can prove to be beneficial in helping businesses reduce their carbon emissions and overall carbon footprint. However, this requires effective and strategic planning and research to execute effectively. At gryn, we are striving hard to bring about this effect in our model to create ease for all businesses with the goal of creating environmental sustainability. Through our intelligence platform, we have successfully built a sustainable logistics network that allows for the sharing, calculation, benchmarking, and optimization of emissions.  

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