American Bureau of Shipping and DNV are among many classification societies that are helping to drive the development of maritime technology by building trust around technological solutions.

Both societies are playing an active role in the Asian tech space, collaborating with key stakeholders on a variety of initiatives, developing transparent verification methodologies using in-service data and data-driven methods to verify savings and promote consistency in order to create an energy-efficient, low-emission shipping industry.

Singapore is an important node for these activities, where ABS has established its Global Sustainability Centre and DNV its Maritime Decarbonisation & Autonomy Centre of Excellence.

TradeWinds talks to Panos Koutsourakis, vice president for global sustainability at ABS, and Dr Shahrin Osman, Asia regional head of maritime advisory at DNV and director of the centre of excellence in Singapore, about the important role these centres play, and where they think more emphasis is needed in the maritime tech space.

How big a role does your centre in Singapore play in the development of sustainability solutions and what are its current key areas of focus?

Koutsourakis (ABS): The ABS Global Sustainability Centre in Singapore plays an important role in the development and delivery of sustainability solutions. We have an extended span of expertise in the Singapore centre and by organising and leveraging those resources in our sustainability centres in other regions, we are able to act as a core contributor in providing our clients with sustainability solutions.

Panos Koutsourakis, vice president for global sustainability at ABS. Photo: ABS

Singapore is home to a broad base of shipping stakeholders and this makes it a centre for developing new technologies and concepts for shipping. The centre is bridging its sustainability solutions with industry demand through a key focus on environmental, social, and corporate governance reporting and assurance, clean energy transition advisory and decarbonisation technology studies.

Osman (DNV): Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board, DNV’s regional Centre of Excellence focuses on contributing to Singapore’s ambition of developing a smart and sustainable maritime ecosystem. Our experts are helping establish new maritime processes, standards and frameworks; and exploring new fuel technologies to accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime industry.

The centre plays an essential role in knowledge sharing through industry roundtables and seminars and provides training on decarbonisation and digitalisation through the DNV Maritime Academy. It offers applied R&D and innovation through co-funded joint projects with MPA [Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore], industry, or with a client, and supports industry programmes and collaborates with universities and research institutions.

We can offer customised advisory services, such as tailored consultancy projects on feasibility studies and market assessments or expert support for qualifications, risk and safety studies, new technologies and new concepts.

What less-focused areas of technology development could play a greater role in creating an energy-efficient, low-emission shipping industry?

Koutsourakis (ABS): With the various decarbonisation trajectories and initiatives focusing on operational carbon intensity, we are moving away from more abstract indicators to the actual emissions as a direct result of vessel operations. The holistic reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions will require improvement not only on the vessel itself but also across the value chain.

Optimised planning and operations will help to reduce emissions beyond technological energy efficiency gains. This will be enabled by advanced performance monitoring with high frequency data collection and operational simulation techniques to identify the optimal operations with reduced emissions.

Such data-driven decision-support tools will become more accessible with broad access to computing power and advanced machine learning algorithms. With continuous pressure towards decarbonisation, it is only after the industry will have exploited all the easily available and economically feasible technical solutions that it will start more actively exploring advanced solutions to achieve further marginal emissions abatement by optimising operations, an area with high potential for further improvement.

Osman (DNV): As fuel prices may reach up to five times current levels, the industry needs to explore, develop and adopt a range of technologies in combination. This will pay off as spending more time and money optimising the solution for each vessel makes economic sense. It is tempting to ‘throw in’ fashionable technology solutions, but important savings percentages are lost without proper consideration.

Dr Shahrin Osman, Asia regional head of maritime advisory at DNV, and director of its Maritime Decarbonisation & Autonomy Centre of Excellence. Photo: DNV

The focus needs to be on the entire life cycle: from the qualification of technology and its energy-efficiency potential, selection for a specific ship and trade, and optimisation of use during operations. We will see an increase in wind-assisted propulsion systems, high-efficiency coating systems, optimised hull and propeller maintenance, and solutions using air to lubricate the hull.

In your opinion, what are the major obstacles hampering technology development in shipping? What needs to change to solve these?

Koutsourakis (ABS): We see the two major obstacles for technological development in shipping related to two aspects: technical suitability and commercial feasibility. Some technologies are mature for use in land-based applications; however, the challenges are not to be easily overcome when it comes to shipping due to the nature of a ship’s configuration and operational characteristics.

Commercial feasibility has been the major concern for adoption of new technologies and alternative energies. One of the biggest issues is carbon neutral fuel. Solving these obstacles requires scaling up of the associated value chain to reduce the total cost of ownership coupled with incentives from governmental bodies to support first movers.

Osman (DNV): Industry players have different objectives and goals and are driven by commercial considerations that may conflict with an optimal route for technology development. Trust and transparency are needed, and DNV will play an important part.

The future requires a combination of technical measures working together to reduce emissions. New standards for verification of savings will help increase trust and improve decision-making. It’s hoped owners will make more thorough evaluations rather than choose a set of measures with claimed higher savings.