Lloyd’s Register’s latest report highlights a critical hurdle in the maritime industry’s decarbonization efforts. The Engine Retrofit Report emphasizes that the shortage of yard capacity and capability poses a significant threat to retrofitting existing fleets with alternative fuel technology, potentially hindering progress.
Retrofit Challenges
According to the report, there are in the region of 9,000 to 12,000 large merchant vessels that could undergo engine retrofits by 2050. The Engine Retrofit Report highlights a number of key barriers to achieving this:
- A limited number of yards capable of handling conversions.
- The need for new and improved skills in naval architecture, electrical engineering, and fuel handling.
- System integration – significant changes are required to vessels in order to accommodate alternative fuel systems. These include larger fuel tanks, space for fuel preparation equipment, and the requirement for larger double-walled piping.
Decarbonization action
The Engine Retrofit Report points out obstacles in achieving engine retrofits for the estimated 9,000 to 12,000 large merchant vessels by 2050. Challenges include a scarcity of yards equipped for conversions and the demand for enhanced skills in naval architecture, electrical engineering, and fuel handling.
Lloyd’s Register’s technology director, Claudene Sharpe-Patel, said:
“Decarbonizing the existing fleet is crucial for reducing the maritime industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. Without significant progress in this area, there could be as many as 20,000 commercial vessels relying on fossil fuels by 2050.
We must, therefore, focus industry efforts on addressing the issues that LR’s Engine Retrofit Report raises such as yard capacity, conversion capability, and system integration, helping stakeholders from the maritime value chain navigate the obstacles to installing future fuels technology on the existing global fleet”.
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Source: Brookes Bell
