THE AUSTRALIAN maritime industry gathered recently at the inaugural Maritime Decarbonisation Summit series in Melbourne to unpack the challenges and opportunities it faces in its goal to decarbonise the sector.
The summit, hosted by Maritime Industry Australia on 27 April, was driven by a goal to provide a platform for the industry to share information and build networks with other stakeholders focussed on decarbonisation.
MIAL said the summit was necessitated by the urgency of accelerating the industry’s transition to low and zero-carbon fuels in line with the nation’s goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“As a hard to abate industry, international shipping contributes 2-3% of global GHG emissions, and on a business-as-usual trajectory, emissions are predicted to rise,” it said.
Three overarching themes reportedly emerged from summit discussions, such as the understanding that the maritime energy transition must not compromise human safety and the protection of the environment.
Another theme was the importance of stakeholder collaboration in rising to the decarbonisation challenge.
“Vessel operators, unions, vessel designers, new energy suppliers, legislators and regulators, ports, financiers and science, research and training institutions must work together,” MIAL said.
And, stakeholders agreed the government needs to be proactive and engaged in providing leadership, strategic direction, investment and support to enable Australian businesses to capitalise on the opportunities the maritime energy transition presents.
MIAL said the maritime sector is facing challenges in achieving the mandatory measures outlined in the IMO’s initial strategy, adopted in 2018, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by international shipping.
According to the association, the sector is struggling to meet the requirements within the required timeframe, given cost and scale; and is challenged by a lack of supply and distribution infrastructure for alternative fuel options.
“Australia’s domestic commercial vessel industry faces similar challenges, although the smaller vessel sizes and shorter voyages, provide some opportunities for early adoption of existing low and zero emissions technology,” MIAL said.
“Australia also has an opportunity to be a major supplier of low and zero carbon fuels domestically as well as to the global maritime industry. This in turn benefits … our energy and supply chain security.”
MIAL suggested Australia is already equipped to commence its transition and adopt the necessary regulatory and legislative frameworks. It said the structural elements to support the transition are already in place.
“The Australian maritime industry is highly engaged on this issue and is seeking to actively partner with both state and federal governments and key stakeholders to work together to accelerate this important transition.”
