Once considered future fuels, options like LNG, methanol and ammonia are quickly becoming current fuels for the maritime industry. However, as alternative fuel-enabled ships start hitting the water, challenges remain for both availability and risk assessment.

On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Dinesh Balraj, Maersk Head of Fleet Operations East, and Shu Yong Koh, ABS Director of Global Sustainability, explore some of the biggest challenges of methanol as a marine fuel with host Brad Cox, ABS.

If you like this episode, share it with your colleagues, leave a review, or send us feedback to podcast@eagle.org. More episodes are available at www.eagle.org/podcast and all major podcast platforms.

Key Points

• Maersk is using methanol as a pioneer fuel to achieve carbon neutrality and meet their ambitious sustainability goals.
• Methanol offers speed, scalability, and cost-effectiveness, making it a viable option for reducing emissions.
• The complete methanol value chain is still developing, with challenges in sourcing and infrastructure.
• ABS has published a bunkering advisory to support the safe handling of methanol.
• Methanol is expected to play a key role in the future fuel mix, but a diverse range of green fuels is also anticipated.

Guests
Dinesh Balraj is the Head of Fleet Operations East at A.P. Moller-Maersk. Dinesh oversees the technical management of a fleet comprising 185 container vessels. In this role, Dinesh champions safety, reliability and energy efficiency, leveraging his diverse background spanning Chief Engineer, Classification Surveyor, Fleet Superintendent, and Fleet Manager positions. As a key member of the Fleet Management and Technology leadership team, Dinesh spearheads strategic initiatives aimed at driving cultural transformation, decarbonization efforts, and operational excellence throughout the organization.

Shu Yong Koh serves as ABS Director of Global Sustainability, responsible for driving the ABS sustainability strategy and assisting ship owners and operators with achieving their sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals through industry-leading support and digital solutions. He has been involved in various sustainability initiatives and is actively pursuing the challenges of the maritime and shipping industry. He is working on energy, emissions and innovative technologies associated with alternative fuels, taking into account technical, environmental, regulatory and economic factors.

As the maritime industry grapples with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we have seen a multitude of regulations intended to drive progress. Now we have the FuelEU Maritime Regulation, which introduces the concept of well-to-wake carbon equivalent emissions per megajoule of energy and it enters into force in January 2025.

On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Francesco Bellusci, Managing Director of Scorpio Ship Management, Ricardo Batista, Policy Officer with the European Commission’s DG-MOVE, and Stamatis Fradelos, ABS Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, join host Brad Cox, ABS, to discuss the implementation and challenges of FuelEU. The group discusses wind-assisted propulsion incentives, the role of carbon capture technology and the regulation’s emissions pooling mechanism.

If you like this episode, share it with your friends, leave a review, or send feedback to podcast@eagle.org. More episodes are available at www.eagle.org/podcast and all major podcast platforms.

Key Points

• The FuelEU Maritime Regulation aims to decarbonize maritime transport by reducing carbon intensity and promoting the use of renewable fuels.
• Wind-assisted propulsion is seen as a technology that can contribute to emissions reduction and incentives for using it are included in the regulation.
• Carbon capture is not currently included in the regulation, but there is potential for its inclusion in the future.
• The pooling function in FuelEU incentivizes compliance and rewards overachievers by allowing companies to pool ships and trade surplus emissions.
• FuelEU is seen as a first step toward global implementation of a similar International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulation.
• Collaboration and dialogue among stakeholders are essential for the successful implementation of decarbonization measures in the maritime sector.

Guests
Francesco Bellusci is the Managing Director of Scorpio Ship Management. Francesco was Technical Director in Scorpio from 1995, Designated Person Ashore (DPA) from 1997 and was appointed General Manager in 2008. He has been the Managing Director since 2010. Francesco was instrumental for the success of Scorpio Tankers fleet renewal into ECO design and the transition from Scorpio Bulkers into Eneti Inc. and wind offshore renewable.

Ricardo Batista is a Policy Officer with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG-MOVE), Maritime Transport unit. In the Commission, Ricardo is engaged in the development, negotiation and preparatory work for implementing the FuelEU Maritime Regulation under the Fit for 55 package. Before joining the European Commission, Ricardo worked in the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), responsible for technical and scientific support to the Commission on several topics of ship safety and sustainability, with a focus on energy systems. Ricardo has previous experience as a Marine Engineer onboard naval ships and a Naval Architect involved with newbuild and retrofit works. He also has classification society experience.

Stamatis Fradelos is ABS Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. The Regulatory Affairs team interfaces with the IMO, flag Administrations and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), facilitating the application of regulations and maintaining ABS and clients’ awareness on regulatory issues being progressed and developed internationally. Stamatis is also a member of IACS board of directors, the IACS council and the IACS Sub-Committee on Quality Policy participating in IACS governance and strategic decisions.

Digital twins have captured the maritime industry’s attention amid the global journey toward digitalization and decarbonization. However, confusion remains about what exactly a digital twin is, what it isn’t and how it can be used.

On this episode of Setting Course, an ABS Podcast, Eric VanDerHorn, ABS Technology Manager, joins host John Snyder, Managing Editor of Riviera Maritime Media, to discuss digital twins and the potential benefits for the maritime industry.

If you like this episode, share it with your friends, leave a review, or send feedback to podcast@eagle.org. More episodes are available at www.eagle.org/podcast and all major podcast platforms.

Key Points

• Digital twins are a hot topic in the maritime industry, with over 20,000 publications mentioning them in 2023 alone.
• The concept of a digital twin can be traced back to the use of physical twins throughout history to better understand the real world.
• Building a digital twin involves integrating various data sources and models, but there is no grand unified model yet.
• Digital twins offer potential advantages in areas such as diagnostics, predictive maintenance, performance optimization and training.
• Digital twins can also be used to support decision making in the decarbonization journey of shipowners and operators.

Guest

Eric VanDerHorn is a Technology Manager for ABS. He supports digital transformation in the maritime industry by developing and qualifying cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins, smart functions, structural health monitoring, asset integrity management, predictive analytics, and condition-based Class programs. Eric holds a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a doctorate in civil engineering with a focus on uncertainty quantification from Vanderbilt University.