How will the future of shipping change if we take into account the IMO strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050?

What is of interest?
The strategy also includes intermediate targets:

· 20% reduction by 2030 (with a possibility of 30%)
· 70% reduction by 2040 (compared to 2008)

Where do greenhouse gases come from?
The main source is the combustion of hydrocarbon fuels. The primary culprits are:

· Carbon dioxide (CO2)
· Methane (CH4)

Modern engines: environmentally friendly or not?
Dual-fuel methane engines cannot be called completely clean. True, they don’t contain any sulfur (which reduces SOx), but carbon still remaining – and carbon trap the heat and affect for global warming.

Are there alternatives?
Yes. Modern leaders such as MAN Energy Solutions offer LGIP engines that run on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

What are the advantages already now?

· The foundation is MAN ME electronic engines with digital control.
· Even on HFO/MGO, they comply with environmental regulations.
· When switching to LPG, savings are achieved (fuel is cheaper) along with a 13-20% reduction in CO2.

What engine ranges does MAN offer?

· ME-GI (methane)
· ME-GIE (ethane)
· ME-LGIM (methanol)
· ME-GA (methane)
· ME-LGIP (LPG)

But there is a nuance:
None of these engines yet deliver zero emissions – carbon is present in all types of fuel. The most promising solution is ammonia (NH3), where carbon is excluded.

Colleagues, conclusions:
Environmental regulations are changing the rules of the game in shipping. Technology is evolving very rapidly, and we, as ship engineers, need to actively adopt new solutions in order to stay ahead of the curve.

This is an observation we wanted to share with you today.