Port Infrastructure and Logic

The shipping industry is endeavouring to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by 2050 in order to meet the climate targets of the Paris Agreement. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has set a target of reducing emissions from shipping internationally by 50% compared to 2008. To this end, various alternative fuels are being researched and some are already in use. These include Methane (LNG / liquefied natural gas), biofuels, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia as well as fully electric battery systems.

The import strategies for alternative fuels in shipping face several challenges. One of the biggest is finding the balance between the production costs of the fuels and the infrastructure costs. Another important aspect is ensuring the necessary availability of renewable fuels such as green hydrogen, methanol and ammonia. The development of on-board regulations is also crucial to enable the use of renewable fuels in shipping.

It is important that the port infrastructure is able to fulfil the specific requirements of the various alternative fuels. For example, the storage and bunkering of hydrogen requires special facilities and safety measures, as hydrogen is stored under high pressure or in liquid form at extremely low temperatures. There is therefore a need for further research and development into effective and safe tank systems on board ships and in harbours.

In addition, harbours must be able to store and bunker large quantities of alternative fuels in accordance with the relevant safety requirements in order to ensure the supply of ships. Finally, port infrastructures must be able to keep pace with changing requirements through investment. It is therefore of great importance that suitable financing and business models are developed to support the infrastructure measures alongside the technological development.