The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) has published the Green steel and shipping report. Steel is the primary shipbuilding material, making over 75% of a vessel by weight, and the steel industry is responsible for 7-9% of global GHG emissions.
As explained, addressing steel emissions is critical to decarbonising across the ship lifecycle and provides opportunities for collaboration with the steel sector and other steel demand sectors.
According to the report, mitigating the climate crisis requires dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and an effort from all industries to move to zero emissions. In the shipping sector, fuel combustion is currently responsible for over 95% of a ship’s Scope 1 GHG emissions, and as such this is the area where emission reduction efforts are concentrated today.
Current decarbonisation efforts in shipping focus on and address emissions at the operational phase of a ship’s lifecycle. However, for shipping to decarbonise in a way that futureproofs the industry to 2050 and beyond, we need greater recognition of the emissions and sustainability aspects of the materials that make up a ship, as well as their lifespans, repairability, and re-use.
Using green steel for shipbuilding is possible, and demand for this is starting to grow. SteelZero signatories, which include shipowner A.P. Moller-Maersk and CIMC TCREA (the steel buying division of container manufacturer CIMC) commit to using 50% lower embodied emissions steel by 2030.
The report identified drivers and barriers to closing the loop on steel in shipping, including the challenge of scrap steel supply, growing regulation around sustainability and emissions reporting, as well as the potential for tools, such as material passports, to enable demand and uptake of green steel in shipping. The need for traceability and transparency across the steel lifecycle was identified as a key lever to shore up demand for green steel in shipbuilding, creating a system that allows green steel users to prove its GHG emissions reductions and other sustainability credentials.
The shipping and steel sectors are interconnected and there are untapped opportunities for the two to work together to decarbonise sustainably. As a demand sector for green steel, shipping can support the steel sector’s decarbonisation journey while simultaneously addressing a source of its own scope 3 emissions.
..said Andreea Miu, Head of Decarbonisation, Sustainable Shipping Initiative.
Understanding the challenges and exploring viable solutions for reducing GHG emissions in the maritime sector is crucial. This report gives invaluable insights into the potential of green steel and highlights the necessity of adopting circular practices within our industry. A.P. Moller-Maersk, as a SteelZero member, committed to using 50% low emission steel by 2030 with the ultimate goal of utilizing 100% net zero steel by 2040.
..said Nicolò Aurisano, Sustainability & LCA specialist, A.P. Moller-Maersk.
Furthermore, during the 2023 GREEN4SEA Athens Forum, Mr. Andrew Stephens, Executive Director, Sustainable Shipping Initiative, highlighted that shipping needs sustainable decarbonisation that takes into consideration the different externalities created in the development of new fuels and technologies.
