DNV GL sees hybrid propulsion and connectivity as emerging trends
With 2020 in sight, DNV GL looked at the lessons to be learned from the update to the classification society’s “Shipping 2020” report which was published in 2012. Now, three years later, hybrid propulsion systems and connected ship solutions are emerging technologies that are gaining ground faster than expected, outlined Tor E. Svensen, CEO DNV GL – Maritime, at the opening day of Nor-Shipping in Oslo. “While operational efficiency and emissions reductions are the main motivators behind these developments, the update shows that the future fuel mix will be much more diverse,” Svensen said. LNG as a ship fuel was one of the standouts from the last report, but due to continuing high investment costs and slower development of infrastructure the prediction of up to 1,000 LNG-fuelled vessels by 2020 will most likely not be met. However, as more bunkering options come in place, growth could accelerate. Scrubbers, on the other hand, were seen as a regulatory compliance option that would not be a significant option until after 2020 and the introduction of tighter global restrictions on sulphur. Today, the scrubber market is developing faster than expected, with more than 200 confirmed projects. The rise of hybrid vessels was ...
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