World's navies need green transition, says white paper
Decarbonisation of the world's naval forces presents a unique set of challenges due to their defensive purpose. The question of how to minimise a navy's environmental impact without increasing its operational vulnerability was the focus of a new white paper from energy advisor DNV.
While navies are generally not subject to the same levels of scrutiny as the commercial shipping sector, in recent years, societal pressure to reduce their climate footprint has grown. Command structures are increasingly aware that, sooner or later, they will also have to face the challenge of maritime decarbonisation.
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However, to fulfil their defensive purpose, naval vessels must also meet specific requirements, complicating their search for the most sustainable fuel types. Potential global challenges impacting logistics and creating supply chains disruptions could further compound that complexity with impacts on fuel availability.
The DNV white paper, Alternative Fuels for Naval Vessels, said that the issue has wide-ranging implications for future vessel design and that developing green "drop-in" fuels alone may not be a sufficient solution.
Recent years have seen a number of advances in propulsion technologies and alternative fuels for use in the private shipping sector. While these are of value to the military, the vessels must have the ability to operate under direct threat, at high speeds, and for extended periods of time without refuelling.
"Alternative fuels are the most effective measure to fully decarbonise in the future, but practical considerations such as logistics, fuel availability, fuel change flexibility and design impacts are critical factors in determining the feasibility of the different low- or zero-carbon fuels for the naval segment," said Christian von Oldershausen, DNV Maritime Segment Director for Navy.
"The new paper evaluates different fuel options to provide a solid decision support for newbuilds and vessels in operation."
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DNV say the white paper is the result of a "wide range" of public domain sources, as well as a survey conducted among 130 stakeholders from 12 countries to ascertain current trends and expectations.
It takes into account recent technological developments; discusses current and emerging fuel choices including their technical and military implications; looks at other carbon abatement and efficiency-enhancing measures; and analyses the current navel fleets and their respective uptake of alternative fuels.
A differentiation is made between the needs of combatant and auxiliary, non-combatant vessels, as well as the unique set of requirements for submarines.
The paper claims that there is "significant potential" for the adoption of the alternative fuels that are already available and being increasingly adopted by the merchant fleet, especially for non-combatant vessels.
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It also looks at the pros and cons of nuclear propulsion, something that the US Navy has used for decades because of the speed and endurance it gives to combatant ships.
"This white paper provides an excellent starting point for us to work together to protect our environment and at the same time ensure the operational readiness of our navies," said Jan Christian Kaack, Vice Admiral, Chief German Navy, Commander Fleet and Supporting Forces.
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