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Marine Safety
Achieving ' Nothing '
The title of this article , " Achieving Nothing ," might sound like an oxymoron but it is in reference to the goal being set by the maritime and energy industries of achieving " net zero " emissions in the not-too-distant future . BP is aiming to be net zero across its operations on an absolute basis by 2050 or sooner . Shell has also set 2050 as the target date by which they desire to be a net zero emissions energy business .
Various government and NGO ( Non-Governmental Organization ) agreements and strategies have been formulated to guide the trek toward the net zero goal . One such agreement is the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scopes . Scopes S1 and S2 relate to emissions directly and indirectly produced by a company . S3 emissions are much broader , relating to all other indirect emissions throughout a company ' s value chain or whatever total business ventures with which they are involved . S3 goes beyond Scopes S1 and S2 by requiring collaboration across the entire value chain for achieving compliance .
Gregg Bollinger DSO
Marine Safety
To achieve progress in adapting to climate and environmental challenges , some companies are presently moving out of oil and gas to renewable energy . Some have made a dramatic shift to participation in offshore wind power to name one example .
There are four ( 4 ) key ways the shipping industry will change to meet " green " operation . 1 ) Handling Legal Issues . The maritime industry is affected by the Paris Agreement ' s " 20-20-20 " target which calls for a 20 % reduction of CO2 emissions which will require significant changes for the shipping industry .
Another legal aspect is what is known as the " Poseidon Principle " which assess and disclose shipping company portfolios held by financial institutions with respect to how the investments in their portfolios impact the climate . 2 ) Enforcement . The International Maritime Organization or IMO-- an organization well-known to the Coast Guard-- set low sulfur emissions standards that had to be met by 01 JAN 2020 . These standards , known as IMO 2020 , require moving away from heavy sulfur fuel in ship propulsion unless used with emissions " scrubbers " to get the emissions down to the level of fuels such as Liquid Natural Gas or LNG . Targets of 40 % carbon emission reduction by 2030 and a 70 % reduction of the same by 2050 have been established . ( Hellenic Shipping News . com . 16 FEB 2021 ). 3 ) Propulsion and Design . Propulsion remains the biggest obstacle for net zero emission goal achievement . Currently , ships are using scrubbers , low-sulfur content fuels and other methods to work towards cleaner operation . Improvement in ship design to minimize fuel consumption as well as improved weather forecasting and navigation which also help reduce consumption are currently being employed .
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