Electricity, a way for shipping to clean up its act

Cruise ships (Wikimedia Commons by Hannes Grobe)

According to estimates published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted by international shipping have accounted for 2,2% of carbon dioxide emissions in recent years. In 2023, IMO announced its ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping by or around 2050. Several advances in the field of electrical and electronic devices and systems are making this target achievable. The increased use of electricity on board and when in port is helping the industry to clean up its act. ( Read the full article in e-tech ).

Electric batteries for ferries

Norway is leading the way when it comes to electric battery powered vessels: today the country has approximately 70 electric ferries in operation. Ferries are perceived to be ideal candidates for battery power as they generally travel short distances and are not as big as huge cargo ships. Electric batteries are heavy, take up a lot of room and cannot really be used on ships which already carry heavy loads. Advances in battery tech - mostly coming from the automotive industry - are expected to have implications for electric-propelled ships, starting with pleasure boats and yachts. According to Christian Hallberg, Commercial Director of a company which makes electric motors for sailboats and ferries, "The main technical issues remain weight and voltage limitation. In the automotive industry, things are evolving faster than analysts predict. Within five years, I think we should have gained 50% on both the price and the weight of batteries. Hybrid and all-electric will become the basic proposition for the majority of sailboats by that time."

Hydrogen powered ships on the horizon

Hydrogen can be produced from a range of resources, including fossil fuels, nuclear energy, biomass and renewable energies. The only carbon neutral hydrogen is hydrogen generated from solar or wind energy sources. Currently, it only makes up about 0,1% of the overall hydrogen production but this could change if and when the cost of renewable energy decreases. The hydrogen could then be used to produce electricity through fuel cell technology.

The MF Hydra, owned by one of Norway's leading ferry and express boat operators, claims to be one of the first commercial passenger and car ferries fuelled by liquid hydrogen and powered by 200 KW fuel cell modules.

IEC Standards and conformity assessment for the maritime industry

Two IEC technical committees are dedicated to preparing international standards for the maritime industry. In cooperation with IMO, IEC TC 80: Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems, has taken on the role of developing international standards for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), an internationally agreed set of safety procedures and communication protocols used to increase safety and make it easier to rescue ships in distress. IEC TC 18: Electrical installations of ships and of mobile and fixed offshore units, also cooperates with IMO where electrical systems on board ships are concerned. It publishes international standards in line with the International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), an international maritime treaty which sets minimum safety standards in the construction, equipment and operation of merchant ships. The IEC 60092 series, applicable to all electrical installations on board ships, are employed worldwide by naval architects, marine engineering design and consulting companies, ship and offshore unit builders, cable and electrical equipment manufacturers, installers, classification bodies, test houses, ship owners, operators and national and international authorities.

TC 105 prepares standards for fuel cell technology. It has for instance published IEC 62282-8-102, which deals with single cells and stacks with proton exchange membrane. IEC TC 21 prepares standards for batteries and cells, including for the safety of lithium-ion cells used for the propulsion of electric vehicles.

One of the four IEC Conformity Assessment (CA) Systems, IECEE (IEC System of CA Schemes for Electrotechnical Equipment and Components), has a programme which applies to batteries, chargers and charging stations. They can be tested for safety, performance component interoperability, energy efficiency, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), hazardous substances and chemicals.

IECEx (IEC System for Certification to Standards Relating to Equipment for Use in Explosive Atmospheres) is another IEC CA System. During 2022 and 2023, IECEx ramped up its activities, which have long been dealing with hydrogen safety, with the establishment of a formal cooperation with ISO/TC 197 and the publishing of a standard operating procedure for international IECEx Certification of gaseous hydrogen dispensing equipment and assemblies (IECEx OD 290).