News / Slow steaming not the way to reduce emissions, 'check the ship's systems'

© Daliscot55

Despite being highlighted by the International Maritime Organization’s carbon intensity indicator (CII) index, slow steaming is not a valid decarbonisation measure, two major Danish shipowners have told The Loadstar.

Due to the effects of drag, reducing vessel speeds by 1 knot produces an outsize reduction of fuel consumption and, therefore, of emissions – a calculation that is a foundation for shipping’s current paradigm of using massive, slow vessels.

However, Lars Mathiasen, head of commercial decarbonisation at tanker operator Torm, claimed slow steaming was not a viable long-term strategy for reducing shipping’s carbon emissions.

“Our speeds have increased, compared with three-to-four years ago… we are up by more than a notch,” he said, explaining that slow steaming was a “misleading” way of achieving emissions reductions.

“If a law came out and said maximum speed limits on the sea was 10 knots, everybody would slow down and you would see an immediate, significant reduction in CO2 emissions. But the world would require so many more ships moving the same distance.”

Frederik Pind, MD of Maersk Tankers’ green technology business, Njord, added: “Slow steaming is not something we spend time on. We look at the hardware, technology upgrades.”

Torm has taken to sending technicians onboard vessels to identify and reduce inefficiencies, said Mr Mathiasen, claiming this had been responsible for a 40% emissions reduction across its fleet – savings like this were available because ship systems are overbuilt and disparate, he explained.

“All equipment on a ship is over-dimensioned,” said Mr Matthiasen. “Compressors, air conditioning… even the suction in the toilets. Everything is designed for peak performance, and then some margin on top.

“By the end of last year, we had achieved a 39.6% reduction compared with the IMO 2008 baseline. Consequently, for 2030, we have set a 45% reduction target,” he added.