Fueling the Future: Wärtsilä’s Pioneering Path to Maritime Decarbonisation
In an era where the maritime industry stands at a crucial crossroads between tradition and the imperative drive for sustainability, Wärtsilä emerges as a leader in innovation. Guided by Roger Holm, President of Wärtsilä Marine & Executive Vice President at Wärtsilä Corporation, the company is steering the global maritime sector towards a greener horizon with groundbreaking advancements in sustainable fuels and decarbonisation technologies. In this Q&A, Roger Holm unveils the pioneering strides Wärtsilä is making with methanol and ammonia-powered engines, highlighting their pivotal role in propelling the industry towards the ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Join us as we delve into the future of marine propulsion, exploring Wärtsilä’s commitment to fuel flexibility, emission reduction, and the collaborative efforts shaping the sustainable transformation of maritime logistics.
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Innovation in Methanol Engines: With Wärtsilä’s recent introduction of four methanol engines, how do you see this innovation accelerating the marine industry’s transition to sustainable fuels?
Methanol stands out as a crucial alternative fuel choice for achieving the industry’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. What makes methanol promising is its versatility and compatibility with existing shipping infrastructure: it can be produced using renewable energy sources and carbon capture technology, ensuring it’s not only sustainable, but also carbon neutral.
Wärtsilä is one of the few marine engine builders with experience in methanol engines, having converted the first of four engines on the ferry Stena Germanica, which embarked on the world’s first methanol-powered sailings in 2015. What’s more, the Wärtsilä 32 Methanol engine and MethanolPac, both launched in 2022, were amongst one of the first commercially available solutions for using methanol as a fuel in the maritime industry.
Wärtsilä’s recent introduction of four methanol engines marks a significant milestone in the marine industry’s pathway to sustainability. By expanding our methanol engine offerings across various vessel types, we are enabling shipowners to proceed with the flexibility they need to transition towards cleaner operations. Our commitment to developing engines capable of running on future fuels underscores our dedication to supporting the maritime industry’s journey towards sustainability.
Ammonia as a Marine Fuel: Wärtsilä has launched the world’s first 4-stroke engine-based ammonia solution. What challenges did you face in developing this technology, and how does it set the pace for marine decarbonisation?
Developing an ammonia-based solution for marine propulsion represents a significant leap in the industry’s drive for sustainable maritime fuels. There were, however, many important considerations taken into account during its development, particularly around fuel combustion, safety, and emissions management.
Ammonia combustion poses hurdles due to its ignition characteristics and energy density compared to conventional fuels like diesel. Ammonia has a lower volumetric efficiency, meaning larger fuel tanks and storage systems are needed for these engines than on vessels using traditional propulsion systems. The additional infrastructure, such as volume of fuel tanks, may have implications for cargo capacity such as on container vessels, or on operating ranges before the need for bunkering.
Another consideration for ammonia is handling potential nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, which requires designing efficient aftertreatment catalysts and systems to minimise these emissions. Optimised combustion and integrated aftertreatment, as is found in the Wärtsilä 25 ammonia solution, has been shown to minimise all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
With appropriate forward planning however, these considerations can be mitigated, especially for newbuilds where additional storage capacity can be more easily accounted for.
Outside of the direct energy efficiency and emissions consideration, ensuring safety in handling ammonia is critical. Ammonia’s toxicity means specialised storage and handling equipment needed to be developed, alongside the appropriate crew training to ensure those handling the fuel properly understands how to mitigate any risks effectively.
Wärtsilä’s new WARMS technology (Wärtsilä Ammonia Release Mitigation System) mitigates the risks associated with ammonia as a future maritime fuel, ensuring safety and environmental protection with minimal emissions. Accurate monitoring, controlled combustion, and preventing the release of vented ammonia into the atmosphere means WARMS offers a green and safe alternative to traditional methods of handling ammonia.
With the technology available, and growing ammonia fuel supply infrastructure around the world, viable alternative fuel options significantly contribute to the industry’s transition towards decarbonisation and cleaner energy sources.
Reducing Methane Emissions: The new version of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine significantly reduces methane emissions. Can you elaborate on the technological advancements that made this possible?
Sustainable fuels are crucial to the maritime decarbonisation journey. But, the cost, limited available quantities, and insufficient supply infrastructure of these fuels today present a challenge for ship operators. The continued expansion of the LNG fuel infrastructure is an important factor in shipping’s transition towards cleaner operations. After all, compared to fuel oil, LNG enables lower GHG emissions and reduces other harmful air pollutant emissions.
However, the main component of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) is methane and when you burn LNG as a fuel, a very small amount may not combust properly, leading to methane escaping into the atmosphere.
Reducing methane slip in engines running on LNG has been a crucial step in developing our decarbonisation portfolio, helping the global fleet mitigate the impact of running on this transition fuel. Through the development of new combustion technologies, our 30-year commitment to reducing methane slip has resulted in an impressive circa 90% reduction in our engines.
The Wärtsilä 31DF engine is a concrete step towards an ultra-low emission engine that can help future-proof vessels leveraging LNG as a fuel. While the standard Wärtsilä 31DF already evidenced the lowest emissions on the market, the latest modifications focus on ultra-low methane emissions and can reduce methane emissions by an additional 41%. This is all while maintaining the same high-power output and performance, and simultaneously reducing nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions by 86%.
The new version, which is applied on one of the four engines on board Wasaline’s Aurora Botnia ferry, has already helped the Finnish-Swedish ferry operator further reduce the Aurora Botnia’s methane emissions by 10 percent. As part of the EU co-funded Green Ray and SeaTech projects, Wärtsilä piloted the ultra-low emissions concept onboard the Aurora Botnia with exceptional results verified through an independent study conducted in December 2022 by VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland. Encouraged by the positive results, Wärtsilä launched the new ultra-low emissions version of the Wärtsilä 31DF engine to the commercial market in 2023.
As the industry advances its decarbonisation journey, it is vital to continue to focus on reducing methane emissions. Because we recognise the significant importance, Wärtsilä is committed to reducing methane emissions from its engines even further with investment in R&D and technology, as well as through more collaboration projects.
Fuel Flexibility Importance: Given the current uncertainties around fuel availability and price, how does Wärtsilä’s focus on fuel flexibility benefit your clients and the broader maritime industry?
With stringent emissions reduction targets, operators face increasing pressure to transition to cleaner fuels and technologies, with adaptability being a key solution. Wärtsilä’s investment in fuel-flexible engines and technologies enables its customers to comply with evolving regulations without the risk. Fuel flexibility ensures that vessels remain compliant with changing regulatory standards in the long term, protecting against high retrofit costs in the short term, and importantly reduces the commercial risk of noncompliant vessels.
Fuel prices and availability can fluctuate significantly due to geopolitical factors, investment in green corridors, supply chain disruptions, and market dynamics. Engines capable of operating on multiple fuel types, including traditional marine fuels alongside LNG, biofuels, methanol, and ammonia, means that Wärtsilä provides fleet operators with the flexibility to diversify against price and supply volatility in any one fuel type. This versatility allows operators to choose the most cost-effective and readily available fuel option at any given time, which is key for vessels operating on routes without consistent access to certain alternative and future fuels.
Similarly, fuel flexibility ensures that vessels remain viable and competitive long term in the face of shifting market trends and emerging technologies. As the industry transitions towards decarbonisation, the availability and cost-effectiveness of alternative fuels are expected to evolve. This empowers fleets to future-proof their investments by enabling seamless transitions to cleaner fuels as they become more economically viable and widely available. This proactive approach minimises the risk of asset devaluation and ensures that vessels remain relevant and competitive throughout their operational lifespan.
The industry is aligning towards certain future fuels, mainly the promising front runners such as methanol and ammonia, which offer low-carbon and carbon-neutral energy sources depending on the production method. By offering engines capable of utilising these fuels alongside conventional diesel, Wärtsilä facilitates industry’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and meet tightening decarbonisation targets. This proactive stance not only enhances environmental sustainability but also enhances the reputation and market positioning of owners and operators, who stand to be in a competitive advantage.
Collaboration with Viridis Bulk Carriers: Can you discuss the significance of Wärtsilä’s collaboration with Viridis Bulk Carriers and how it exemplifies the practical application of your ammonia solution in the industry?
Viridis Bulk Carriers have the ambition to be the world’s first zero emission shipping company, and as part of that strategy, will be the first shipowner to benefit from Wärtsilä’s new ammonia solution. The collaboration will show how ammonia solutions are practically viable and available for owners and operators planning for decarbonised solutions.
A key barrier to the wider uptake of future fuel systems is the uncertainty in which fuel will become dominant in the future, both in the commercial cost parity to conventional fuels, supply, and availability in infrastructure. Shipping companies which take the initiative and publicly commit to these new fuel systems help lead the industry into a phase of greater confidence in these solutions. It is important that more leaders and innovators across the industry adopt these solutions to boost confidence, and ultimately, take-up of technology to drive decarbonisation even faster.
Sustainable Shipping Operations: How do Wärtsilä’s innovations in methanol and ammonia-powered engines contribute to the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions in the maritime sector by 2050?
Wärtsilä’s latest advancements in methanol and ammonia-powered engines contribute significantly to the goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Both methanol and ammonia are promising alternatives to traditional fossil fuels because they produce lower greenhouse gas emissions on a tank-to-wake basis.
Ammonia on the other hand, produces no CO2 emissions when combusted, making the fuel a key component in achieving net-zero carbon emissions when produced using sustainable methods. There are greater challenges in the adoption of ammonia, notably in the storage and handling, however with forward planning ammonia can be suitable for a range of vessel types.
Looking at the sustainability of fuels on a well-to-wake basis, the reduction in GHG emissions is highest when utilising green methanol and green ammonia. The method of production, in the case of ‘green’ fuels, which uses renewable energy sources such as wind or solar power is essential when considering the overall carbon intensity of a particular fuel type.
Wärtsilä has introduced commercially available engine-based solutions for both ammonia and methanol fuels. The Wärtsilä 25 engine platform now includes an ammonia solution, allowing ships to run on this alternative fuel. Similarly, the Wärtsilä 32 Methanol engine provides a reliable option for vessels powered by methanol.
Both ammonia and methanol solutions offered by Wärtsilä meet current and future emissions regulations, including those set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), ensuring that ships using these fuels can navigate regulatory requirements in the long-term.
Future-Proof Engine Platforms: Wärtsilä’s engine platforms are designed to be future-proof. How do you balance the need for immediate sustainability with the flexibility to adapt to future green fuels?
Due to the uncertainty around which future fuel is likely to become widespread, both in its availability and cost effectiveness, owners and operators must play a balancing act between long-term viability and immediate decarbonisation in the here and now. Forward-thinkers in the industry are already adopting engines capable of running on these future fuels with an increasingly large portion of fuel flexible vessels being ordered as newbuilds and for retrofit. However, there is still lots of work to do to help most of the fleet implement immediate decarbonisation solutions.
Although investing fully in a low-carbon or zero-carbon fuel, such as ammonia, is one of the fastest methods to decarbonisation, operators are understandably hesitant to go all-in on one fuel considering the possible risks such as fuel availability along routes.
Offering flexible options is the best way to balance short-term and long-term needs. Investing in fuel flexible options will mitigate market fluctuations, and infrastructure and supply risks to enable operators to utilise whichever fuel is most viable at that moment on a certain route. This provides operators with the flexibility to mitigate any risks that would come with betting on a single fuel source solution.
In the long-term, these vessels will be futureproofed against more stringent regulations, while simultaneously able to easily convert to whichever frontrunner fuel comes out on top in the next decade and beyond.
Role of LNG in Decarbonisation: With the advancements in reducing methane slip, what role do you see LNG playing in the short to medium term in the industry’s decarbonisation efforts?
LNG presents a viable solution for achieving environmental goals in the short to medium term. With increasing regulatory pressure, the key advantage of investing in an LNG capable engine is that it sets you on a path from a technological and operational perspective, to progressively transition to cleaner fuels, to adopt blends, and eventually to do a fuel conversion to ammonia or methanol, for example.
However, one of the significant challenges associated with LNG is methane slip. Methane has a high global warming potential – greater in potency than CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) – making it essential to address to help ensure LNG’s long-term viability as a marine fuel. As previously mentioned, Wärtsilä has made significant strides in this area, reducing methane slip by around 90% over the past three decades through engine upgrades and ongoing research and development efforts.
Ultimately, LNG is a transition fuel that is helping the industry advance further forward in its sustainability – but it is the start of the journey towards decarbonised shipping. The long-term goal for the industry is to have zero impact on the environment. That is where we need to go as an industry.
Impact of New Technologies on Existing Fleets: How does Wärtsilä support the adaptation of its new sustainable technologies in existing fleets, particularly in terms of retrofitting?
Existing vessels, particularly bulkers, oil tankers, and container ships, face significant challenges in meeting IMO’s (International Maritime Organisation) CII (Carbon Intensity Indicator) targets. Over one-third are currently non-compliant, with projections indicating a worsening trend. Retrofitting with energy-saving technologies is crucial to improve CII ratings and extend vessel lifespans. Investment in decarbonisation technologies is needed to prevent the stranding of especially older vessels aged 10-15 years. Retrofit capabilities offer a pathway to sustainability without compromising business success, addressing the imminent threat of non-compliance and facilitating lower GHG emissions.
At Wärtsilä, we offer comprehensive fuel conversion solutions, acknowledging the increasing variety of available fuels. These include retrofit options for both 4-stroke and 2-stroke engines, capable of operating on LNG, methanol, or ammonia. These options can allow seamless transition to different fuel types without interruption in power generation. Comprehensive feasibility studies for vessel owners contemplating the transition to alternative fuels can provide insights into necessary modifications, cost estimates, and risk assessments, empowering informed decision-making for sustainable operations.
Our propulsion solutions are focused on delivering the highest efficiency, helping to reduce a ship’s energy consumption and save fuel, whilst our data, AI and voyage solutions are designed to connect and optimise the entire ecosystem, from propellers to ports and beyond, improving efficiency, and cutting fuel costs and GHG emissions.
What’s more, our hybrid solutions also offer reduced emissions for both retrofit and newbuild vessels. Hybrid vessels combine two methods of propulsion, a conventional combustion engine and a rechargeable battery. This reduces fuel consumption and increases operational efficiency, among other benefits. Ultimately, our hybrid solutions provide a solid starting point for creating a flexible vessel, which is able to operate at an optimal load and adaptable for any future requirements within its lifetime.
In addition to fuel flexibility, onboard carbon capture systems offer a potent solution by capturing CO2 emissions directly from exhaust gases and storing them underground or repurposing them for other industrial processes. These systems, which Wärtsilä hopes to be available for both retrofit installations and newbuilds, significantly reduce a vessel’s carbon footprint.
Vision for Marine Industry’s Future: Looking beyond 2050, what is your vision for the marine industry’s energy transition, and how is Wärtsilä positioning itself to lead in this evolving landscape?
In projecting the future of the marine industry’s energy transition beyond 2050, Wärtsilä recognises the pivotal role of the wider supply chain. As an industry responsible for transporting over 80% of world trade, maritime shipping serves as the lifeblood of the global economy.
However, there lies the challenge of meeting the increasing demand for capacity while aligning with sustainability goals. And time is of the essence here. In just 25 years – the lifetime of a single vessel – shipping must eliminate its entire contribution to climate change.
Wärtsilä understands that the evolution of the maritime sector hinges upon collaborative efforts across the entire ecosystem. Our commitment to innovation and sustainability underscores our vision to support the industry’s sustainable future. Through robust research and development initiatives, we are continuously investing in technologies that will facilitate the energy transition towards 2050, and beyond. Increasing R&D spending, now at approximately 4% of net sales, exemplifies our dedication to driving progress.
Central to our strategy is recognising there is no one-size-fits-all solution to decarbonisation. Our decarbonisation approach is designed to tailor flexible solutions to the unique needs of owners and operators globally, ensuring that they are equipped with the right technologies at the right time. By providing a diverse portfolio of flexible technologies and future-proofed solutions, we empower our customers on their decarbonisation journey.
Moreover, collaboration lies at the heart of decarbonisation, as the scale of this challenge ultimately requires collective action from stakeholders across the industry. Wärtsilä actively engages in several partnerships and initiatives aimed at advancing sustainable practices through fostering a culture of collaboration, paving the way for a seamless and interconnected ecosystem that supports the transition.
With a target to achieve carbon neutrality in our own operations and to offer a product portfolio ready for zero-carbon fuels by 2030, we are steadfast in our pursuit of a greener and more sustainable future. Wärtsilä is positioned at the forefront of the industry’s energy transition, driven by a strong commitment to innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. As we look towards the horizon beyond 2050, we remain dedicated to pioneering solutions that propel the maritime sector towards a more sustainable and prosperous future.
