The ecological transition stops on the docks of the ports. While someone discovers that with two cruise ships connected to the power outlet of the now very famous electric docks (cold ironing which is more chic… and does not commit) entire cities would shut down due to the enormous concentrated consumption of energy obviously produced by coal-fired power plants, even the great debate on alternative fuels to allow passenger and cargo ships to navigate, returns to square one: that of the natural gas.
Hydrogen, ammonia, biofuel, nuclear propulsion, electric… remain at the stake and from the assembly of Assarmatori of Rome, the president Stefano Messina states without mincing words and with an unusual transparency: “The liquefied natural gas (LNG) it is the fuel to focus on to accompany shipping in the energy transition and with its large-scale use we can already contribute to achieving the objectives imposed by the European Union. The Government must follow us on this path”.
And he added: “The concept of technological neutrality or a catalogue of alternative fuels available at each port – Messina underlined – it is not reasonably applicable to Italian ports; ports nestled within an urban fabric that makes the presence of a whole range of depots for refueling ships unthinkable. The identification of which fuel is chosen must take place at sea, because only shipowners have all the parameters, including technological capacity and investment awareness, essential for making choices”
In other words: let’s forget about dreams and focus on reality, even if many are wondering whether natural gas (LNG) and the need to have gigantic deposits in port areas are not so obvious. With ports bordering condominiums, the ongoing debate on moving the warehouses in the port of Genoawith the consequent flourishing of No Committees and appeals to the TAR, even just the idea of proposing a gas depot in direct contact with the urban fabric of the cities that in most cases surround and suffocate the port areas, will prove to be a significant problem to solve.
Stephen Messina asked the Government to set up a Review Board to define the needs of shipping companies and on the basis of these open a concrete discussion with the European Commission, underlining how “this is a topic of extraordinary importance especially for proximity traffic, that is, traffic tied to the presence of distribution plants in the main ports in Italy and in the Mediterranean. The future of local public maritime transport, of the Motorways of the Sea, of cruise traffic and connections with the islands, all markets in which Italy occupies a leading position, depends on the choices that will be made regarding the availability of alternative fuels that will be used by these units”.
Messina reiterated the strategic centrality of the gas market. “In 2023 – he said – Italian gas imports via pipeline decreased by 22.51% compared to 2022; in the same period of time Imports of liquid gas, by ship, increased by over 16%. A clear trend, which has further consolidated in the first six months of 2024. I am sure that at the end of the year, when we have the final numbers, we will record further growth in supplies that occurs precisely thanks to maritime transport, demonstrating unequivocally the importance of this asset for our country”.
Currently in the world there are 469 ships that run on LNG and at best will reach a thousand in 2027. According to Clarksons data, the largest share of orders for new ships powered by alternative fuels in 2023 was still made up of dual-fuel LNG, although with an increase to 125 orders for dual-fuel methanol ships in 2023. Still peanuts compared to a global fleet of over 84,600 units in service worldwide. But it is already a step forward to talk about gases and not strange mixtures.
Bruno Dardani, July 2, 2024
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