Green propulsion, autonomous ships, digitization, and VR technologies – these are only some of the topics covered in the Invest in Pomerania report, where current technological trends have been correlated with local maritime industry situation.

Like most sectors of the economy, the maritime sector is strongly influenced by global trends focused on green technologies aimed at reducing of CO2 emissions, as well as advanced data processing solutions that streamline navigation and other operations at sea. These trends obviously guide the development of the local industry.

Towards green shipping and clean energy

Low-emission technologies have been implemented in the Tricity shipyards for years. Just to mention the series of LNG-powered ferries produced by Remontowa Shipbuilding or the hybrid ferries produced by Crist. The next step is to introduce alternative fuels – currently, only 5.5% of the total gross capacity of ships in operation could use them. In comparison, for units currently in the order process, this figure is already 33% of their total gross capacity. It is hard to determine unequivocally which alternative fuels will dominate the market – hydrogen is becoming increasingly important these days, also methanol and ammonia are under discussions.

According to the report, Europe is a leader in the production of units with electric propulsion systems. In 2019, it was responsible for 34.9% of global production. An important element is the modernization of units, which includes converting propulsion systems or installing desulfurization systems – in this area, Remontowa Shiprepair is the leader. In 2019, it ranked ninth in the world in terms of the number of class repairs carried out on ships. Every year, Remontowa repairs or modernizes about 200 units, including the largest ships that can enter the Baltic Sea.

It should also be remembered that the developing offshore wind sector will strongly affect the order portfolios of design offices and ship producers. According to the report, it is projected that by 2050, up to 660 GW of power from offshore wind energy could be installed worldwide. Currently, only 55 GW is installed. Such strong growth will require expanding supply chains, both in terms of new production capacities and diversifying orders in new technological directions.

Autonomous ships, intelligent ports

According to the report, the global value of the autonomous ship market is estimated to be over $85 billion (for 2020). It is predicted that the value of this market by 2030 may equal even $165 billion. Similarly, data consumption is increasing – the average daily data consumption per vessel unit has increased by almost 188% – from 3.4 GB in 2020 to 9.8 GB in 2021. Analysis of data related to current weather conditions will significantly contribute to reducing emissions, lower fuel consumption and safety improvement.

On the one hand, digitization in seaports translates into the creation of smart seaports, which represent the fourth generation of their development. We can talk, for example, about the use of blockchain technology in the process of data notarization, which enables the optimization of cargo storage processes, precise container localization in the transport process, which allows for a reduction in operational costs. On the other hand, ports are starting to use the concept of digital twins to optimize operations. Monitoring a digitized object will significantly contribute to predicting and detecting human errors, which will translate into an increase in the operational efficiency of ports.

Pomerania in a changing world

We live in very dynamic times, both in terms of geopolitics and technology. However, let us remember that these challenges provide a unique opportunity for further development of the local maritime sector in many areas – we are talking about port functioning, supply chain management, ship and offshore structure design and construction, R&D, certification, and IT solutions. We have enormous potential and competence to follow the latest trends, and the latest Invest in Pomerania Report confirms that – comments Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.

This is already the third Invest in Pomerania report from the Focus On series, where we focus on various industrial sectors in terms of global issues affecting the condition of these sectors in Pomerania. The reports are created in cooperation with companies conducting their activities in Pomerania, which allows us to shape the topic and further conclusions in line with how the business environment perceives the current situation. This time we had 18 partners, which corresponds to a very wide range of topics that we covered in the report – says Monika Wójcik, Senior Project Manager at Invest in Pomerania, coordinator of the Report.

The report has been created with the cooperation of the representatives of the local companies related to maritime sector: Aluship Technology, Blue Dot Solutions, Center of New Competences, CTO S.A., Crist, Damen, DNV, Enamor, Equinor, F44, Mainstream Renewable Power, Mewo, Polish Maritime Technology Forum, Randstad, Remontowa Holding, Siemens Gamesa, StoGda and Sunreef Yachts.

Link to the report „Focus on: Maritime Sector in Pomerania”: https://investinpomerania.pl/en/knowledge-base/focus-on-maritime-sector-in-pomerania/

Source: Invest in Pomerania