The third edition of the Mapping of Zero Emission Pilots and Demonstration Projects for the maritime industry showcases global action from across the value chain, and increased efforts focusing on ship technologies, fuel production, as well as bunkering and infrastructure. Pilots and demonstration projects are essential to accelerate the shipping industry’s energy transition, and the third edition illustrates how key parts of the value chain are collaborating on the development and implementation of zero-emission technologies.
The third edition of the study includes 203 projects, having grown from 106 projects in the second edition which was released in March 2021. While some of this growth can be attributed to better data collection, 86 of the projects included were initiated during 2021 and Q1 2022. For comparison, 60 projects in the mapping were initiated during 2020, and 75 projects were initiated during 2021. This project increase of 25 percent from 2020 to 2021 illustrates that there is a clear acceleration in industry activity targeting zero-emission solutions.
Some of the key takeaways in this year's mapping include:
More detailed information has been collected on vessel types and fuels used, allowing the mapping to track potential future trends and specializations.
The mapping now tracks participation of actors across the value chain and has identified broad collaboration on projects, as well as a potential gap in the value chain resulting from only a small number of demand-side actors involved in projects.
An increased focus on hydrogen-derived fuel production, with a clear trend towards green hydrogen electrolysis and green ammonia synthesis fuel production.
A higher number of projects targeting large vessels running on ammonia and methanol.
More bunkering and infrastructure projects, as well as the emergence of fuel production in Oceania.
Hydrogen and battery projects are the most likely to receive public funding, with more than half receiving public funding.
Overall project developments and continuations
Since the second edition of the mapping, more than 20 percent of the projects in the mapping have publicly announced that they are developing or continuing into a new project phase. These developments include moving from a concept study to a demonstration in normal operations, receiving Approval in Principle (AiP), signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), receiving funding, or adding new partners to the project.
What is included in the mapping?
The Mapping of Zero Emission Pilots and Demonstration Projects includes projects focusing on zero-emission pathways for the maritime industry. The study covers projects focused on ship technology, fuel production, as well as bunkering and infrastructure. Since the first and second editions of the study, the scope of the information collected has been continuously developed and expanded to include more details on each project. The projects have been categorized based on the project focus, geographical focus, type of project, fuel choice, size and type of vessel, the technology used, the existence of public funding, and the parts of the value chain represented by project partners.
The mapping does not claim to offer an exhaustive list of efforts taking place, but the best endeavors have been made to identify as many projects as possible. Analysis of the metrics listed above provides valuable insights into industry action and trends emerging in shipping’s decarbonization pathway. The scope of the mapping study is based on the Getting to Zero Coalition’s definition of zero-emission fuels, and therefore, although an important part of the transition, energy efficiency projects are not included in this study.