14. October 2021

Danish shipping leads the way with new global standard for energy efficiency of ships

Finally, we got it: The stamp of approval from the international standardization committee on ships and marine technology. This means that, in a few years, an international ISO standard will be available which will make it much easier to choose the best and most energy efficient product when building or maintaining ships. Denmark is spearheading the project and, according to Danish Maritime, the standard can also help increase Danish exports over time.

A number of actors across The Climate Partnership for The Blue Denmark have chosen to lead the development of a new international standard, which can contribute to a more sustainable shipping industry. Energy efficiency plays a key role for economic, climate and environmental reasons, but in practice it can be difficult for shipping companies and shipyards to identify which components, systems and technologies are the most energy efficient in the long run – and the best purchase at the end of the day.

However, in the future this will be much easier, as the work to develop a new international ISO standard for maritime energy efficiency can now be initiated on the basis of a Danish proposal and with Danish leadership. After a long period of thorough preparation, the proposal was not only successfully passed internationally – it was also adopted almost unanimously, and experts from ten different countries worldwide have already offered to participate in the work, which is quite extraordinary in the maritime area.

At the same time, Danish Standards has ensured that Denmark will lead the work to develop the green maritime standards of the future. This gives Danish enterprises a unique chance to make their mark on the work and influence the future market requirements in this field.

– “I am proud that Denmark has taken the lead and is now at the forefront of the process. There is a huge difference in the quality of components for ships, and now we suddenly get the opportunity to describe the overall picture of a product, so that customers can make much more informed choices. This will no doubt benefit the Danish maritime industry as Danish companies supply high quality products, ensuring good and long-term energy efficiency. In that way, the new standard will make a difference with regard to several parameters, and this is a good thing,” says Jenny Braat, CEO of Danish Maritime.

Energy efficiency as a competition parameter

Thus, the standard can help to strengthen and future-proof the Danish maritime sector in a world where sustainability continues to play an increasingly important role, and where the world market has stiff competition. The Danish proposal to develop the new standard has just been adopted by the international standardization committee ISO/TC 8 Ships and Maritime Technology, giving the green light for work to start.

– “The standard will be developed by international experts, spearheaded by Denmark. Consequently, we are in a good position to leave a strong Danish mark on the final standard which will shape the future international market. This is important not only for the global green transformation of the shipping industry, but also for the position of Blue Denmark on the world market, and this is exactly where we as a country perform well, based on high quality and an active position on sustainability,” says Jens Heiede, Director of Standardization at Danish Standards.

The Danish pump manufacturer DESMI can recognize this:

– “We have come a long way in Denmark and Europe with the development of efficient components and systems for ships. Based on the calculations and comparisons we have made between, for instance, Asian and European components, European components are about 10% more efficient measured on the data available to us. This means that a considerable amount of money can be saved on operations during the life of the ship which may be 25 years, if we focus on efficiency and look at total operating costs rather than just the purchase price,” says John Nielsen, Sales and Application Manager at DESMI Pumping Technology.

Green as well as economic gains

Calculations show that CO2emissions from ships can be considerably reduced by the methods that will described in the new standard. An example is the use of energy efficient control and regulation of the cooling water pumps of auxiliary engines, which on a typical product tanker could contribute some 320 tonnes of CO2 per year as a result of improved energy efficiency in relation to the same ship without the use of this technology. Studies previously published under the auspices of the Green Ship of the Future document this, and a new international standard will help to strengthen focus on the potential CO2reductions on both existing and new ships.

– “The green transition will result in new types of fuel for ships, e.g. ammonia and hydrogen. Several analyses show that the new fuel types will become considerably more expensive. This means that it will be even more necessary to operate everything on the ship as efficiently as possible, and this is exactly what the standard will be a tool to ensure. Consequently, there is a great potential for green as well as financial gains,” says Maria Skipper Schwenn, Executive Director of Danish Shipping.

Facts about the standard:

The project to develop the new standard is supported by The Danish Maritime Fund, and work to develop the standard will be carried out over the next two and a half years or so.

The initiative was originally taken by Danish Maritime, ReFlow Maritime and Danish Standards, and subsequently a large number of companies and organizations have contributed to the preliminary work: Alfa Laval, C.C. Jensen, PureteQ, DESMI, Maersk, Maersk Tankers & Maersk Drilling, Hempel, DFDS, OSK-ShipTech, SIMAC, Danish Shipping and Danish Maritime Authority.

There is massive global interest in taking part in the development of the standard. Ten countries worldwide have already agreed to participate: Belgium, Germany, Japan, China, Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, UK, USA, and, of course, Denmark.

Everyone with an interest and knowledge in this field will have the opportunity to make their mark on the standard and influence the future market requirements through Danish Standards' committee on ships and marine technology (S-262). Currently, SIMAC and Maersk Drilling from Denmark are participating in the work. Read more about the possibilities to participate, thus helping shape the future market: www.ds.dk/s-262

Additional information:

Lisa Olufson Klæsøe, Media Relations Manager, Danish Standards Foundation, lio@ds.dk, phone +45 27129369

Mia Tang, Head of Press and Communications, Danish Maritime, mit@danskemaritime.dk, phone +45 42 14 95 25