10. February 2021
In practice, however, it can be extremely difficult for shipping companies and shipyards to assess which components, systems, and solutions are actually the most energy efficient and hence the best purchase, though this is crucial knowledge when building new ships and refurbishing existing ones.
For this reason, Danish Standards, ReFlow Maritime and Danish Maritime have come together to develop a new ISO standard for the energy efficiency level of maritime equipment. If motors, electrical installations, equipment, components, and systems are not compared based on uniform criteria, it may consequently in many cases be practically impossible to know if the best and most energy efficient product has been selected.
The joint project is meeting strong interest across the Danish maritime sector and has gained financial support from the Danish Maritime Foundation. Once the new standard is published, it will contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Danish companies, according to Managing Director of Danish Maritime, Jenny Braat:
- Danish maritime products are known for their high quality, but they compete fiercely competition on price. Therefore, it’s important to add energy efficiency to the equation. What good does it do that the customer buys a cheap motor or pump, if the fuel consumption results in much higher overall expenses than when selecting a product of better quality and higher energy efficiency. The easier it is to compare, the easier it is for the customer to make an informed choice, and I firmly believe this will benefit the Danish maritime industry, says Jenny Braat.
We know from other industries that energy labelling is a helpful tool for both manufacturers and customers. This applies to public authorities, which are committed to complying with international objectives of the green transition, as well as private enterprises, which need security for their new investments, explains Senior Consultant at Danish Standards, Per Velk.
- The new standard will become an important tool for shipping companies and manufacturers to objectively assess the energy efficiency of maritime systems worldwide. Denmark is one of the most significant maritime nations in the world, and therefore it seems natural that we are at the forefront of the development of new international requirements and contribute to driving the maritime sector towards a more sustainable future. We hope that the standard will help to strengthen and future-proof the Danish maritime sector in a world where sustainability and the ability to deliver and use climate friendly solutions are increasingly important, says Per Velk.
Several maritime enterprises and shipping companies are actively involved in the project, among these ReFlow Maritime, which specializes in the circular economy. They consider increased knowledge about the energy efficiency of the individual components to be extremely important:
- Energy efficiency is a corner stone in the reduction of the carbon footprint of the maritime industry. In the future, ships worldwide will be fueled with new green fuel types, which analyses show will be considerably more expensive than the current types. Consequently, energy efficient systems will play a central role in the future of green shipping. Our hope is that this upcoming ISO standard will be an essential tool for manufacturers as well as shipping companies as part of the green transition, says CEO at ReFlow Maritime, Rasmus Elsborg-Jensen.
Another enterprise participating in the project is C.C. Jensen A/S. They specialize in oil filters and the maintenance of oil systems, which play an important role in the energy efficiency and service life of, for example, motors or gears. Jens Fich, who is Technical Director of C.C. Jensen, believes that the new standard addresses a need in the industry:
- We see energy efficiency as a major future competitive parameter and believe that there’s a need for a credible, common scale on which shipowners and equipment manufacturers can make realistic comparisons between solutions and technologies. It is our ambition that our equipment will contribute to the green transition, and we believe that a standard can form the basis for the development and improvement of equipment and solutions, says Jens Fich.
After six months of preparatory work, the project will submit a proposal for a new standard to ISO. The new ISO standard will be approximately three years in the making.
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