New research from Finnish emissions compliance expert Ahti Climate reveals the scale of FuelEU Maritime optimisation available through pooling and the use of appropriate low-carbon fuels.
Using tools it has developed to manage Ahti Pool, the first FuelEU Maritime compliance pool, Ahti has calculated that the use of one e-methanol vessel on voyages within the European Union’s waters could make 70 vessels using HFO compliant. By comparison, under the FuelEU Maritime regulations, an LNG vessel with a low-speed engine could only be used to make five HFO-fuelled ships compliant.
Moreover, by adding 1-1.5% e-methanol and pooling, operational fuel costs can be cheaper under FuelEU Maritime than burning straight HFO and paying penalties.
Ahti has further calculated that FuelEU Maritime will grow the alternative fuel market value in European shipping to greater than the fossil fuel market value by 2040. Ahti says it is is trusted by companies including Gasum and Ren-Gas to provide calculations about their position under the FuelEU Maritime regulation, and Ahti’s senior leadership team contains more than 100 years of combined maritime experience. The Ahti Calculator contains data for all relevant alternative fuels for shipping verified against the regulation parameters and calculation methodology.
FuelEU Maritime will come into force ion 1 January 2025, and will require all ships entering EU waters to comply with new carbon intensity limits on vessel emissions. There has been criticism in some quarters about the financial viability of ships powered by low-carbon fuels because they are going to be at least 3-6 times more expensive than traditional bunkers. However, Ahti says that this ignores the additional benefits which can be achieved under FuelEU Maritime through pooling compliance within a fleet that’s using an optimised mix of low-carbon and traditional bunkers on different vessels. The sustainability value obtained from using low-carbon fuels is not limited to the year in which it occurs. Any compliance surplus can be ‘banked’ for following FuelEU Maritime reporting periods.
Risto-Juhani Kariranta, CEO Ahti, said: “We are a on a mission to make shipping’s green transition affordable, and one of the best ways to do that for ships that are visiting and operating within European Union waters is via pooling and choosing the optimal low-carbon fuels.”
Ahti Pool combines expert geographical knowledge, the latest optimisation algorithms, and energy data sets to find the lowest cost of compliance for vessels and avoid implementing a ‘paying the penalties’ strategy.
For example, the Ahti Pool calculator has determined that through the ultra-low carbon intensity possible with e-fuels and the renewable fuels of nonbiological origin (RFNBO) multiplier, in 2025 only 1.3% of a ship’s total energy would need to come from e-methanol to be compliant, and for biodiesel it would be 3.1%. The rest of the bunkers could be HFO, with no penalty under FuelEU Maritime.
Kariranta concluded: “Companies that fail to optimise their vessel operations in response to FuelEU Maritime will find their overheads quickly become a competitive handcuff.”
Image: Ahti Pool can optimise fleet energy costs per reduced CO2 equivalent ton (source: Ahti)
