GLOBAL ship management company V.Group has reinforced its commitment to decarbonisation of the shipping industry by launching a dedicated ‘Sustainability & Decarbonization’ department and entering a strategic partnership with Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (the Center).
Launched in 2020 as an independent, not-for-profit organisation, the Center is undertaking intensive research and development to find practical ways to decarbonise the maritime industry through several global initiatives.
As a partner, V.Group intends to support its customers in the use of transition fuels, including green ammonia and hydrogen, in anticipation of a stricter regulatory climate.
The leading ship manager will make several of its marine specialists available to the Center in Copenhagen to provide insights about the operational practicality of proposed initiatives in a live setting.
René Kofod-Olsen, CEO at V.Group said:
“We firmly believe that by pooling our resources, the maritime sector could play an exemplary role in bringing about fundamental change to protecting our planet. By establishing a dedicated function and joining forces with the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, we are demonstrating our commitment to driving this change in a very real and practical way.
“By supporting the use of pioneering new fuels, new technologies and digital practices, V.Group aims to remove barriers, close gaps and find solutions, and will thereby assist our customers and the industry towards lower carbon emissions.
“As well as informing our own practices, we believe that the dedicated approach and our involvement with the Center will be of significant benefit to our customers and the wider industry.
“We are committed to ensuring that operating procedures, safety management and crew training are kept in step with innovation. Crew, for instance, will have to know how to handle, store and manage new fuels and operate technically advanced propulsion and power generation equipment.
“In the coming years, the entire seafaring community will need to be trained or retrained to adapt to this new low carbon world. Our customers can rest assured that we are prepared for these major changes.
“Environmental credentials will soon become as important a consideration for vessel owners as health and safety, so it is imperative ship managers take the initiative.”
In welcoming V.Group to the Center Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO, said:
“We are delighted to be joining forces with V.Group. Decarbonizing the maritime industry by 2050 calls for action now and together we will support the first movers that lead the way and demonstrate real climate action.
“This transformation is about much more than maturing new fuel pathways and developing new technologies. It is a systemic change to an entire business system and the implementation of the new solutions will impose significant challenges across all parts of the value chain. V.Group brings decades of operational experience, expertise and insights that will help inform best practices around safety, training and new operational standards.
“Connecting the human element and best practises of safety management to the hard engineering will be critical for a successful industrial transition. V.Group will contribute with significant knowledge and expertise in this field.
“V.Group’s partnership underlines the wider realisation that change is inevitable. The shipping industry currently accounts for three per cent of global CO2 emissions and has made numerous commitments to reduce these by 2050.