Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

1 1 8 the resources to carefully evaluate new ideas and technologies before investing. The trick is to invest in what you believe are long-term solutions that will really make a difference, particularly to the global warming challenge. It’s risky and expensive to be a pioneer, but we invest in R&D for solutions we believe in, such as batteries and fuel cells for certain ships and chemical methanol for combustion engines of all vessel types. Which new technologies have over- delivered against expectations and which have fallen short? Belle : Self-service and automated service solutions have by far over-delivered against expectations. Customers being able to decide when, where and how to do things is a game-changer. Unfortunately, recycling technology currently falls short of its potential to help reduce greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions. Mathieu : Onboard wi-fi is the perfect example of a technology that has done both. We expect wi-fi to work on demand, but it’s difficult to deliver fast wi-fi on ferries because we rely on satellite-at-sea systems. In 2020, we’re trialling an innovative technology solution called Haut Débit, Longue Portée on Mont St Michel, which sails on the Channel between France and the UK. This would eliminate the need for satellites by using long-reach wi-fi transmitters located on either side of the Channel. Van der Linden : All new technologies are introduced to serve a particular market and are improved over time. Some don’t get developed as well as others and some, such as the traditional two-stroke engines running on heavy fuel oil, are perfected but eventually become obsolete. Westling : Very few technologies have over-delivered, simply because there have been insufficient incentives for people to develop them. However, systems to finance the R&D work that will drive progress are now being discussed. This is essential – I doubt that short-sea ferry operators would have been able to develop LNG fuels and batteries as quickly without the significant support they got from the Norwegian NOx Fund. Can you tell us which emerging technologies offer ferry operators the greatest potential to make significant efficiency gains? Belle : AI is a fundamental part of smart shipping, which will lead to more efficiencies in voyage planning, fuel consumption, emissions control, predictive maintenance and partial and fully autonomous vessels. Matthieu : We must aim for the zero-emissions ferry of the future. But of course, neither exhaust abatement technology (scrubbers) nor an interim cleaner fuel like LNG offers the long- term solution we need. So we have to work with partners to explore fully the potential of new fuels, such as bio and synthetic methane as an LNG ROUNDTABLE “Being the greenest mode of transport must be our goal” Christophe Matthieu, Brittany Ferries