Smart & Green Technology for the Future of Marine Industries

With higher fuel costs and raising environmental concerns globally, there has been an increased incentive to move to-wards
marine technology that is more eco-friendly in nature. The term “Green Technology” is applied to procedures, de-signs and systems
that helps contribute in an eco-friendly fashion. Green Technology is nothing new and has existed for years but often disregarded
for various reasons. One such example being the Flettner Rotor which had been developed as early in the 1920s but
was shelved on an economic basis as the high capital costs outweighed the low bunker costs. With higher fuel costs and an increased focus on becoming “greener”, such technology is being developed again. Part of this growth in green technology is because of new legislation. With tougher legislation being implemented regarding carbon emissions, it is expected billions of dollars is to be invested by organizations to meet these emission caps, or risk large penalties. As a result of the investment geared towards making ships greener, the industry is continually looking to develop and improve on existing ship design and systems. These improvements are centred on driving down fuel consumption and carbon emissions, which both contribute to a greener environment.

With this increased importance on being green, being placed by an increasing amount of stakeholders within a business, it is becoming vital that we increase engagement between industry and academia. This is to ensure that the technology and practices match the ambition and objectives that have been set, and drive R&D across the industry.