Canada, along with other countries in the international community, has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050. But when it comes to being able to make this transition, not all sectors of the economy are created equal. Industries such as aviation, long-haul trucking and mining are considered hard to decarbonize. Another among them—one that is key for international trade and for the country with the longest coastline in the world—is shipping. According to the Council of Canadian Academies, a total of 20% of Canadian trade depends on ships, and approximately 90% globally.
The continued use of fossil fuels in the shipping industry stems from 2 main challenges: long-lasting infrastructure and limited fuel alternatives. Ships are designed to operate for decades, meaning it takes a long time before existing fleets are replaced with newer, greener vessels. And because ships often travel vast distances across oceans, they rely on high-energy fuels, which release a lot of energy when they burn, and must plan refuelling in a global infrastructure that still supports mostly fossil fuels.
To help ship operators in their decarbonization efforts, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is looking at ways to improve performance and analyzing the potential of alternative fuels. This work brings together expertise from our Ocean Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre and our Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre. Together, they are identifying operational adjustments that can lead to reduced fuel consumption as well as at ways to incorporate greener fuels and measure the impact of their initiatives.
Partnering with the Canadian Coast Guard
A key partner in these efforts is the Canadian Coast Guard, with its large fleet that operates in some of Canada's harshest marine environments, including in the Canadian Arctic. The Canadian Coast Guard is committed to decarbonizing, beginning with transitioning to alternative fuels.
The Canadian Coast Guard's vision for decarbonization according to Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard, is
"to create a future where we are powered by clean, renewable and secure energy. And we promote sustainable practices and technologies across the maritime sector."
"The key challenge in ship operations is reducing diesel dependency," says Dr. Shouvik Dev, an NRC research officer with the Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre. Most vessels are designed and built to use petroleum diesel. Mixing in some low-carbon fuels with traditional diesel can reduce performance, which leads to increased emissions.
Dev and his team in Ottawa are testing fuel blends and additives for engine performance, fuel characteristics and emissions. He notes that drastic changes in fuel properties can have a negative impact on vessel performance. For example, biodiesel performs poorly in cold temperatures. "A winter blend of petroleum diesel remains liquid at ‑30°C, but biodiesel would typically solidify at that temperature," he says. But a carefully balanced low-carbon fuel and petroleum diesel blend could lower emissions while ensuring it functions at extreme temperatures and is compatible with existing vessels.
"The first step is blending petroleum diesel with a low-carbon fuel," explains Dev. The Canadian Coast Guard is exploring 2 low-carbon fuels for blending—biodiesel and renewable diesel, both derived from natural sources. Biodiesel is chemically different from petroleum diesel, so there are several drawbacks to its use. However, renewable diesel is chemically equivalent to petroleum diesel, but generally more expensive due to the additional processing steps required to produce it. At this time, the best path forward in the short term seems to be for ships to use biodiesel blends and then, once those fuels are widely available, switch to entirely renewable diesel, which will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the transition will not be straightforward because of remaining technical, supply and economic challenges.
NRC researchers are also evaluating potential trade-offs, such as whether blends would reduce greenhouse gas emissions but increase other pollutants, and how the lower energy density in low-carbon fuels could make it necessary for ships to refuel more frequently, potentially affecting the efficiency of their operations.
Collecting ship data for greener decisions
To reduce emissions, switching fuels is not enough. Vessels must run optimally. This is where the Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre steps in. With the right instrumentation, the Canadian Coast Guard will be able to track emissions and the impact on operations. As Dev sums it up, "If you don't measure, you don't know."
Traditionally, vessels measure data for navigation, such as wind speed, velocity and engine power output. Using this data for non-navigational purposes, for instance decarbonization, is an evolving approach that allows vessel owners and operators to make the most of the data they collect. "As new technologies emerge, with more sensors and data capabilities, it will be possible to integrate information from these systems to create a holistic data set covering vessel performance, subsystems and environmental factors. This will provide a comprehensive database to inform decision making," says Allison Kennedy, a senior research officer at the Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre. Her work is helping the Canadian Coast Guard optimize data usage, develop a framework for managing and visualizing this data, and establish baselines for power, fuel consumption and emissions—all of which are crucial for being able to measure the impact of new technologies.
Supporting Canadian innovation
The Clean Energy Innovation Research Centre's research on fuels is publicly available, therefore providing information to guide Canadian innovators in fuels, shipbuilding and engine design as they develop the next generation of decarbonization technologies.
There are also plans to make subsets of the data collected by the Canadian Coast Guard publicly available, supported by the Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre. "By publishing the work we're doing with the Canadian Coast Guard, who are leaders in decarbonization, we can help stimulate innovation and technology development across Canada," says Kennedy.