It takes energy to ship goods from one end of the world to the other. This is the core business of Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company. It also takes energy to produce energy, as Maersk Oil does at oil and gas fields around the globe. Most of the energy we consume comes from fossil fuels, and even though we’re dedicated to exploring more sustainable solutions, we believe that fossil fuels will be our primary energy source for decades to come.

Operating ships and rigs requires fossil fuels, and burning these produces exhaust gasses. The same applies to tankers, supply ships and trucks. The predominant emissions into the air are carbon dioxide (CO2), sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matters (PM). While CO2 is a well-known greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, SOx, NOx and PM also impact the environment by causing smog and acid rain.

At Maersk, we consider it our responsibility to manage air emissions in the best possible way. Through years of careful attention, we have reduced greenhouse gas emissions on our vessels, putting Maersk Line and Safmarine ahead of the industry average. Yet we believe there is still room for improvement, and we will continue to reduce fuel consumption and emissions in the years to come.

About CO2
CO2 is generated as a by-product of the combustion of fossil fuels. Almost all carbon entering the engine on a ship, rig or lorry is oxidised to form CO2, which is emitted into the atmosphere as exhaust. This makes CO2 emissions from engines almost directly proportional to the carbon content of the fuel used and to fuel consumption.

Because of this, an obvious way to lower carbon emissions is to reduce fuel consumption, and Maersk invests heavily in improving the fuel efficiency of our ships. One way we are doing this is by maintaining a diverse fleet of different-sized ships – equipped with the latest technologies. Ships such as the EMMA MAERSK – the world’s largest container ship – can accommodate some 11,000  twenty foot containers and have set new standards for energy efficiency on container ships. In general, larger ships are more energy efficient, requiring less fuel and emitting less CO2 per cargo unit transported.

Maersk Line work to improve efficiency has enabled us to lower fuel consumption by 15% between 2002 end 2008. This amounts to a total reduction in CO2 emissions of more than two million tonnes. For the period 2007–2017, we have increased our target for further reductions to 20%.

In our energy business, the main focus is on reducing emissions from our platforms and rigs. Most of these emissions originate from burning fossil fuel in turbines and engines that drive power generators and processing equipment, and from flaring, which is an integral part of our safety systems.

Lowering CO2 emissions at mature oil and gas fields is challenging, as the amount of energy needed to extract these resources increases over time. Still, Maersk Oil has set a corporate flaring reduction target of 50% in 2007-2012 equalling a total reduction of approximately 1.75 million tonnes CO2 in 2012.

SOx, NOx and particulate matter
Because of their role in global warming, CO2 emissions have received a lot of media attention in recent years. Yet emissions of sulphur oxide (SOx), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) contribute to various forms of local pollution. Managing these emissions is also a priority at Maersk.

Sulphur is a natural component of crude oil, and residual amounts remain in the refined oil used for fuel. The amount of SOx emitted in exhaust gases is directly linked to the amount of sulphur in the fuel. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has introduced regulations limiting the maximum sulphur content of marine heavy fuel to 4.5%. In 2008, the average sulphur content in fuel used for Maersk ships was 2.4% – below our target of 2.5% for supply ships and 3.0% for tankers.

In California, Maersk Line has voluntarily run a pilot project to lower emissions of SOx when approaching the ports of Los Angeles and Oakland. We also comply with the Sulphur Emission Control Area (SECA) in the Baltic Sea, the English Channel and the North Sea, where the maximum sulphur content allowed in fuel oil is 1.5%.

We expect limits on sulphur content to be lowered even further – especially close to shore, where sulphur poses the greatest risks. At Maersk, we fully support stricter limits on sulphur emissions, and we are working closely with regulators to bring this about.

While SOx emissions are caused by sulphur in fuel, NOx emissions stem from the combustion process in engines. Here, more efficient combustion actually means more NOx. Consequently, the traditional way to reduce NOx emissions is to make engines less efficient – which obviously has an undesired side-effect of greater fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

At Maersk, we’re researching new technologies to reduce NOx emissions without increasing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The same is true for reductions in particulate matter (PM) emissions. The results so far have been encouraging, and we’ve already developed a new cylinder lubrication system that reduces oil consumption and PM emissions.

What we are doing to reduce emissions:

• A Waste Heat Recovery System, which saves 8–10% fuel at optimum conditions, has been implemented on 32 ships, including 6 in 2008, making Maersk the world’s leading shipping company in this area.
 
• Slow Steaming, which we have introduced on a large number of Maersk Line and Safmarine’s routes. Reducing speed by 5–10% does increase the number of days at sea, but it also reduces both fuel consumption and CO2 emission by more than 15%.
 
• The Quest project, which involves installing software in containers to reduce energy consumption for cooling, has been remarkably effective in reducing CO2 emissions. At the end of 2008, 69% of Maersk Line and Safmarine’s reefer fleet was equipped with Quest software, generating CO2 reductions of 260,000 tonnes per year.
 
• The Voyage Efficiency System (VES), a Maersk-developed voyage planning programme, is used on all large ships to identify the most fuel efficient route, and a “just in time” strategy is employed to keep engine loads at a minimum.