Innovation is a cornerstone of our business. We have an extensive track record of developing groundbreaking technologies, designs and solutions, and innovation plays an especially critical role in environmental protection.
Creativity and action make green solutions
Maersk has achieved many breakthroughs in environmentally friendly maritime products over the years, yielding more efficient propulsion methods, better propellers, and friction-reducing marine paint. These efforts reflect a growing interest in environmentally sound business decisions among our stakeholders, including customers, employees, shareholders and authorities. One example of our environmental innovation is Damco’s SupplyChain CarbonCheck service, which helps customers find ways to reduce both costs and CO2 emissions. The service is one factor that has made Damco a leader in the field of green logistics.
The No. 1 choice for environmental transport
Because shipping by containership requires less energy than shipping by air, rail or lorry, container shipping is always a good place to start reducing energy consumption further. Recent energy-saving innovations have made the choice even easier. Many of these innovations are developed by Maersk Maritime Technology, which includes a dedicated innovation department.
Lower emissions, lower costs
The key to reducing emissions of CO2 and other potentially harmful gasses is greater fuel efficiency. By optimising our engines, reducing hull friction, rethinking propeller design and taking a range of other design and operational measures, we’ve been able to cut fuel consumption by up to 20%. That means lower emissions, but it also means lower costs and more competitive services and pricing for our customers.
Another innovation project that is helping us lead the way in green shipping is our new Waste Heat Recovery System, which can reduce fuel consumption by 8–10% fuel under the right conditions. We’ve already implemented the system on some 30 ships, including our large PS container ships, and we’ve ordered systems for 42 additional ships. For these new ships an overall efficiency improvement of 23% has been achieved. We are studying ways to clean exhaust components that can’t be recovered and put to use.
Other Maersk innovations include new methods for ballast water management – where we’re treating the water prior to discharge to reduce the impact of foreign micro-organisms on local marine life – and testing new types of non-toxic coatings for ship hulls.
Oil and gas from depleted fields
It takes energy to extract oil and gas from reservoirs, and the more the reservoirs are depleted, the more energy it takes – and the more CO2 emissions involved. Maersk Oil is currently facing this challenge in the North Sea. To meet the challenge, we’re reducing the use of flaring and finding new ways to boost efficiency and lower emissions on platforms. Our efforts to reduce flaring have lowered consumption by some 50% since 2001.
Alongside our work to improve energy efficiency, we’re studying and implementing new ways to reduce discharges of produced water associated with oil and gas extraction, and to clean the produced water that must be discharged in a more environmentally responsible manner. One focus area is the re-injection of produced water, and the potential of using heat and steaming to remove oil from the water.
Carbon Capture and Storage
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves extracting CO2 from power plant emissions, for example, and storing it underground. Maersk Oil will eventually have depleted reservoirs that can be used for this purpose – and we will be looking to work with other companies to develop solutions than can transform reservoirs into storage facilities. The CCS techniques available today are expensive and inefficient, but new methods should be able to bring down costs and improve efficiency.
PARTNERSHIPS
In our work to innovate solutions to environmental challenges, we frequently partner with universities, government agencies, NGOs and other companies. Examples of current projects include the following.
The Green Ship of the Future
Maersk is partnering with among others MAN Diesel, Odense Steel Shipyard, FORCE Technology, the Danish Centre for Maritime Technology and the Danish Maritime Authority on a project to create a new ship design that aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% and SOx and NOx emissions by 90%. Known as the “Green Ship of the Future”, the initiative combines numerous sub-projects involving everything from automatic tuning of the main engine to innovative waste heat recovery systems.
Maersk Line and Clean Cargo Working Group (CCWG)
The Clean Cargo Working Group partnership has more than 25 members, including not only container carriers, but also major retailers and manufacturers such as Coca-Cola, H&M, Nike, Wal-Mart, Timberland and Starbucks. The group’s overall mission is to integrate environmentally and socially responsible business principles into transportation management, in part by setting benchmarks and sharing data and ideas about sustainable solutions.
Energy Efficient Transport Planning
Energy Efficient Transport Planning (ENERPLAN) is a joint project involving Maersk Line, the Danish Technical University and the IT University of Copenhagen. Funded by a DKK 7 million grant from the Danish Agency for Science Technology and Innovation, the project seeks to mathematical optimisation and new IT tools with the aim of reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the transportation sector.
Damco and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The MIT Supply Chain Exchange is a corporate membership programme designed for organisations confronting the strategic challenges of modern supply chain management. In joining the programme, Damco has become part of a large community of supply chain management leaders who share cutting-edge research and other knowledge through the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. Damco’s work with the group centres on developing methods for measuring and reducing carbon footprint and promoting global standards in this area.
APM Terminals and Port of Rotterdam
A five-year partnership between APM Terminals and the Port of Rotterdam seeks to improve productivity, efficiency, land utilisation, environmental sensitivity, and public awareness surrounding the container terminal industry. Specific projects will focus on challenges such as environmental best practices, sustainability, safety, cargo security, cost reduction, intermodal movements, supply chain integration and information management. The agreement covers five joint projects per year.
Maersk Tankers and ITOPF
Maersk Tankers are members of the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), a non-profit organisation involved in all aspects of preparing for and responding to ship source spills of oil, chemicals and other substances in the marine environment. ITOPF aids and assists all parties when a spill has occurred, with services ranging from securing response and containment equipment to monitoring clean up operations and investigating damage to coastal resources. Maersk Tankers CEO Søren Skou is a member of ITOPF’s board of directors.