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Edward explained his role and involvement with regards to the seminar, critical engineering challenges, what he is looking forward to at the event and why it is important for industry professionals to attend.
Q: Could you briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to this seminar?
Edward Fort (EF): The decarbonisation of international shipping is without doubt the greatest challenge that the industry faces, and a clear understanding of the future fuel options is key to finding a sustainable solution. It currently dominates the decarbonisation debate within the industry and consequently, in my role as Global Head of Engineering within the Technical Policy Group at Lloyd’s Register, there is seldom a day goes by when the topic of future fuels, the potential implications for the safety of shipping and the role of Lloyd’s Register therein are not the focus my attention.
Q: What are the main engineering challenges facing the industry at the moment and what are the most common issues you hear from colleagues?
EF: The shipping industry has acknowledged the part it needs to play in tackling climate change, as evident in the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) recently agreed strategic objectives for decarbonisation, and as such, in common with other transportation sectors, the industry is looking not only at fuel sustainability from a point of use perspective i.e. onboard ship, but fuel sustainability from a wider end-to-end supply chain perspective. This requires the industry to look beyond its traditional borders and colleagues within the industry to look into unfamiliar territory and even to the macro factors affecting global energy supply before potential shipboard solutions can be identified, evaluated and compared.
Q: What is the most exciting development in this field at the moment, either within your company or in the industry in general?
EF: The shipping industry is changing at an unparalleled pace. Nowhere is it more apparent than in the changes to ships engineering systems. Inconceivable just a few decades ago, multi-megawatt hour battery and multi-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell installations are beginning to offer the prospect of zero emission power and propulsion for sea-going vessels. Equally, intelligent, remotely controlled and autonomous ships systems are all in development and will radically change the way ships are operated and shipping fleets are managed with the prospect of maximising efficiency and minimising onboard fuel demand. It's a challenging time but without doubt an exciting time for marine engineers and no sign of it changing for the foreseeable future!
Q: What key things can attendees expect learn from your presentation?
EF: Attendees will gain an appreciation of the vision and goals the shipping industry has set itself in tackling climate change, the unique challenges that the shipping industry faces in transitioning away from hydrocarbon fossil fuels upon which it, and with it 90 percent of world trade, so heavily depends. Attendees will also gain insight into the current thinking within the industry as to how this might be achieved over the coming decades and the early steps the industry has begun to take to make it a reality.
Q: What other speakers or topics are you looking forward to hearing about and discussing at the upcoming seminar?
EF: As mentioned, to understand the future direction of travel where ship fuels are concerned it is not sufficient just to look only at what is happening within the shipping industry itself. Decisions will need to be taken with one eye on what is happening in other sectors, both transportation and industrial, and what is happening in respect of national and international, public and private, policies and strategies relating to energy supply and demand. Consequently, I am keen to understand what is happening within other transportation sectors in respect of visions in the form of decarbonisation targets, implementation schedules etc., aspirations and challenges...and of course solutions!
Q: What developments are you most interested in for the future and why?
EF: With the decarbonisation debate just beginning, all developments with the potential to contribute to the availability of safe and sustainable marine fuels on a global scale are of interest. At this point in time I have a particular interest in better understanding the potential role that carbon capture and storage (CCS) might play in providing a realistic pathway for transitioning from around 300 million metric tonnes of hydrocarbon fossil fuels consumed by the industry annually to the ultimate goal of 100 percent sustainably sourced fuels.
Q: Why is it important for industry professionals to join this seminar?
EF: The seminar brings together professionals from a variety of transportation and industrial sectors interested or engaged in the future fuels debate. Although each sector will have its own particular challenges many however are shared and common across sectors. The world we live in is increasingly interdependent and the opportunity to listen and share experiences that this seminar represents is in this respect invaluable.
Low Carbon Transport: Engineering the Fuels of the Future will be taking place on 9 July 2019 at One Birdcage Walk, London. Join this seminar to:
- Learn from pioneers in the low carbon fuels sector including BP, E4tech, Shell, Cardiff University, Audi, JCB and Ricardo
- Stay up to date with the latest developments in low carbon fuels including current pathways and production to ensure your processes are cost-effective
- Hear from OEMs about the practical applications of low carbon fuels in both passenger and off-highway vehicles
- Gain insight into overcoming the main obstacles for large-scale use of low carbon fuels
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/lowcarbon.