A panel discussion on reducing carbon dioxide emissions yesterday during IBEX brought together experts on various facets of boat design, construction and regulation.
The discussion was co-moderated by Aaron Porter, editor of Professional BoatBuilder magazine, and Tim Murphy, education project manager at the American Boat & Yacht Council. The panel included Jeffrey Bowles, director, DLBA Naval Architects; Martin Peters, manager of external affairs, Yamaha Marine U.S. Business Unit; Marnix Hoekstra, co-director, Vripack Yacht Design; and Jeff Wasil, director of environment, health and safety compliance, National Marine Manufacturers Association.
“This show is one of the few opportunities for what is a pretty decentralized industry to come together to discuss solutions,” Porter said in his opening statements. “It’s where we come together to learn from one another.”
Murphy started the session by asking Wasil, who has been researching alternative fuels for years, what surprised him most about decarbonization in the boating industry.
Wasil pointed to the perception that recreational boating contributes unnecessarily to climate change. “Much of this is derived from the conventional carbureted 2-strokes of years past, when you started the engine and it looks like a tire fire.”
Wasil said that of the 1,900 million metric tons of CO2 emitted from the transportation sector, boating contributes 0.7% in the United States and 0.4% in Europe. Additionally, about one half of 1% of gasoline in the U.S. is used in boats.
He said that the NMMA partnered with ICOMIA to commission Ricardo Engineering to do a comprehensive life-cycle study for the marine industry, and the results will be released at Metstrade in November.
Peters said Yamaha has studied electrification. “Batteries don’t have the energy density to create the range that boaters expect, so we look at the future in achieving carbon neutrality through multiple technologies,” he said.
Peters added that “sustainable fuels could get us to carbon-neutrality quicker than electric.”
Yamaha had a boat at the IBEX docks that runs on Ecogen, a 10% carbon neutral fuel that is available now.
“The question we keep getting as people see what we’re promoting is how much this fuel going to cost,” Peters said. “They have an expectation about what they’re willing to pay to be more carbon-neutral.”
From a design perspective, Bowles said DLBA Naval Architects is working more in hybrids than pure electric. Electric foiling boats have been getting attention, but they have limited applications. In a smaller scale and at speeds up to about 20 knots, they work well, but foils reach their efficiency limit at about 45 knots, so they’re not an across-the-board solution, he said.
Hoekstra spoke to design trends in Europe, where emissions restrictions are often more stringent. “We decided that sustainability shouldn’t be a political dilemma or a sacrifice,” he said. “It’s an opportunity.
“We need to analyze how you’re going to use the boat, which is awesome because I get to design cooler boats than ever before,” he added.
Peters also spoke about how boatbuilders can reduce their carbon footprint at the manufacturing level. “Things such as lighting and renewable energies can help a boat manufacturer become more carbon-neutral,” he said. “But once we do that, things get fuzzy at the next level, and it becomes a question of cost.”
Bowles and Hoekstra said many clients have limits when it comes to the cost of decarbonization. “They say, that’s going to be great in 10 years, but I’m not going to spend that today,” Bowles said.
Added Hoekstra: “If you look at our larger projects, we do them for the 1%, but the cool thing is getting the chance to speak with people who can make an impact. The social pressure is helping in starting the conversation with the design brief.”
Wasil stressed the importance of creating standards that will apply to next-generation technology. “Standardization for emerging technologies is critical,” he said. “Anybody with new technology needs to be part of the standards-writing process. If there are no standards for something, how do you know it’s safe?”
