Techno-economic feasibility of electrification for short sea shipping

The maritime sector is a major consumer of energy and emitter of greenhouse gases (GHG). Whilst maritime decarbonization is high on the agenda of (inter)governmental organizations, corporations, and operators alike, generally the large vessel sizes and long distances traveled make deep sea shipping segments (e.g., seagoing bulk carriers, container vessels, chemical tankers) hard to abate. Short sea shipping vessels (e.g., ferries, tugs, inland cargo) are typically smaller and travel shorter distances. This paper shows that, building on the significant advances in battery technology for electric vehicles, electrification is also a technically feasible pathway for key short sea shipping segments including inland, coastal and seagoing ferries, inland tugs, inland cargo and offshore asset support. By 2030, technically electrifiable segments together represent approximately 30% of maritime energy consumption and nearly 20% of maritime GHG emissions. By the same year, electrification can be economically advantageous for an estimated 90% of the technically electrifiable fleet.