The expansion of renewable energy generation is a key part of the global energy transition. In particular, offshore wind generation will be vital, with DNV’s Energy Transition Outlook projecting that by 2050 it will supply some 15% of the world’s total electricity generation and grow to 50% of ocean CAPEX. However, for this growth to be realized will require massive ramp up in the development and deployment of offshore wind installation vessels.

“As the global energy transition accelerates, transparent emissions reporting is becoming an essential part of the expectations that all players in the shipping industry have to meet,” said Arnstein Eknes, DNV Segment Director for Special Ships. “But most of our current metrics track transport work, i.e., emissions per ton miles. This leaves us with a gap for vessels in the offshore wind installation segment, where the types of work performed is much more complex. Our aim is to create a shared set of standards for tracking and reporting these emissions, one that covers these varied work modes, propulsion modes, and operational activities.”

“With the EMRED JIP, we are working with the industry leaders in this segment to provide a framework that will enable contractors and operators to document vessel performance and more easily set reduction targets,” said Henning Carlsen, Smart Class Manager – Offshore Classification, at DNV. Charters and financial institutions will then be able to compare vessels on these GHG metrics and document the efficiencies in their projects. We hope that this can then feed into regulations that are better tailored to the needs of the segment and boost the industry’s drive towards a greener future.”

The JIP will run through 2023 to establish a set of emissions metrics that can provide a foundation to objectively measure GHG emissions. This will result in parameters and measurements of “work performed” that are appropriate for the individual ship types and common modes of operation, including DP operation, standby, transit and lifting.

In addition, the EMRED partners will work to develop a set of reference values (baselines) that can be used as a benchmark for operations in the industry for both internal and external stakeholders – comparable to existing standards (AER – Annual Efficiency Ratio, CII – Carbon Intensity Indicator, EEOI – Energy Efficiency Operational Index) for other ship segments.

By developing these metrics and baselines, the JIP partners aim to offer a set of indicators that will enable standardization and contribute to driving emissions reductions across the industry. The project will focus primarily on foundation installation vessels (floating & jack-up), wind turbine installation vessels, and cable laying vessels.