Tanker shipping company Stena Bulk has revealed a set of five dated decarbonisation targets as part of its comprehensive roadmap for becoming a net-zero business by 2050. The first of these milestones was achieved in 2020, when Stena Bulk began offering customers low-carbon shipping options with up to a 100% reduction of CO2 emissions.
These include the use of biofuels and an internal carbon emissions offsetting program, which allows the organisation to offer low-carbon options on any voyage, regardless of ports and specific ships used. As part of the net-zero milestones, Stena Bulk has underlined the need to start transitioning to a more sustainable fleet.
The company is already making progress in this area, as it readies to launch the first of three planned carbon neutral-ready, methanol fuelled vessels next year in collaboration with Proman. The methanol-fuelled vessel will be able to be operated on VLFSO.
Stena Bulk’s second organisational milestone will require every new ship in its fleet from 2030 to come with a roadmap for an upgrade to a carbon-neutral status, either by retrofitting new technology or switching to carbon-neutral fuels. The third milestone comes hand in hand with the recently unveiled vessel design InfinityMAX concept . The ultra-flexible, zero-emission design would enable the vessel to carry both dry and wet cargoes in modular compartments.
Each of the InfinityMAX’s modular cargo units are designed to be totally self-sufficient in terms of their energy use, with wind turbines and solar panels generating all the electricity needed for internal systems.
Stena Bulk aims to have a ship with a similar design to the InfinityMAX concept operating on the water by 2035 at the latest. By 2040, Stena Bulk aims to become a fully carbon-neutral tanker operator, through a combination of zero-emission vessels and those running on carbon neutral fuels, coupled with carbon emissions offsetting programs to fully achieve the carbon neutral operations goal. To achieve its final milestone in 2050, Stena Bulk plans to take accountability for its operations and the indirect emissions connected to the business, as well as the cargo carried by its vessels. Therefore, by 2050, all cargo carried by the Stena Bulk fleet will need to be climate neutral. “In order to decarbonise, the maritime community must take risks, push sustainability boundaries, and embrace a partnership approach that enhances collaboration between industry partners and customers ,” Erik Hånell, President & CEO, Stena Bulk, said. “The set of decarbonisation targets and wider roadmap that we are presenting today is another example of Stena Bulk’s commitment to a sustainable shipping future, and we are immensely proud to be one of the first industry players to propose a plan that makes our own net zero journey tangible, achievable, and measurable.”