Slowly but surely, various industry sectors are beginning to see the light in terms of environmental safety and discovering ways in which they can help reduce their carbon emissions as a company and therefore do their part to contribute to the preserving of the environment. An industry that is also beginning to follow this initiative to go green is the shipping sector. Freight ships travel thousands of kilometres daily in order for you to receive your cargo in its desired destination. There are now a few companies that are taking a stand and adapting their services to make sure that they are using the least amount of energy possible in order to reduce their carbon emissions and contribute to the saving of the environment.
A freight shipping company that is pushing the boundaries is the Maersk shipping line. Their target is to reduce their carbon emissions by 20% with every container transported by the year 2017 and therefore become a more eco friendly brand for the shipping world. There are certain measures that the company is taking in order to implement change, and due to this many other shipping freight agencies are following suit and also changing their practices. Some of the ways in which Maersk is becoming innovative with their transportation and reducing carbon emissions is by optimising their engines, designing eco friendly vessels as well as developing a form of super slow steaming for their ships.
The topic of using biofuel for freight transportation is not a new one and many companies have been testing the waters, so to say, in order to see if this type of fuel would be beneficial to them and their services. Biofuel (or biodiesel) is made up of vegetable oils as well as animal fats and other entities such as grease that has been recycled. These liquids are processed using a process called transesterification and surprisingly has been used n Europe for some years now. Extensive testing and verification will soon let us know if this can be used on vessel engines and ultimately cut carbon emissions
Even though this is a good start for the freight industry, there is still a long way to go until carbon emissions can be significantly reduced by shipping agents and their freights. Many companies are hoping that there will be further advancement in the production and distribution of biofuels which will help vessels cut their carbon emissions even further. More testing will determine how the biofuel can be used extensively and remain sustainable and safe at the same time.