Global research identifies portfolio of existing technologies to help reduce carbon emissions
Pathways to Propulsion Decarbonisation for the
Recreational Marine Industry Synopsis Report
Report Authors Ricardo: Albert Zenié, Katie Lam, Rachel Jobson, Sam Hinton, Nikos Vasileiadis, Tim Scarbrough, Sofia Condes, Nick Powell ICOMIA: Jeff Wasil
Report Contributors Ricardo: Richard Osborne, Philip Hopwood, John Hughes, Matthew Keenan, Hassan Malik, Alec Davies, Gael Chouchelamane, Bahareh Yazdani Damavandi, Richard King, Richard Cornwell, Geoff Pownall, Nikolas Hill, Rob Parkinson
The report, titled Pathways to Propulsion Decarbonisation for the Recreational Marine Industry, was discussed by a panel of industry experts at Europe’s biggest international consumer boat show, boot Düsseldorf, exploring what the research finds and what it means for end-users of recreational marine craft.
The International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), a global organisation representing the recreational marine industry with more than 100 members around the world, has shared further insights from its first-of-its-kind research outlining a portfolio of existing technologies best positioned to continue to propel the industry toward decarbonisation and outlined what this means for consumers. The research, which specifically looked at marine propulsion in boats under 24m in length, revealed that due to the unique on-water environment for recreational boating, and the varied interests of boaters and the experiences they seek, a variety of solutions must be considered to continue reducing carbon emissions from recreational boats.
The Pathways to Decarbonisation for the Recreational Marine Industry report, commissioned by ICOMIA with leading global engineering consulting firm, Ricardo plc, investigated propulsion technologies across nine
common recreational watercraft to compare the impact of lifetime GHG emissions, financial costs, usability, performance, range and infrastructure implications.
The propulsion technologies investigated included:
- Battery electric (electric-powered boats and watercraft).
- Hybrid electric (internal combustion engines using liquid fuel and electric).
- Hydrogen (internal combustion engines or fuel cell).
- Internal combustion engines with sustainable marine fuels (sustainably produced liquid substitute for conventional fossil fuel).
84 | ISSUE 107 | MAR 2024 | THE REPORT
- Internal combustion engines with gasoline or diesel.
Due to the diversity of the types of boats in use and the varied experiences sought by boating consumers from fishing to watersports to cruising, the research shows there is no universal, “one- size-fits-all” approach to decarbonise recreational boats. As a result, in addition to current internal combustion and fossil fuel-powered boats, ICOMIA recommends that end-users consider a portfolio of existing technologies, including:
Sustainable liquid marine fuels, such as renewable drop-in fuels, are expected to be the most suitable source of energy to decarbonise recreational boats by 2035 - by as much as 90% - without compromising the distance a boat can travel or its performance. Of the approximately 30 million recreational boats in use worldwide, with an average total lifecycle of 40 to 50 years and global annual sales making up approximately 2% of the size of the current market, there is great potential for increased decarbonisation of recreational boats with immediate, widespread adoption of sustainable marine fuels.
Hydrogen is an emerging technology and another potential source for reducing carbon emissions from boats, as long as its production process is optimised. Hydrogen, if produced via electrolysis with zero fossil fuel electricity, can reduce carbon emissions for certain craft categories.
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