Decarbonisation approach and targets
The Spliethoff Group is committed to decarbonising its operations by setting clear, achievable targets and maintaining transparency about our progress and challenges. Our approach is to balance ambitious goals with realistic strategies, ensuring we can fully commit to our decarbonisation efforts while providing flexibility to our customers. Despite the complexities of decarbonising our specialised and diverse fleet, we are proud of our achievements and remain dedicated to overcoming obstacles. This section of the sustainability report outlines our decarbonisation approach, the targets we have set, and the challenges we face in achieving them.
Challenges of Decarbonisation
Operating a large, flexible, and diverse fleet provides us with substantial advantages. It allows us to meet a broad range of customer demands across different regions and cargo types. However, this same flexibility also creates significant challenges for decarbonisation.
Our tramping operations, which by nature do not follow fixed routes and constitute a large part of our fleet, often require calling at smaller ports or remote areas where alternative fuels are not readily available due to limited infrastructure. These operational realities make it difficult to establish long-term offtake agreements with alternative fuel suppliers – agreements that are often necessary to ensure consistent availability.
To maintain the same level of operational reach while using alternative fuels, significantly larger fuel tanks would be required. However, this is not always feasible on our multipurpose vessels, where deck space is reserved for project cargo and onboard equipment needed to support specialised operations. These constraints make widespread adoption of alternative fuels across our tramping fleet particularly challenging.
As a result, we take a diversified approach. We continue to improve the energy efficiency of our fleet, which allows us to reduce emissions and minimise dependency on alternative fuels while the market and infrastructure continue to mature.
We do recognize that the use of alternative fuels is critical to meeting global decarbonisation goals, as established by the IMO and EU. As such, we implement alternative fuels in segments where operational conditions are more favourable – such as our liner and semi-liner trades.
We remain committed to achieving our emission reduction goals and underscore the importance of a level playing field, set by regulatory bodies and governments to drive the transition toward a more sustainable maritime sector. We are aware of the long-term investments and collaborative partnerships between all relevant stakeholders required to succeed, and dedicated to overcome these hurdles.
Emission Reduction Targets:
Our emission reduction targets are defined in terms of emission intensity per unit of transport work, providing a consistent and scalable benchmark regardless of future changes in fleet size.
- 2030 Goal: Reduce Scope 1 emission intensity by at least 30% compared to 2008 levels – equivalent to a 20% reduction from 2022 levels.
- Operational flexibility: The diverse nature of shipping operations, including tramping and liner trades, requires flexible and adaptable solutions. Tramping vessels, which do not follow fixed routes, face additional challenges in accessing alternative fuels.
Decarbonisation Approach
As our understanding of sustainability, technology, regulatory frameworks, and infrastructure evolves, so too must our approach. We continuously review and refine our plans based on the outcomes of simulations on investments in fuel efficiency, fleet renewal and the use of alternative Fuels. This enables us to stay agile and respond effectively to a dynamic landscape while maintaining a clear path toward our decarbonisation goals.
Our Four Decarbonisation Levers
The Spliethoff Group’s decarbonization strategy is built around four key levers:
- Energy Efficiency Investments
- Operational Efficiency
- Fleet Renewal
- Alternative Marine Fuels
1. Energy Efficiency Investments
We have made significant investments in technologies that reduce energy consumption, including:
- Advanced Hull Coatings: Application of silicone-based coatings to reduce drag and enhance fuel efficiency. One of our S-type vessels has received this coating in 2024.
- Propeller Pitch and RPM Optimisation Systems: These systems have been implemented on Transfennica’s Con-Ro vessels and are scheduled for installation across other vessel types to maximise propulsion efficiency.
- Combinator Mode: Transitioning from constant RPM with shaft generators to combinator mode at reduced speeds, where feasible, contributes to measurable emission reductions.
- Hull and Rudder Appendages: High-efficiency rudders are being installed on our P-type vessels to improve hydrodynamics and fuel economy.
- Wind-Assisted Propulsion: We are exploring wind-assisted propulsion systems for our yacht carriers to further reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
2. Operational Efficiency
Operational optimisation is a cornerstone of our emission reduction efforts. We are continuously developing in-house performance monitoring systems that enable real-time tracking of vessel operations. This supports data-driven decisions to optimise routing, speed, and fuel consumption.
We are also expanding the use of digital twin technology to assess both vessel performance and the condition of critical onboard equipment - ensuring proactive maintenance and operational resilience.
3. Fleet Renewal Fleet renewal offers a critical opportunity to implement low-carbon technologies. The design of our new vessels prioritises both energy efficiency through optimised hull lines, advanced propulsion systems, and integrated energy-saving devices, as well as compatibility with alternative fuels. A key example is the L-type series, discussed further in this report.
4. Alternative Marine Fuels We are taking a differentiated approach to the deployment of alternative fuels across our fleet:
- Newbuilds: All future vessels are evaluated for compatibility with alternative fuels to ensure long-term regulatory compliance and carbon resilience.
- Tramping Fleet: Given the operational complexity and port infrastructure limitations, our tramping vessels will rely primarily on drop-in biofuels. We are currently testing various waste-based biofuel streams to optimise emissions performance.
- Liner and Semi-Liner Trades: Alternative fuels are more feasible for liner and semi-liner trades, which follow fixed routes and schedules. However, the adoption of alternative fuels comes with additional capital expenditures (CapEx) and operational expenditures (OpEx), which need to be carefully managed.
Our investment in LNG-powered vessels – including ships operated by Wijnne Barends and Bore, and eight newly ordered L-type vessels scheduled for delivery in 2028 – reflects this strategic alignment. These vessels are future-ready and capable of operating on bioLNG and e-methane as well.
- Spliethoff Group Green: We are offering our clients the opportunity to participate in sustainable shipping solutions via Spliethoff Group Green, enabling them to go beyond baseline reductions through joint decarbonization efforts (Chapter 10). Operational efficiency remains a key focus throughout the decarbonisation period.
The Spliethoff Group invites our customers and partners to collaborate on the decarbonisation of the maritime transport sector and your value chain. We welcome your feedback and input and are convinced that our joint efforts can lead to significant steps in decarbonising the value chain.