Ships transport ninety per cent of all goods to and from Norway. The vast majority of this is bulk cargo, which is transported by approximately 2,700 unique ships owned by 2,000 shipping companies. This means that many small shipping companies are operating in this market – and many of them have limited resources to carry out the measures needed to decarbonise their operations.
A need for fleet renewal
“Although bulk transport has traditionally been a very energy-efficient way of transporting goods, the industry needs to implement more sustainable solutions. We know that many cargo owners want to cut CO2 emissions from transporting their goods. There is an underlying need to renew the ageing short-sea fleet along the coast of Norway and in Europe and the Mediterranean. And we know that many transport companies and shipping lines are unsure how to make it happen. This is where Skarv Shipping Solutions will be able to help,” says CEO of the newly founded company, Jan Øivind Svardal.
Skarv Shipping Solutions draws expertise and resources from its parent companies, ensuring expertise in logistics, marketing, analysis, ship design, green technology, shipping and ship operation. The company has already worked closely with several players in the industry and is now targeting support from Norwegian state-owned green energy transition promoter Enova to ensure the realisation of several green projects.
“We aim to be able to start the development and construction of up to four bulk carriers for transport in Northern Europe before long. The focus will be on measures to reduce energy consumption and emissions of CO2. We are in a transition phase right now, where no one knows with certainty which fuels will become dominant in the future. At the same time, it isn’t easy to guarantee access to green fuels at an acceptable price. That is why we invest in ships with engines that can handle several fuel types, so-called multifuel. Still, they will be able to deliver zero carbon emissions from day one,” says Svardal.
Complementary owners
The two JV partners have complementary experiences and qualities. Peak Group owns and operates a fleet of 25 short sea vessels in, among other segments, project cargo and bulk. The group also has several companies that supply services to the maritime industry. Grieg Edge is part of the Grieg Maritime Group, whose main activity is in Open Hatch deep-sea shipping. Grieg Edge is the group’s dedicated innovation company and develops solutions within energy and infrastructure, offshore wind and short sea. In addition, the company invests in entrepreneurial companies within sustainable solutions for the maritime sector.
“Peak Group is a maritime house of competence with a focus on finding good solutions that create added value for our customers. That would be solutions that work for the customer on a daily basis and cover the customer’s needs for both a safe ship operation and efficient trading routes along the coast and in Europe in general. We have several customers who are very interested in taking part in the green shift. Through Skarv we can now offer expertise, innovation and quality that can help our partners and us to achieve that goal and be part of the green shift ahead of us” says Peak Group CEO Jan-Petter Slethaug.
“We believe that much of the development of new propulsion models in shipping will occur within the short-sea segment. In Peak Group, we have found a partner with extensive expertise in that area. We believe that our experience at Grieg within ship technology, deep-sea shipping and logistics as well as the development of the zero-emission ship MS Green Ammonia and other green fuel-related initiatives will be of great value to Skarv,” says the Managing Director of Grieg Edge, Nicolai Grieg.
