On March 21st, China’s first dual-fuel ship crew training research institute and internship site were formally established and opened in Shanghai Yangshan Port Maritime Bureau and Shanghai SIPG Energy Service respectively, marking a key step in the field of green shipping talent training and research by Shanghai Maritime Bureau.
As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) deepens its emission reduction policy, the number of dual-fuel ships such as LNG, methanol, and ammonia has jumped from 3.2% of the total tonnage in 2018 to 7.4% today, with a total of 2,119 ships and 123 million gross tonnage. In 2024, 45% of the global new shipbuilding orders will use alternative fuels.
Correspondingly, green shipping talents have become a strategic human resource that major economies around the world are competing for. According to Lloyd’s Register, by 2030, there will be a shortage of about 450,000 crew members who can work on dual-fuel ships worldwide, and this shortage is expected to expand to 800,000 by 2035.
As a major shipping country, China has a strong demand for crew members on new technology ships, but the software and hardware capabilities of crew skill training need to be improved, and crew internship opportunities are limited. It is urgent to comprehensively promote the training of crew members on dual-fuel ships.
Now Yangshan Port has become one of the top three bonded LNG bunkering ports in the world, and also one of the few ports in the world that has the capability of “ship-to-ship” bunkering of LNG and green methanol at the same time. Methanol refueling is carried out on a regular basis, and breakthroughs will be made in the mixing and bunkering of biofuels, providing a practical basis for the training of dual-fuel ship crew members.
The establishment of the dual-fuel ship crew training research institute and internship site can jointly promote the dual-fuel ship crew training work from the aspects of policy guidance and internship practice. It is an important measure to continue to maintain China’s pioneering advantage in dual-fuel ship crew training and play a leading role in the formulation of international crew training rules and standards. It can provide talent reserves and intellectual support for the low-carbon transformation of the shipping industry.
Relying on the location advantage of Yangshan Port and the policy advantage of Lingang New Area, the Research Institute can build a cooperation platform of “government, industry, academia, research and utilization”, so as to carry out prospective researches on the training standards of crew members of dual-fuel ships, safety management norms as well as international compliance. Relying on the LNG and methanol bunkering vessels of Shanghai SIPG Energy Service, the dual-fuel ship crew training and apprenticeship site provides crew members with over 1,000 hours of apprenticeship and practical trainings annually.