NorthStandard and RINA classification society discuss the report “From Today until 2050: Challenges and Opportunities for the Maritime Industry”, published by the RINA Italian Decarbonisation Committee.In 2023, with the revision to the IMO’s Greenhouse Gas Strategy, the shipping industry made significant progress towards confronting the need to reduce, and ultimately remove, its reliance on fossil fuels.The report “From Today until 2050: Challenges and Opportunities for the Maritime Industry”, published by the RINA Italian Decarbonisation Committee starts this process. In comprehensively surveying the risks and opportunities, the pros and the cons, presented by the various marine fuel and energy solutions, it provides a solid platform from which stakeholders can build the coordinated actions necessary to deliver on the IMOs GHG Strategy towards net zero.As we tackle decarbonisation challenges, we note that we can’t achieve the targets set by the IMO in isolation. The need to identify new fuels and energy sources, design new engines for those fuels, invest in the refuelling infrastructure, and scale up the supply of new fuels are all necessary. Adequate training of shoreside personnel and crew dealing with alternative fuels is also essential. The legal and regulatory frameworks must be formed, including liability regimes. Absent such a framework the insurer’s role of properly pricing the risks associated with their use becomes impossible, or at the very least unnecessarily expensive. The ability to identify risks allows for progress to be made to put in place a global regulatory framework on liability for these new fuels.We spoke to Andrea Cogliolo, Senior Director at RINA Services, to get his expert insight on the findings within. A link to the report can be found here and at the end of this article. It challenges the one size fits all belief when it comes to a fuel or energy source of choice, focuses on the real meaning of decarbonisation in the marine sector and the relevant implications. In this article we ask Andrea some questions for further insight on the report. Q1) What would you do to improve IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) Regulations given the choice?Develop a new metric for CII so that you can separate in port and navigation, with the latter considering cargo carried. Revision and expansion of correction factors. Reporting of additional information as per MEPC 81 after 2025 to the IMO Data Collection System (DCS) to increase CII metric accuracy. Q2) What’s your view on the lack of harmonisation of regional EU regulations and global decarbonisation regulations?Global regulation to impact shipping should be solely with the IMO. Lack of global harmonisation leads to market distortion. We need to see better alignment across the globe, not only in the regulation, but in the interpretation of that regulation too. Q3) What’s your thoughts on operational efficiencies and consumption reduction technologies to lower emissions?The industry has been working on the efficiency of main, auxiliary engines and auxiliary machinery for decades now. Similarly research into hydrodynamics, hull, propeller profiles, paint coatings, air lubrication and wind assistance have all had, and will continue to have, an impact. Q4) Whilst the shipping industry is reliant on the procurement of green fuels and land-based infrastructure, how much influence do you think shipping has over such procurement and infrastructure?Unfortunately, the shipping industry has minimal influence in this regard. The availability of renewable energy needed to produce green fuels is the biggest barrier ahead in my opinion. Q5) How do you view the risks of alternative fuels from a classification society’s perspective?Crew safety is a primary concern. But it’s the classification societies’ role to make sure rules, codes and standards are correctly applied to ensure that the use of alternative fuels is as safe as the use of traditional fuels. Q6) What are your thou