On April 19, the Rio de Janeiro State Federation of Industry (Firjan) and OceanPact held the second of three events focused on the energy transition in the maritime sector. During the meeting, specialists discussed “Solutions for Decarbonizing the Oceans” and presented programs, challenges and opportunities in the process under way in different segments of the industry. Heber Bispo, Firjan’s oil, gas and shipbuilding production chain coordinator, gave the opening remarks and moderated the discussion together with Fernando Borensztein, OceanPact’s new business and sustainability director. The in-person speakers were Diogo Sandy, Equinor’s safety and sustainability manager; and Izabel Ramos, Petrobras’ carbon markets manager. There were also two speakers who took part remotely: Rafael Thome, Maersk’s managing director for Latin America; and Ricardo de Luca, Porto do Açu’s energy and renewables director.

Opening the debate, Fernando Borensztein thanked Firjan for its partnership and joint work in organizing the event. He then handed over to Izabel Ramos, who presented Petrobras’ decarbonization trajectory, goals, visions and operational metrics. “Of our 10 sustainability commitments, six are related to the climate. By 2025, we aim to cut our absolute emissions by 25% and reduce the emissions intensity of our upstream and refining divisions by 32% and 30%, respectively,” she said. Diogo Sandy stressed the importance of this topic and noted that companies are converging their practices. Equinor is adapting to the new conditions of the low-carbon environment and it has bold targets for reducing its emissions in order to reach net zero by 2050. He quoted Charles Darwin, saying that companies that adapt best to change will be the ones that survive.

Rafael Thome continued the debate by describing the combined solutions that Maersk, a Danish shipping company, is carrying out to make the transition to a greener economy. Regarding the decarbonization process at Porto do Açu, Ricardo de Luca joked that today the port terminal is a “playground” for the energy transition. “We are acting in several areas, such as offshore wind and solar energy, and we have just carried out a feasibility study for a green hydrogen plant. However, our main focus is on finding a solution to decarbonize the ships that pass through our terminals, replacing their fuel supply with ammonia or hydrogen,” he said.

Fernando Borensztein also listed some measures studied by OceanPact, such as the hybridization of vessels and intelligent routing to reduce fuel consumption. “We are in an industry that presents us with many challenges, but innovation is helping us tackle them head on,” he concluded, alluding to the theme of the third and final meeting in the series, which will also take place in hybrid (in-person and online) format, on May 12, from 5 pm to 7 pm, at Casa Firjan in Rio de Janeiro, titled “The Role of Innovation in the Offshore Energy Transition.” Click here to watch the recording.