Here are the new solutions for greener naval transport and better water management

Energy transition and decarbonisation, experts say, are processes that cannot be done overnight. They require time, commitment and perseverance, as well as special and necessary attention to innovation and sustainability, to reducing waste, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality in the shortest possible time.

These are issues that have long been close to the heart of RINA, a multinational company that offers services in the energy, marine, certification, real estate, infrastructure & mobility, and industry sectors. With revenues of 664 million euros in 2022, over 5 thousand employees and 200 offices in 70 countries around the world, the company aims to support stakeholders along the entire value chain, with a strong focus on concerning digitalisation, ESG sustainability and the use of low-emission energy sources.

It is no coincidence that RINA recently signed an agreement with Eni to develop joint initiatives and contribute to the energy transition and decarbonisation process of their respective activities, with particular attention to the naval transport sector. In detail, the agreement provides for the use of HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) biofuel produced by Eni and other energy vectors, such as hydrogen and “blue” or “green” ammonia from biogenic, renewable or waste raw materials . In addition to this, the development of initiatives involving the entire logistics chain of new energy vectors and the adoption of certified methodologies for the reduction of CO2 emissions. Green light also to the possibility of carrying out experiments and pilot projects for the “capture on board” of emissions, thus contributing to greater sustainability in the naval sector. “Cooperation between companies is the right path towards the common goal of decarbonising industrial processes and transport,” said Ugo Salerno, President and CEO of RINA. “Thanks to the exchange of know-how and experiences, with Eni we will contribute to the development of innovative energy supply models. Our collaboration will initially focus on the marine, a very diversified hard-to-abbot sector which, in order to decarbonise its activities, will have to draw inspiration from initiatives that apply in other industrial segments”.

The other theme on which RINA focuses is the most precious asset of all: water. A resource that in Italy is increasingly used and wasted (in our country about 225 liters per capita are consumed per day compared to a European average of about 140 litres). According to a report by the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, in 2021 we benefited from 285 billion cubic meters of rainwater, which in 2022 fell to 225 (60 billion cubic meters lost in just one year). But of this total we are able to collect only a small part, or 12 billion cubic meters. It is therefore increasingly necessary to try to recover water, focusing on that which flows on the surface, or about 57 billion cubic metres.

To increase the quantity collected, it is necessary to recover the existing reservoirs and build new ones (the Pnrr has allocated 4.38 billion euros to the sustainable management of water resources, and could represent a real turning point). Precisely in this regard, RINA proposes itself as a system integrator, making its know-how available to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of investments throughout the water supply chain, exploiting the enormous opportunities offered by digital technology. To reflect on the theme, the national convention of the Cavalieri del Lavoro entitled “Water: the gold of all time” will be held in Genoa on 8 July. In addition to scholars and personalities from the institutional and political world, artists, sportsmen, historians and popularizers will also animate the works.

And, remaining on the subject of water, RINA was awarded the contract for Project Management Consulting (PMC), Construction Supervision, Health & Safety, Quality Assurance and technical support to the Port System Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea for the new breakwater of the port of Genoa, a work necessary to accommodate ships over 300 meters long which are currently unable to enter the port; this fact is decidedly penalizing, given that container ships of greater length are used on a global scale. The initiative therefore aims to ensure that the port of the Ligurian capital is competitive with respect to competing ports (Valencia, Barcelona, ​​Marseille) and will prove to be fundamental for the Italian sea economy, for the development of maritime trade in southern Europe and for the evolution of the city. All of this will obviously have economic and employment repercussions. According to the cost-benefit analysis drawn up on the basis of data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the port of Genoa will handle approximately 4 million Twenty (foot) Equivalent Units (TEU) every year to a twenty foot long container – versus 2.5 million today.