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Fleet renewal of aquaculture service vessels for emission reductions

Abstract

The aquaculture industry faces a major challenge in accommodating expected future growth while meeting ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets. To achieve this, a transition from fossil fuels to green alternatives is necessary – though this shift may be costly and require new refueling infrastructure. In response, we study the Aquaculture Fleet Renewal Problem (AFRP), which involves optimizing the renewal of aquaculture service vessels to comply with GHG reduction goals. We propose a novel mixed integer programming model for the AFRP. Based on real data for a major Norwegian fish farming company, we explore the most cost-effective transition strategies up to 2055, focusing on the two most mature alternatives to fossil fuels: batterypowered electricity and hydrogen. The results show that electric vessels are preferred over hydrogen vessels when feasible. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that a more flexible transition pathway toward 2055 could achieve greater cumulative GHG reductions at the same cost compared to the targets set by the International Maritime Organization.

Category

Conference lecture

Language

English

Author(s)

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Ocean / Aquaculture
  • Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Presented at

ICCL & EUROMar 2025

Place

Delft og Rotterdam

Date

08.09.2025 - 10.09.2025

Organizer

Delft University of Technology og Erasmus University Rotterdam

Year

2025

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository