Elevating Safety and Sustainability: A Commitment to Protecting Our Future

In 2025, Interferry will focus on expanding onshore power supply (OPS). This move is vital for ferries to help cut down maritime greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The IMO has set challenging targets. They want to see a 20-30% reduction in emissions by 2030, aiming for net zero by 2050. For ferry operators, electrification offers a fresh alternative to fossil fuels. Many are already switching to electric or hybrid power systems. However, the current landside electricity infrastructure is lacking. Most ports only provide basic ‘cold ironing’ services for ships at berth. To fully support battery-powered vessels, significant investment is needed to upgrade charging facilities.

Interferry launched a lobbying campaign two years ago to raise awareness of this issue. We urge governments, port authorities, and electricity suppliers to prioritize OPS development. This is crucial for lowering the ferry sector’s GHG emissions. Ferries carry about 4.3 billion passengers and 373 million vehicles every year. Imagine the emissions we could save! Plus, more battery-powered vessels would help reduce the demand for other alternative fuels.

Without sufficient OPS infrastructure, ferry operators hesitate to order more battery-powered ships. Thankfully, change is underway. Stakeholders in Europe, the US, and Canada are starting to recognize the need for better systems, and we aim to spread this momentum worldwide.

The European Shipping Summit 2025 in Brussels this March will be a great platform for discussions with OPS decision-makers. Interferry will host a panel with political and industry leaders to tackle the question: Can shore power help the ferry sector meet carbon compliance? We want to explore who will fund the necessary upgrades to high-power utilities in some ports, which may require connections to distant power sources.

Additionally, we want to see if governments will respond to our plea to reinvest a share of carbon tax revenues back into OPS development.

We’re also addressing other GHG emissions challenges. The IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulates how much fuel can be used per nautical mile. This is tough for ferries that make frequent port calls since acceleration can increase fuel consumption. We recently suggested a balancing mechanism that would allow compliance based on the average across an operator’s fleet.

Moreover, we’re advocating for changes to the IMO High-Speed Craft Code. By removing the minimum speed requirement, we could facilitate the creation of more low-emission lightweight vessels.

Safety continues to be a top priority for Interferry. We participated in the EU’s 2019-2023 FIRE SAFE project, focusing on fire risks on ro-ro decks and examining the growing use of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Our findings strengthen our position that BEVs do not pose higher fire risks than traditional combustion-engine vehicles. We’re also working with the IMO to develop suitable requirements for transporting BEVs safely.

Interferry has a long history of promoting safety in developing countries. Our support dates back to 2008 in Bangladesh. We later created the Domestic Safety Committee, which undertook a significant project in the Philippines in 2019. More recently, we collaborated with the IMO to hold a Ferry Safety Seminar in Tanzania, which included over 100 participants from across Africa. In October, we continued this work during our 48th annual conference in Morocco.

We are now working on a comprehensive safety program based on discussions from both events. Key topics will include crew training, ticketing to prevent overcrowding, cargo loading and stowage, navigation, incident reporting, replacing aging vessels, design standards, technology use, and fostering a culture of safety, driven by political commitment.

Security is also a big concern for us, especially with increasing cyber threats to maritime technology. Such attacks can disrupt logistics, and strict IT border controls in the EU may lead to delays during port calls.

At Interferry, our mission in 2025 and beyond is clear: Protecting the environment and ensuring safety at sea, on lakes, and on rivers will always be our priority.

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