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Known for Building the Most Powerful Engines on the Planet, the Finnish Giant Wärtsilä Wants to Change the History of Heavy Maritime Transport. The Company Presented an Ambitious Plan to Zero Carbon Emissions from Ships by 2050
The Finnish Wärtsilä, famous for building the largest and most powerful engines in the world, has decided to invest heavily to reduce pollution from heavy maritime transport. According to CEO Håkan Agnevall, the goal is clear: achieve zero emissions by 2050.
“Today we serve two sectors: maritime and energy,” he said. “The maritime sector represents about 60% of our business, while energy accounts for 40%. Our strategy, summed up in one word, is decarbonization.”
The task will not be easy because heavy naval transport, along with aviation, is among the biggest challenges in the race to zero emissions. The enormous cargo ships use the so-called “bunker oil,” the cheapest and most polluting fuel on the market.
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A cargo ship like the Emma Maersk burns about 312 tons per day to move its Wärtsilä RT-series engine with 109,000 horsepower. This consumption generates over a thousand tons of greenhouse gases daily.
IMO Plan Creates Global Carbon Tax
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved a plan that could be formally adopted in October. It provides for a carbon tax on all emissions from the maritime sector, creating a direct incentive for companies to reduce pollution.
According to Agnevall, this change will be a landmark. The measure amends the MARPOL Convention, which already has 108 signatories representing 97% of the world’s merchant fleet. If ratified, it will impose fines ranging from US$ 100 to US$ 380 per ton of CO2 above the limits, starting in 2028.
Companies that achieve near-zero emissions may receive the collected amount from the penalties, creating an incentive for research and development of new solutions.
Synchronizing Ports and Ships Can Cut 30% of Emissions
Another focus of Wärtsilä is the so-called digital scheduling optimization. Agnevall explains that ships often accelerate to arrive on schedule but then spend days waiting for space in the port. This leads to enormous fuel wastage.
The Blue Visby Consortium is developing a global scheduling system that promises to reduce fuel consumption by 8% to 30% simply through better organization. The system will also share gains and costs between ports and operators, avoiding losses.
Embarked Carbon Capture Enters the Scene
While clean fuels are not yet available at scale, Wärtsilä is betting on capturing carbon directly from ship exhaust. The company claims to already capture 70% of emissions with technology derived from the scrubbers it manufactures.
The process consumes energy but allows for the CO2 to be stored in tanks on deck and later sold for industrial use. The current cost is between € 50 and € 70 per ton. According to Agnevall, the major barrier now is creating infrastructure to offload and repurpose this captured carbon.
Multi-Fuel Engines to Transition
As ships last 25 to 30 years, those built now will still be active in the zero-carbon era. Therefore, the company is creating engines capable of operating on different fuels. The idea is to use the cleanest fossil fuels today and gradually migrate to green ones.
Natural gas is the main bet in the short term. It emits about 20% less carbon and much fewer toxic pollutants than bunker oil. At times, it has already been competitively priced compared to traditional fuel, although it generally costs twice as much.
Methanol Shows Potential as Neutral Fuel
Another promising route is methanol, which can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 95% when produced renewably. It is already powering heavy vehicles and is beginning to be used in container ships. Wärtsilä has developed new injection systems to adapt engines to it.
The fuel carries less energy than diesel but can be obtained from gasified waste or captured CO2 combined with green hydrogen. Sustainable production is still expensive but may grow as demand increases.
Ammonia Emerges as Fully Green Fuel
To achieve zero carbon, the company is betting on ammonia. It contains no carbon atoms and can store hydrogen much more cheaply than pure hydrogen. It can also be burned in piston engines or used in fuel cells.
Wärtsilä has already sold its first ammonia engine, which will be tested on an offshore vessel next year. The technology requires new safety systems because the substance is highly toxic, but it could become the standard in the future.
Agnevall points out that most of the current ammonia comes from the polluting Haber-Bosch process, but new clean techniques are emerging. He asserts that piston engines are already ready to use it efficiently, while fuel cells still need to mature.
Hybrid Solutions Help Reduce Consumption
Besides fuels, the company is betting on hybridization. Using batteries alongside combustion engines can reduce the size of the main engine and save up to 30% fuel. The batteries provide extra torque only during peak power moments.
For Agnevall, efficiency is the key word. Even small gains in consumption accumulated over thousands of trips can have enormous impacts.
Path Depends on Cooperation and Financial Viability
Despite technological advances, the CEO states that the transition will only be possible with collaboration throughout the entire chain. Shipyards, operators, fuel suppliers, and engine manufacturers will have to act together.
He notes that in the past, Wärtsilä would hide new projects until launch, but that has changed. Now the company discloses its technologies in advance so that the ecosystem has time to prepare. Otherwise, green engines would have no market.
Agnevall also advocates for carbon taxes to be applied soon to balance the costs of sustainable fuels, which are currently two to four times more expensive than bunker oil. Without financial incentives, companies will not be able to invest.
Expectation for Vote on MEPC 83
The IMO proposal will be decided in October. According to Agnevall, there is cautious optimism in the sector. China, Brazil, India, and Europe support it, while the United States resists. If approved, it will create one of the first global carbon taxes on the planet.
He emphasizes that the technologies to decarbonize already exist but require capital and time to be implemented on a large scale. The transition, he says, needs to be environmentally sustainable and financially viable.
“We want to accelerate, but we also want to be realistic,” he says. “There is no magic solution. This journey depends on the cooperation of all and will take time.”
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