A few years ago, the buzzword on everyone’s lips in the maritime sector was collaboration. This was seen as the path to achieving green shipping. But then came wars, pirates, and a heightened focus on security. In 2024, the tide shifted once again—amidst all the challenges, energy efficiency emerged as the simplest way for the shipping industry to reduce emissions. Within the Lighthouse sphere, this has long been a given, and during 2024, we published several reports on the topic. But of course, we did much more as well. Here’s a selection.

Let’s start with that “buzzword.” To many, it may seem like a strange term for something that has been a given in many areas of shipping—especially in research and development. Still, energy efficiency hasn’t been the hottest area for research funding. The development of alternative fuels has garnered more attention from both funders and politicians, as it is often associated with groundbreaking technology and innovation. But now, this might change—at least if the shipping industry has its way.

“We must focus on energy efficiency. It’s the easiest way to reduce emissions. And there are many technologies to achieve this,” said Eirik Ovrum of DNV when the classification society presented its annual Maritime Forecast to 2050 in September.

According to DNV, improvements to hulls, propellers, and engines could reduce fuel consumption by 4 to 16 percent by 2030, equivalent to 40 million tons of fuel or 120 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. This reduction is also comparable to the savings if 55,000 smaller ships or 2,500 of the world’s largest ships were converted to operate on fossil-free fuels.

Such advancements carry significant weight, especially as the shipping industry faces stricter regulations. In 2024, operating ships on fossil fuels became more expensive as shipping was incorporated into the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). It will become even tougher on January 1, 2025, when FuelEU Maritime takes effect, imposing stricter technical requirements to reduce emissions.

While some are just waking up to the seriousness of the situation and realizing that everything that can be done must be done, others have long recognized that energy efficiency is a key piece of the puzzle for a green transition. In 2024, Lighthouse published three reports on the topic: one on how AI can enhance energy efficiency, another on optimizing hulls and propellers, and a third on building lighter electric ships for the future.

In addition to new regulations, primarily through the EU’s climate package Fit for 55, global unrest has significantly impacted shipping in 2024. The deteriorating security situation in the Middle East has directly affected shipping, with the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen continuously attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023. This is a response to Israel’s offensive in Gaza. What this will lead to—whether the war will escalate or spread—is uncertain, but disruptions in container shipping are here to stay, argued researchers in a report published by Lighthouse in February 2024.

“There will be more major disruptions in container traffic—that’s one thing we’ve learned during this project. There are many bottlenecks in the system. During COVID, the virus was a bottleneck, but the bottlenecks now are primarily climate change and the geopolitical crisis. Global trade was long characterized by peace, but just before the pandemic, we saw how a trade war between the US and China began to escalate. Now we clearly see how drought and war are causing disruptions,” said Ceren Altuntas Vural, a researcher at Chalmers, during the report’s release.

What about the alternative fuels of the future? International press mostly discusses ammonia and methanol as future fuels, at least for ships crossing the world’s oceans. A rising contender that gained significant attention in 2024 is wind and sails. In this area, Sweden is leading the way with the high-profile construction of Orcelle Wind, which will use wind power to transport thousands of cars across the Atlantic.

In Sweden, many are also hopeful that biogas will become a significant part of the future fuel mix. It could be a good business opportunity for the country, according to researchers behind Lighthouse’s report Förnybar flytande biogas (LBG) till sjöfart i praktiken, published in February 2024. First, the technology is mature, and many new ships can run on it. Second, the fuel can be produced locally in Sweden. Third, the report shows that the Swedish shipping industry is eager to adopt biogas.

Something else that gained significant attention was the development of Gotlandsbolaget’s Horizon series. If all goes according to plan, the first hydrogen ferry in the series will begin operations between Visby and Nynäshamn in just three or four years. Research and development are taking place at Uppsala University, and Lighthouse has funded several of the subprojects. In 2024, two reports were finalized—one on how hydrogen can be most easily transported to Visby harbor, and another on how hydrogen bunkering should be carried out. Alongside these, another report on hydrogen was completed, focusing on regulations and guidelines for the construction of hydrogen-powered vessels. This was done as part of the Swedish Transport Administration’s industry program Hållbar sjöfart, which Lighthouse manages.

Within Hållbar sjöfart, eight reports were finalized in 2024. These covered everything from alternative fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia, and biogas to AI, energy efficiency, and goal conflicts within sustainability research. After the Swedish Transport Administration evaluated the industry program, it was announced that it would be extended for another five years, with research funding increased from 8.5 to 15 million SEK per year. Since its inception in 2019, Hållbar sjöfart has generated around 50 projects involving approximately 140 actors from industry, academia, and institutes collaborating on issues ranging from alternative fuels and green transition to smart ships, digitalization, safety, and both economic and social sustainability.

Alongside the industry program, Lighthouse also published nine "own" reports. For example, one revealed that electric cars have not started any fires onboard, while another concluded that ChatGPT lacks spatial awareness and therefore struggles to navigate ships.

Starting in 2024, Lighthouse also took on the task of handling the Swedish Transport Administration’s communication regarding shipping research and innovation they fund. During the year, Lighthouse wrote 11 articles about such research reports. These were published on our website, sent as press releases, and shared on social media and in newsletters. The same was done with Lighthouse reports. In other words, Lighthouse communicated and wrote about a total of 28 research reports in 2024.

During the year, Lighthouse also hosted a series of seminar days and webinars. In March, the Hållbar sjöfart annual conference took place, and the month saw the arrangement of Nordic Roadmap – Green shipping corridor initiatives in a Nordic perspective in collaboration with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and DNV. In May, the webinar Havsrätt och havsplanering ur ett sjöfartsperspektiv was held, presenting two new Lighthouse pre-studies on the topic. During Almedalen Week at the end of June, a seminar on financial barriers to shipping’s transition was organized. In the fall, three more co-arranged events took place: in August Vätgasdriven färjetrafik i 28 knop – så funkar det together with Uppsala University, Stockholm Ports, and Gotlandsbolaget; in October Fourth International Conference on Fire Safety at Sea together with RISE and the Sweden Seaman’s Foundation; and in November Latest Antifouling Research focus on Sustainable Shipping together with Chalmers. In November, Lighthouse hosted Wind Propulsion in Theory and Reality. All of these were streamed. During the year, Lighthouse also organized three more seminars or workshops that were not streamed. In total, ten events were held in 2024.

Throughout the year, Lighthouse continued its work in focus groups: Ports, Smart Ships, and Fossil-Free Shipping. In this work (which began in 2020), relevant actors from academia, industry, and authorities gather to work together on important issues and areas to drive them forward.

Lighthouse also continued its work with its trainee program. In the fall of 2023, three more trainees began their year-long journey testing various tasks within different companies in the maritime industry. The application for 2025/2026 opened on December 15, 2024, and closes on February 9, 2025.