The news that the world's largest shipping company CMA-CGM will implement a project to invest in electric barges to transport goods from Binh Duong to Cai Mep is expected to promote green supply chains in the context of the world moving towards reducing carbon emissions.
Battery powered barge
Gemalink (a member of Gemadept) is the largest deep-water port in the Cai Mep – Thi Vai area.
CMA - CGM wants to invest in battery-powered barges to transport goods from Binh Duong to Cai Mep.
Recently, Gemalink leaders have been concerned about the project of investing in a solar power system to produce renewable energy to supply battery-powered barges, promoting a green supply chain in the Cai Mep area. This is a cooperation project with the world's third largest shipping line, CMA-CGM.
CMA-CGM announced that it is developing a zero-emission inland waterway transport project using battery-powered barges. The barges will transport Nike cargo from Binh Duong to Gemalink Port in Cai Mep. With a round-trip distance of 180km, the barges are expected to reduce 778 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to barges using diesel engines.
The barge has a capacity of about 100 TEUs and uses 100% renewable energy. The shipping company expects to transport 50,000 TEUs per year and is expected to officially operate from 2026.
To support the operation of the electric barge, Gemalink Port will deploy a solar power system producing 1 GWh of renewable energy per year.
Mr. Cao Hong Phong, Deputy General Director of Gemalink, said that for this project, the installation of a solar power system is necessary to have renewable energy, meeting the requirements of green credits.
However, to have a green supply chain, there are many related issues, from "green" at the Binh Duong port area to the exploitation of shipping lines.
"Will the barge run exclusively from Binh Duong to Cai Mep, or will it stop at other ports on the way to increase its capacity? If the barge stops at other ports, will those ports be able to provide electricity?", Mr. Phong raised the issue.
High cost to convert
Currently, some markets in Europe and the US have policies to tighten green standards for products, requiring "green" products throughout the entire supply chain. This will affect import and export activities in Vietnam as well as supply chains.
The Ministry of Transport and the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration always support pioneers in putting electric barges into operation like CMA-CGM.
But for now, we should pilot it on one route, in one area. If successful, it will be a good experience for reference, contributing to the development orientation of green and sustainable transportation and logistics.
Mr. Le Minh Dao, Deputy Director
Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration
Therefore, CMA-CGM's investment project in battery-powered barges for inland waterway transport is expected to promote the green supply chain.
However, Mr. Le Minh Dao, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Inland Waterways Administration, said that according to current regulations, foreign companies can only bring in electric barges for domestic transport enterprises to exploit, not directly exploit.
Electric motor safety standards and regulations for inspection have been established. Therefore, if electric motor barges meet inspection requirements, they can be operated and exploited for transportation. However, to determine the system serving electric motor barges in terms of energy consumption, charging stations, and efficiency, it takes time to pilot and evaluate.
"A shipping company operating on a route will be easy to evaluate, but if applied on a large scale in a country, switching to a new energy ecosystem, it needs to be considered because it will be necessary to determine which ports and locations need electric energy solutions, which requires very high costs," said Mr. Dao.
Waiting for support mechanisms and policies
According to Mr. Tran Do Liem, Chairman of the Vietnam Inland Waterway Transport Association, if Vietnamese inland waterway transport enterprises do not proactively find solutions to convert, when the State implements regulations and roadmaps to implement commitments at COP 26, enterprises will not have means to exploit.
Recently, the Representative Office of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) has coordinated with relevant agencies in Vietnam to survey the demand for converting diesel engines of water transport vehicles to electric engines of enterprises and ship owners. From there, a loan program of about 150 million USD was built to implement electrification.
Instead of investing in building new vehicles using green energy, businesses can invest in replacing diesel engines installed on vehicles in operation with electric engines. However, to convert, careful calculation and change of the original design of the vehicle are required.
Before this solution can be widely deployed, it is necessary to pilot it with a number of vehicles for about 1 year, evaluating all aspects to determine its effectiveness. At that time, businesses can borrow capital from GIZ to invest in conversion and pay in installments.
Mr. Liem said that to facilitate Vietnamese enterprises, the State needs to have policies and mechanisms to support and encourage them.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cao Hong Phong said that the loading and unloading price for barges is currently around 9 USD/container, which is very low for businesses to have the cost to convert vehicles and equipment to use green energy. Meanwhile, if not done right now, in the future, Vietnamese goods will not be able to enter markets such as the US and Europe.
The leader of Gemalink Port also wondered: "In case the enterprise builds a solar power system to supply barges, how will the excess electricity output be handled? The State needs to have clear directions and policies for enterprises to be proactive in financial mechanisms and electricity output consumption...
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/van-tai-thuy-nhap-cuoc-chuyen-doi-xanh-192250107192048406.htm
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