Abstract
Shipping decarbonisation is a challenge that can only be tackled by a holistic approach that combines advancements in technology, optimisation of the ship design, taking into account also the decarbonisation solutions, operational strategies, whilst considering economic incentives and policies. Although several technological innovations in different ship areas (hull, propulsion, fuel, and others) are contributing towards decarbonisation, and operational strategies such as slow steaming, have been proposed, in practice, selecting the most effective ones for a specific ship and timeframe represents a multifaceted problem which slows down progress. This chapter's main focus is on how digital twining (DT) can support the selection of decarbonisation technologies and operational strategies in designing decarbonisation solutions in a rolling time-horizon to meet regulations with the goal of achieving green shipping (zero-emission shipping) by 2050. For this a DT-centric design methodology is described offering shipping companies continuous decision support to manage the decarbonisation transition, utilising a multi-objective optimisation approach that balances the conflicting goals of minimising investment, maximising profitability, and reducing emissions in line with regulations. Both solutions for retrofitting existing ships and new buildings are considered. Furthermore, the chapter illustrates the application of DTs to specific use cases, namely energy production, distribution, and recovery onboard process management with the help of a simulator, and hull performance prediction utilising simulation.