93 part of the business across the wider fleet, and reviewing onboard equipment to identify where new technology can cut its operational footprint. The clearest result to date is the introduction of its two Fusionclass vessels, which have achieved around 40 per cent lower fuel consumption than the older ships they replaced. P&O has also worked closely with ports and customer teams to refine schedules, cargo operations and routing – efficiency gains that don’t always make headlines but move the needle nonetheless. Retrofitting legacy tonnage remains one of the industry’s thorniest problems, Hayes says, particularly when set against drydock availability and the need to keep core routes running at full capacity. He sees the answer in sustained collaboration and research and development investment across operators, manufacturers, shipbuilders and naval architects, backed by funding bodies willing to accelerate innovation. “The marine environment presents unique engineering challenges, meaning technologies developed for shoreside applications cannot simply be transferred to ships,” he says. Designing systems that can be upgraded over time, rather than replaced prematurely, will be key to keeping vessels in service through their expected lifespan. Much of that depends on infrastructure arriving on schedule – something Hayes describes as a ‘chicken-and-egg’ problem. “If an operator invests in a vessel that depends on electric infrastructure, but that infrastructure is not delivered on time, the operator is left carrying the financial risk,” he says. Solving that, he argues, requires shared commitment from ports, grid providers, governments and funding bodies alongside operators themselves, so that investment in greener vessels is matched step-for-step by shoreside readiness. Ultimately, Hayes sees fleet management as the connective tissue holding all this together – turning sustainability ambition into practical, deliverable change. “It provides the operational data needed to demonstrate emissions reductions, measure the impact of new initiatives and build the evidence base for future investment decisions,” he says. “This will help operators continue to drive change with confidence.” “ The infrastructure and technologies needed to support decarbonisation are not yet developing at the pace or scale required”
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