The decarbonization of marine transport is a global challenge due to the range and capacity limitations of renewable ships. Offshore charging stations have emerged as an innovative solution, despite increased investment and extended voyage durations. Here we develop a route-specific model for the optimal placement and sizing of offshore charging stations to assess their economic, environmental and operational impacts. Analysing 34 global and regional shipping routes, we find that offshore charging stations can reduce the cost for electric ships by US$0.3–1.6 (MW km)⁻¹ and greenhouse gas emissions by 1.04–8.91 kg (MW km)⁻¹ by 2050. The economic cruising range for 6,500 20-foot equivalent unit electric ships can increase from 3,000 km to 9,000 km. Voyage time costs for these enhancements vary between a 0% and 30% grace period of the original delivery time frame. We further investigate power-to-ammonia offshore refuelling stations as a proxy for e-fuels, which could potentially replace heavy fuel oil ships for routes over 9,000 km with only a 5% grace period.

由于可再生船舶的航程和容量限制，海上运输的脱碳是一项全球性挑战。海上充电站已成为一种创新的解决方案，尽管投资增加并延长了航行时间。在这里，我们开发了一个针对特定路线的模型，用于海上充电站的最佳放置和规模，以评估其经济、环境和运营影响。通过分析 34 条全球和区域航线，我们发现，到 2050 年，海上充电站可以将电动船舶的成本降低 0.3-1.6 （MW km）^-1，将温室气体排放量降低 1.04-8.91 kg （MW km）^-1。6,500 艘 20 英尺等效单位电动船的经济巡航里程可以从 3,000 公里增加到 9,000 公里。这些改进的航行时间成本在原始交货时间范围的 0% 到 30% 宽限期之间变化。我们进一步研究了作为 e-fuels 替代品的 Power-to-ammo 海上加氢站，它有可能取代超过 9,000 公里航线的重油船，而只有 5% 的宽限期。