Due to increasing environmental regulations, the maritime sector depends on new technical solutions that are highly efficient, financially feasible, and, most importantly, help achieve the International Maritime Organizations (IMO) ambitious environmental targets. As a study by GF Piping Systems and Foreship (2021) shows, there is significant potential for improvement, especially in air conditioning technology onboard passenger ships. The comparison between a standard steel piping system and pre-insulated polyethylene pipes in a chilled water air conditioning system shows that plastic is more efficient in four areas: it reduces fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, lowers costs, and achieves small improvements in EEXI and CII values.
