Alternative Fuels News

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping has published a technical, environmental, and techno-economic analysis of the impacts of preparation and conversion of tankers for green fuels.Using insights from project partners, the project aimed to understand the technical requirements and cost of converting from fuel oil to methanol or ammonia and from NG to ammonia.The report considered reference designs for two types of tanker vessels: LR2 and VLCC. These vessel types are two of the largest in the tanker segment…

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) announced it has granted approval in principle (AIP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for its ammonia fuel supply system, which will be used on ammonia new constructions.The newly developed ammonia fuel supply system shows complete compatibility with high-efficiency cargo handling systems and ammonia engines.The approval certifies the fuel supply system against LR’s rigorous risk-based certification (RBC-1) process and marks the successful conclusion of a joint development project (JDP) between LR and HD KSOE…

Auramarine has won an order from Meyer Turku shipyard for a methanol fuel supply system and associated equipment for the luxury Mein Schiff 7 cruise vessel owned by TUI Cruises.Auramarine’s equipment deliveries began in 2023 and continued over the spring of 2024. Sea trials were conducted in May 2024, and the vessel is scheduled for delivery over the summer this year. The methanol-ready newbuild is the first of its kind in the maritime industry and aligns with TUI Cruises’ sustainability strategy of offering the first climate-neutral cruises by 2030.

The U.S. Coast Guard is seeking public input on the training and experience requirements necessary for mariners working aboard vessels using alternative fuels, including methyl/ethyl alcohols, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), fuel cells, batteries and ammonia. Recent newbuild statistics show that owners of commercial vessels are embracing alternative fuels as a means to reduce emissions of nearly all types from their operations.As new ships using alternative fuels come into service…

DNV Maritime CEO Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen delivered introductory remarks at the Energy Efficiency in Focus Seminar at Posidonia outlining the prospects for the decarbonization of the maritime industry and emphasizing the importance of considering energy efficiency measures.Ørbeck-Nilssen discussed some of the major challenges facing shipping as it strives to reach increasingly ambitious regulations and goals, noting there are not enough green fuels available, and they will remain unavailable for most.“If you would like to invest in vessels with dual-fuel capability…

Two-thirds of European green shipping fuel projects are at risk, a new Transport & Environment (T&E) study shows.T&E’s mapping of green hydrogen projects across Europe shows that nearly 4% of European shipping could run on green e-fuels by 2030. But fuel suppliers appear to be reluctant to commit financially to projects without more guarantees that there will be demand for these fuels in the near future. This means the vast majority of projects may never come online in this decade…

DNV has released its May figures from the Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, and according to the latest figures, 33 new orders for alternative fueled vessels were placed in May 2024. Methanol continues to be the biggest driver, accounting for 23 of these vessels. Ten of these are from the container segment, along with five bulk carriers, and four car carriers.LNG continues to lag behind methanol, with eight new orders registered in May, while two new orders for ammonia…

According to the latest ABS research, geopolitical instability, scalability of fuel production and retrofits to existing vessels are key factors impacting the shipping industry’s journey to net zero by 2050.The sixth in an annual series, the 2024 Outlook, Beyond the Horizon, Carbon Neutral Fuel Pathways and Transformational Technologies, features an update of ABS’ long-term energy forecast.“The 2024 outlook delivers unprecedented visibility into the ‘ecosystem’ of shipping underscoring…

A. P. Møller-Mærsk's newly developed design for an ammonia-fuelled 3,500 TEU container vessel has earned approval in principle (AIP) from classification societies Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).Led by the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, the design project also involved MAN Energy Solutions, Deltamarin, Eltronic FuelTech.“To unlock the potential of sustainable ammonia as an alternative, low-emissions marine fuel, we must…

ClassNK has released the Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels (Edition 3.0). In addition to safety requirements for ships using methanol, ethanol, LPG, and ammonia as fuel, this edition newly adds requirements related to hydrogen-fueled ships, providing guidance for the design of alternative-fueled ships.The guidelines describe safety requirements for alternative-fueled ships including requirements for installation, controls, safety devices, etc., thus aiming to minimize the risks to ships…

World Fuel Services has announced that John Stirling, the company’s Director, Marine Technical, has accepted a key position at CIMAC, the International Council on Power, Drives and Propulsion. He will take over the vacant position of Secretary of CIMAC’s WG7 working group.The association has recently refocused from providing a technical forum for conventional diesel engine expertise, to include all new types of energy, and is now a fully pledged alternative energy association…

The Methanol Institute (MI) has appointed Alexander Döll as its new Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.He will take on his global position from MI’s Brussels office, with his onboarding commencing in Washington DC. Döll will draw on his extensive background experience in the chemical industry and the energy transition, having previously held leadership positions at OCI Global, Dow and Hill & Knowlton.Originally from the Netherlands, his broad-based experience in public and government affairs…

Singapore is one step closer to developing its full capability to deliver methanol bunkering at a commercial scale. Close to 1,340 metric tonnes (MT) of blended methanol was bunkered ship-to-ship on May 24, and there will be another operation for simultaneous methanol bunkering and cargo operations for a container vessel this week. These operations will also test the use of mass flow meters (MFM) and digital bunkering.The blended methanol, comprising 20% ISCC-certified bio-methanol combined with conventional methanol…

According to the latest figures from DNV’s AFI platform, 23 new orders for alternative fueled vessels were registered in April 2024.A majority of these (12) were for methanol-fueled tankers, a segment where the uptake of alternative fuels has been low up until now.Seven orders were place for LNG-fueled vessels in April, and four ammonia-fueled vessel orders were confirmed. Following a quiet month in March, these strong figures confirm the overall trend of a steady increase in new orders for alternative fuels, says DNV.

Carbon Clean has achieved a fabrication milestone on Ørsted’s FlagshipONE project, Europe’s largest commercial-scale e-methanol facility under construction. The first equipment has been mounted on the structural steel of the first module, marking the start of the module assembly process.Once operational, Carbon Clean’s technology will be capable of capturing 70,000 tonnes of biogenic CO2 per year for Ørsted’s facility in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.Carbon Clean’s CaptureX semi-modular technology for this project is being fabricated at Schwartz Hautmont’s site at the Port of Tarragona in Vila-seca…

H2SITE’s AMMONIA to H2POWER technology for ammonia cracking onboard has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register (LR).The technology is an onboard containerized solution that produces fuel-cell-quality hydrogen using ammonia. This hydrogen can then be used by hydrogen fuel cells that can contribute to the vessel’s electrical power, or the hydrogen could be consumed directly in an internal combustion engine.Ammonia cracking is gaining momentum as a potential hydrogen…

The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has published its 2023 IACS Annual Review which includes a broad range of articles highlighting IACS’ work in 2023, with a strong emphasis on the significant advancements made in alternative fuels.This includes the development of a new Unified Requirement on the release of ammonia from ammonia fuelled vessels, and the newly established Safe Digital Transformation Panel that focuses on the safety implications of increasingly digitised ships…

The last plenary of the European Parliament in Strasbourg has adopted a new law which aims to scale up industrial capacity for green technologies in Europe.European shipowners strongly welcome the inclusion of clean fuels for shipping, including advanced biofuels and e-fuels, in the list of net-zero technologies adopted under the Net-Zero Industry Act. The new law introduces a benchmark for the Commission and the EU Member States to match 40% of the deployment needs for clean fuels for shipping with production capacity.

The Maritime International Advisory Panel (IAP) held its third annual meeting on April 16, 2024, during the Singapore Maritime Week 2024. This year, the Maritime IAP held in-depth discussions on the key developments in the maritime sector, including decarbonization, green financing, digitalization and cybersecurity.Established in 2022 by the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the Maritime IAP aims to seek international perspectives on key long-term trends and developments that will shape the maritime industry.

The Methanol Institute (MI) and SEA-LNG, key representatives of the methanol and LNG industries respectively, have expressed their deep concerns following the recent announcement by the European Commission impacting the trade of biomethane and biomethane-based biofuels such as biomethanol.The Commission has noted the intention to exclude the automatic certification of biomethane and biomethanol-based fuels produced through mass balance chain of custody in third-party countries outside the EU gas grids within the Union Database (UDB)…

Over the past year, H2 Energy and DFDS have worked together on a project to analyze the feasibility of retrofitting large ferries with a hydrogen propulsion system.The project, supported by the Danish Maritime Fund, has led to the publication of a hydrogen propulsion feasibility study.With support from the Danish Maritime Fund, DFDS, H2 Energy and Lloyds set out to uncover the technical and operational feasibility of hydrogen propulsion systems by analyzing the main aspects of…

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has received an order from Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG) for an ammonia fuel supply system and ammonia gas abatement system.The fuel supply system will supply ammonia fuel to ammonia-powered marine engines developed by J-ENG, and the abatement system will safely treat any surplus ammonia. Both are remotely controlled automatically by an integrated control system. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will deliver the modules to J-ENG in 2025.Going forward…

DNV has awarded HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard an approval in principle (AIP) for the design of ammonia dual fuel 45,000 m3 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers.The presentation took place at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center (GRC) in Seongnam, Korea. HD Hyundai Mipo (HMD), who have developed the basic ship design, provided detailed engine specifications and operational data from global engine maker, WinGD, and reviewed the safety and suitability of the design with DNV. The designs are based around a new 10…