Alternative Fuels News

The UK Maritime Minister Mike Kane has revealed the government’s new goals for all vessels that operate in UK waters and dock at UK ports to be carbon free.Part of the government’s Plan for Change, the new Maritime decarbonization strategy sets out goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030, 80% by 2040 and to zero by 2050.This will see the UK match the highest level of the ambitious goals agreed at the IMO in its 2023 strategy on reduction of greenhouse gas emission from ships.

European Shipowners (ECSA) and Sea Europe have issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to include the maritime sector in the European Industrial Maritime Strategy as well as in the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP).“Both initiatives should ensure the international competitiveness of European shipping which is a prerequisite for a strong and competitive European maritime industrial cluster. Addressing the widening innovation gap in Europe is the only way to enhance the European industrial base.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the CMA CGM Group have renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance sustainable shipping and innovation.The MoU was signed by Teo Eng Dih, Chief Executive of MPA, and Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group. It renews an earlier MoU signed in 2022.Under the MoU, CMA CGM plans to expand its fleet and vessel tonnage, adding more vessels under the Singapore Registry of Ships, including four 23,000 TEU LNG vessels.

Uncertainty about the scale and nature of the IMO’s proposed carbon levy is holding back investment in shipping, according to the Christopher J. Wiernicki,  Chairman and CEO of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).“A carbon levy is a wild card. It will all depend on how it is implemented and enforced. There’s a huge question mark over whether this will deliver for the industry and there is much still to be decided,” said Wiernicki.Wiernicki expressed his concerns during an appearance at CERAWeek energy conference.“Will the levy be set at $18, $100 or even $150 per ton?

The outcome of MEPC 83 in April could establish the IMO’s mid-term GHG and carbon pricing strategy for achieving net-zero by around 2050. Not everyone is waiting; they have enough confidence in the LNG pathway to order new ships.According to the latest figures from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, 34 new orders for alternative-fueled vessels were placed in February 2025, 33 of them for LNG-fueled container ships.The trend is continuing this week with CSSC subsidiary…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has joined the e-NG Coalition, an international alliance that aims to accelerate the development and use of e-methane to accelerate the decarbonization of shipping industry.With the addition of MOL, the total number of participating companies of the e-NG alliance has increased to 20.Through its participation in the alliance, MOL will establish an international supply chain for next-generation fuels and accelerate its initiatives to reduce the environmental…

There were no major breakthroughs in the on-going discussions about a universal levy at the IMO's Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 18) last week. Any GHG emissions pricing mechanism is going to mean big change for the industry, and a lot of different sectors within shipping will be impacted.InterManager has pointed out, in a paper submitted to the next meeting of the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC83 in April)…

The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has published the final two reports in six series, focused on alternative fuels and decarbonization technologies. The reports were contracted from a consortium led by ABS, which includes CE Delft, Arcsilea, and Texas A&M University.A 360-degree analysis of nuclear power and synthetic fuels, specifically the renewable e-fuels of e-diesel, e-methane, and e-methanol, complete a project for EMSA designed to support the European Commission…

The IMO’s Sub-Committee on Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) has agreed on draft interim generic guidelines for training seafarers working on ships powered by alternative fuels and new technologies. These draft guidelines will be submitted to the Maritime Safety Committee for approval in June 2025.Meeting in London from February 10 to 14, the Sub-Committee agreed that such guidance should be provided through both:• generic interim guidelines applicable across the whole industry and relevant to all alternative fuels and new technologies…

Guy Platten, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping, has released a statement ahead of the UN IMO Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 18) calling for a levy-based GHG pricing mechanism.The key purpose of the mandatory GHG charge will be to reduce the cost gap between conventional marine fuels and zero/near-zero GHG emission fuels (such as green methanol, green methane including biomethane, green ammonia, green hydrogen…

TUI Cruises, a joint venture between German TUI Group and Royal Caribbean Cruises, has taken delivery of the first of two liquefied natural gas (LNG) and marine gas oil (MGO) powered cruise ships Fincantieri is building for the shipowner.With approximately 160,000 gross tons, the dual-fuel powered InTUItion-class ship forms the backbone of TUI Cruises’ new fleet.Named Mein Schiff Relax, the ship is able to use LNG and is future-proof with the ability to utilize low-emission fuels such as bio- or e-LNG…

Taking a well-to-wake approach to CO2 emissions means that the shipping industry will look beyond emerging engine technologies such as dual-fuel ammonia engines when considering the viability of alternative fuels.Engine manufacturers are optimizing combustion and reducing pilot fuel requirements, but any pilot diesel requirements mean the process is not 100% carbon free.This week, Hanwha Power Systems, Hanwha Ocean and Baker Hughes announced a different concept. The companies agreed to design and produce low carbon ammonia gas turbines capable of 100% ammonia combustion.

Amogy, a provider of ammonia-to-power solutions has announced the expansion of its operations into South Korea with the opening of an office in the Pangyo Techno Valley.This will Amogy close to established investors and partners, including SK Innovation, Samsung Heavy Industries, HD Hyundai, Hanwha, SV Investment, and Korea Zinc.Korea’s status as an early adopter in ammonia and hydrogen fuel technologies, along with robust national policies that support the clean tech economy, was a major driver in Amogy’s decision to establish a local presence.

WinGD will be deploying its on-engine NOx reduction solution ed for the first time on commercial engines after securing type approval.The integrated Selective Catalytic Reduction (iSCR) solution was tested at Mitsui E&S DU (MESDU) Co’s factory in Aioi, Japan, where three WinGD 5X52-S2.0 engines are being built for bulk carriers under construction at a Japanese shipyard.The type approval follows more than two years of service experience with a prototype version. The latest iteration features reduced material and production costs…

According to the latest figures from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, a total of 12 new orders for alternative-fueled vessels were placed in January 2025, marking a continuation of the trend towards the fuel in the second half of 2024.All new orders placed came from the container segment, DNV’s AFI informed.“Although we have seen fewer orders for alternative-fueled vessels in January compared to other months, it follows a record-breaking year in 2024, and the overall outlook continues to be encouraging.

MAN Energy Solutions has reported that its ME-LGIA (Liquid Gas Injection Ammonia) engine, currently undergoing testing at its Research Centre Copenhagen facility, has run at 100% engine load for the first time.Ole Pyndt Hansen, Head of Two-Stroke Research & Development, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “We began full-scale testing in November 2024 and have since proceeded in a cautious and safety-first way. We have now operated the engine on ammonia from 25–100% load, marking yet another important step forward in the maritime energy transition.

The multi-purpose vessel Prima Verde, said to be the world’s first vessel able to run on marine gas oil (MGO) and wind assisted propulsion simultaneously, has been delivered.Operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) company MOL Drybulk and owned by Daishin Shipping, the vessel), was delivered at Onomichi Dockyard.The vessel has a range of environmentally friendly features, and is the world's first vessel of any type to use green steel materials, an engine that can run exclusively on marine gas oil (MGO) and a wind assisted vessel propulsion system.JGreeX…

Yanmar Power Technology has received Japanese government approval for its production plans for hydrogen-fueled engines and fuel cells.The planned project aims to establish an advanced production system for zero-emission ships powered by hydrogen and batteries.In August 2023, Yanmar introduced a hydrogen fuel cell system for marine use. Additionally, Yanmar has completed onshore tests of a pilot-ignition hydrogen 4-stroke high-speed engine for power generation in coastal vessels, achieving a rated output of approximately 500 kW.

The ECO2Fuel project is testing a prototype direct, electrochemical CO2 conversion system that produces sustainable liquid e-fuels and chemicals such as methanol and ethanol.The aim is to scale the system up to achieve the world’s first low-temperature 1MW CO2 electrolyzer in 2026.The ECO2Fuel system works by directly reducing CO2 through electrocatalytic conversion in a single-step process. This process uses water and renewable electricity, without the need for hydrogen. The operation is performed under low temperatures and pressures…

Amogy, a provider of mature, scalable, and efficient ammonia-to-power solutions, announced that it raised $56 million in venture financing, bringing total raised since inception to more than $270 million.The round was co-led by existing investor Aramco Ventures and new investor SV Investment. Additional new investors participating in the round include Samsung Heavy Industries, BHP Ventures, Hanwha Investment & Securities, AFW Partners, Quantum Ventures Korea, Kibo Invest, and Seoul IP…

Marine fuel sales reached fresh highs at the world's largest bunker hub of Singapore in 2024, official data showed on Wednesday, driven by record container throughput and higher deliveries of alternative marine fuels.Sales totalled 54.92 million metric tons in 2023, data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) showed. Total sales surpassed a previous record of 51.82 million tons in 2023.Container throughput climbed to 41.12 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, also logging new highs.

Lloyd's Register (LR) has awarded Approval in Principle (AiP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for its pioneering vacuum-insulated large-scale liquid hydrogen (LH₂) tank system. The successful testing of a large-scale vacuum chamber for this AiP marked the world’s first technical validation of large-scale LH₂ tank insulation design.The vacuum insulation system addresses some of the most pressing challenges of using hydrogen in the maritime industry: the scalability of liquefied hydrogen storage and transportation of the fuel, says LR.

On January 10, a group of over 240 shipping executives attended seminar in Shanghai on "Contributing to the China Solution to Cross the Carbon Threshold."The aim was to further build consensus on industry development needed to respond to the challenges brought by the new EU shipping carbon tax fuel regulations.Zhang Yong, deputy general manager of COSCO Shipping Group, shared four suggestions: first, focus on responsible investment and strive to increase low-carbon increments…