Alternative Fuels News

Danish shipping company Maersk is testing a blend of Brazilian ethanol with methanol and marine diesel for its vessel engines as part of its efforts to further decarbonize operations, the company announced on Monday.The initiative could open a new market for Brazil's ethanol industry while helping to reduce the maritime shipping sector's carbon footprint, which currently accounts for about 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions.Maersk, which represents 15% of the global maritime shipping market, is testing a blend with 10% of ethanol.

20 leading green fuel producers are calling on IMO delegates to seize a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to set shipping on a sustainable pathway.At this week’s extraordinary session, leaders will come together in London to discuss the adoption of the IMO’s Net Zero Framework (NZF) that was agreed in April earlier this year. A final vote is expected on Thursday or Friday.The companies, including European Energy, Liquid Wind, ET Fuels, HIF Global and Zero Waste, call on the IMO…

There’s an obvious fuel saving advantage, but partnering energy storage systems with new fuels brings other advantages too.There’s a new generation of vessels emerging which is exemplified by Grimaldi’s PCTC Grande Shanghai, claimed to reduce fuel consumption by 50% compared to previous-generation car carriers, and the NCL Vestland, a container feeder vessel similarly claimed to reduce energy consumption per TEU per nautical mile by 63%.What these vessels have in common is a propulsion system that combines energy storage systems and new fuels.As Henrik Helgesen…

The Documentary Committee of BIMCO has adopted a Methanol Annex to its Bunker Terms 2018. The annex is the latest addition to the BIMCO portfolio of contracts and clauses that support the maritime industry’s transition towards alternative fuels and decarbonization.The annex introduces new definitions to reflect ongoing developments in the bunkering landscape. It also targets the increasing importance of sustainability certification which is intended to verify the source and environmental…

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) have signed a two-year partnership agreement aimed at accelerating the decarbonization of the maritime sector.IAPH has a global port network comprising more than 200 port authorities and operators in over 85 countries. Together, GCMD and IAPH aim to strengthen the industry’s readiness for shipping’s fuel transition by tackling challenges and seizing opportunities in advancing alternative fuels bunkering…

In a recent sustainable fuel panel discussion, I once again found my self sucked into the sustainable fuel chicken and egg conundrum.I have discussed it before; shipowners will not buy ships that use a fuel for which no viable supply chain exists and fuel suppliers will not develop supply chains for which no buyers exist.In general, it is very difficult to break a chicken and egg conundrum, except through a direct directive or through, often very large, subsidies.Often direct directives leave the problem solution to the market.

A consortium led by Keppel Ltd. has been appointed by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to conduct the next phase of the project to develop a low- or zero-carbon ammonia solution on Jurong Island, Singapore for power generation and bunkering.The appointment follows EMA and MPA’s Request for Proposal (RFP) process, where Keppel and its consortium partners, Sumitomo Corporation, and Advario, conducted a preliminary front-end engineering…

This week, RWE withdrew from a $10 billion Namibia green hydrogen project, the latest example of companies considering such investments.The German power utility said on Monday that it had withdrawn from Namibia's Hyphen green ammonia project because demand for hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as ammonia is developing slower than expected in Europe.The lack of new fuel availability for shipping is a problem that Accelleron has tackled in its newly released report Deadlock…

An advanced design of an ammonia vent treatment system from HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) received approval in principle (AIP) from ABS and the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR).The ammonia vent treatment system integrates compact scrubbers to treat ammonia fuel, which can escape during the purging process, to maintain safe concentration levels before discharge through the vent mast. HD KSOE says this design also minimizes wastewater production. ABS completed design reviews based on class requirements and IMO Interim Guidance.

ClassNK has issued an approval in principle (AiP) for a methanol fuel tank design concept developed by SRC Group, which uses a Sandwich Plate System (SPS) technology to almost double shipboard storage capacity for both methanol and ethanol.The certification demonstrates its feasibility from regulatory and safety perspectives.With the growing adoption of alternative fuels such as methanol in the maritime industry, the development of safe and efficient fuel storage solutions has become increasingly important.In contrast to traditional fuel tanks…

Swiss marine power company WinGD will offer the first ethanol-fueled two-stroke marine engine next year, with deliveries for newbuild and retrofit applications starting in 2027.The announcement follows a decade of investigation into ethanol fuel, including full-scale engine tests in 2018, and the successful launch of a methanol-fueled engine that uses the same combustion concept and is subject to the same safety regulations as the new ethanol engine.The new engine will be adapted from the X DF-M methanol-fueled engine…

Japanese shipping group NYK has carried out its first ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of liquefied ammonia, moving around 23,000 metric tonnes from one carrier to another off the coast of Ceuta in Spain.The transfer, conducted on September 2, involved the NYK-owned ammonia carrier Berlian Ekuator, time-chartered by Mitsui & Co., and the Eco Enchanted, operated by U.S.-based ammonia trader Trammo. NYK said the transfer was completed under strict safety protocols.While the company has experience in STS transfers of crude oil…

Everllence has confirmed the successful running on ethanol – at all load points – of a 90-bore ME-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) engine in Japan.Everllence pioneered the ME-LGIM platform over a decade ago with the first commercial engine entering service in 2016 within the methanol-carrier segment.Building on experiences from these engines, Everllence scaled up its methanol burning portfolio in 2021 with the first ME-LGIM for a vessel outside the methanol carrier segment.

The EU-funded HYScale project has announced a series of technical breakthroughs that bring cost competitive, industrial scale green hydrogen production a step closer to reality.At the core of every low‑temperature water‑electrolysis system lies the membrane, a critical component for efficiency, safety, and scalability. HYScale coordinator Cutting‑Edge Nanomaterials GmbH (CENmat) has now successfully upscaled the synthesis and casting of its proprietary AionFLX™ anion exchange membranes (AEMs).

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) has completed a joint demonstration with Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) that verified the long-term use and storage of biofuel onboard ships, confirming its technical safety and sustainable usability.The six-month trial, as part of Project LOTUS, involved continuous use of B24 biofuel on a pure car and truck carrier. Tests showed no adverse effects on engine performance or fuel supply systems, no signs of equipment wear or corrosion…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has completed the biofuel bunkering operation for its capesize bulk carrier Lambert Maru in Singapore, with the vessel now underway on its first biofuel-powered voyage carrying cargo for Anglo American.The 292-meter-long Lambert Maru, which has a deadweight tonnage of 180,432 MT, loaded the biofuel on September 14.MOL said the voyage forms part of its ‘Blue Action Net-Zero Alliance’ carbon inset program framework, which aims to achieve net-zero emissions in maritime transportation.

“As of end August 2025, 534 container ships are on order which will be able to use alternative fuels upon delivery. These represent 53% of ships on order and 77% of the TEU,” says Niels Rasmussen, Chief Shipping Analyst at BIMCO.In addition to these alternatively-fuelled ships, the order book also includes 321 ships that will use heavy fuel and another 155 ships that will be delivered ready for a future conversion to alternative fuels.Alternative fuels have proven particularly popular for the largest ships while orders for smaller alternatively-fuelled ships lag behind.

In its first report on maritime decarbonization, Accelleron's Deadlock: What's Stopping Shipping's Carbon-Neutral Fuel Transition? argues that "viral" efficiency measures such as vessel retrofits and digital solutions across the largest ships in the global fleet should be enough to reach the IMO's carbon reduction targets for 2030.But for deeper decarbonization leading to net zero, shipping will need to switch to green hydrogen-based fuels, which today are scarce and prohibitively expensive.

“The IMO has a critical role in delivering a unified global framework, something the industry needs if we are to avoid the fragmentation and inefficiencies arising from a patchwork of regional regulation. This is important but it is equally important we get it right.”That was the message to the industry from ABS Chairman and CEO Christopher J. Wiernicki in a keynote address to the Capital Link Conference at London International Shipping Week.“We want a global united IMO gameplan…

This week MarineLink reported that the Global Ethanol Association (GEA) has officially launched as an independent, non-profit international organization headquartered in Switzerland.GEA’s first flagship program is the Marine Fuel Sector Initiative, an industry led effort to transform ethanol’s market potential into commercial reality and establish it as a cornerstone of the sustainable marine fuel mix.Sylvain Zurcher, Co-Founder & President of the GEA, notes that the US is one of the world’s largest ethanol producers with strong infrastructure already in place.

New insights from DNV’s Maritime Forecast to 2050 indicate that the number of alternative-fuel-capable vessels in operation is set to almost double by 2028.By 2030, the alternative-fuelled fleet will be able to burn up to 50 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) of low-greenhouse gas (GHG) fuels annually, double the estimated volume needed to meet the IMO 2030 emissions target.Yet today, actual consumption of low-GHG fuels remains at just 1 Mtoe.The widening gap between capacity…

The Global Ethanol Association (GEA) has officially launched as an independent, non-profit international organization headquartered in Switzerland.GEA’s mission is to unite resources and expertise, foster cross-sector collaboration, and amplify a powerful industry voice to unlock new opportunities across emerging sectors and accelerate sustainability, innovation, and growth in established ethanol markets.“The Global Ethanol Association represents a transformative step for ethanol as a strategic enabler of sustainable solutions across industries” said Sylvain Zurcher…

Biological hydrogen is a wildcard technology that could change what Roy Allegra calls the current hydrogen cold war.Allegra, based in London, is founder of RA Energy and Green H₂ Systems Modeling.He sees Europe scrambling to lock in alliances and signing deals in the Middle East and Africa to secure green hydrogen supply. These countries are aiming to lead production.Meanwhile, China is already leading in electrolyzer manufacturing capacity, and the US is attracting technology investment.“This is no longer about who builds the biggest electrolyzer…