Decarbonization News

Fortescue’s Green Pioneer has arrived in Belém, Brazil, to send a message to COP30 participants that collaboration between industry and regulators is the key to unlocking zero-emission shipping.The 75-meter vessel has now visited three continents this year, following stops in London, Rotterdam, Monaco, Boston and New York.During its global voyage, the Green Pioneer has achieved several milestones, including becoming the first vessel to sail on ammonia in international waters.

Lloyd’s Register (LR), in collaboration with COSCO Shipping Group, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Southampton, has established the International Maritime Future Technologies Innovation Center.The new virtual center aims to advance research and development in low- and zero-carbon maritime technologies, intelligent ship systems and digital innovation.The center will serve as a global platform for collaboration between industry and academia, supporting the sector’s transition towards a smarter and more sustainable future.

Dutch maritime solar company Wattlab has delivered a solar energy system for globally operating shipping, trading, and maritime services company Vertom.The recently delivered Vertom Tula is a 7,280dwt diesel-electric multipurpose cargo vessel. The solar system represents a major technical milestone and a step forward for sustainable shipping. Wattlab has delivered and installed 44 Solar Flatracks that will provide power to onboard systems, reducing 20% of the hotel load. Vertom operates a fleet of over 100 vessels…

Four Hanwha Group companies — Hanwha Power Systems, Hanwha Ocean, Hanwha Aerospace, and Hanwha Systems — signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with shipping company HMM and Korean Register (KR) to jointly develop and demonstrate next-generation carbon-free ship propulsion systems.The partners will jointly conduct concept design for next-generation propulsion systems — including an integrated solution combining an ammonia-based gas turbine and fuel cells for 7,000–8,000 TEU-class container vessels…

South Korea and Singapore signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) on artificial intelligence and green shipping, South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung said at a joint press conference with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday after having a bilateral summit in Seoul.The two countries also agreed to cooperate on defense technology, Lee added.(Reuters - Reporting by Heejin Kim; Editing by Jamie Freed)

The U.S. will not send any high-level officials to the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil, a White House official told Reuters, alleviating some concern among world leaders that Washington would send a team to scupper the talks.Brazil will host a high-level leaders' summit next week before the two-week UN climate negotiations begin in the Amazonian city of Belem.Earlier this month, the U.S. threatened to use visa restrictions and sanctions to retaliate against nations that would vote in favor of a plan put forward by the United Nations shipping agency…

The decision made during the MEPC meeting in October 2025 to delay the IMO’s Net Zero Framework, by one year, has caused waves across the shipping industry, generating opinions and comments from many industry stakeholders. As a consequence of this decision, it is ever more likely that it will give rise to more regional legislation and Emission Trading Schemes, which may come to the fore as a substitute for the delayed global IMO Net Zero Framework.With this in mind, the EU ETS…

ClassNK has released "Guidelines for Onboard CO2 Capture and Storage Systems (Edition 2.0)", which assesses onboard CO2 capture systems (OCCS) using membrane separation. The guidelines can be used to support the safe development, manufacturing, and installation of a relevant system.CO2 capture from ship exhaust gas is growing in popularity as a way to reduce GHG emissions, and the development of onboard systems for capturing and storing CO2 is being undertaken. In 2023, ClassNK published the first edition of the "Guidelines for Onboard CO2 Capture and Storage Systems…

The European Union (EU)-funded MARPOWER project (Efficient zero-emissions gas turbine POWER system for MARitime transport) is addressing the decarbonization of maritime transport. Shipping is responsible for almost 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, a figure expected to rise in the coming years, making it essential to deploy cleaner, scalable, and economically viable solutions that meet tightening international climate regulations.To respond to this need, the MARPOWER project…

The construction of Captain Arctic, a 69-meter near-zero-emission exploration vessel designed for sustainable cruising in polar waters, has reached a major milestone as its hull was completed by Goltens Dubai, marking the start of final outfitting and integration work.The vessel, owned by French company SELAR and built in collaboration with Chantier Naval de l’Océan Indien (CNOI) and Goltens Dubai, represents a major step in the integration of renewable energy systems into modern…

Speakers at the 2025 WISTA AGM and Conference, held in Barcelona October 22-24, shared their thoughts on collaboration across maritime, trade, and logistics as a key to achieving goals on equality, gender diversity and decarbonization.The event, the largest staged by the association in its more than 50-year history, brought together over 400 maritime professionals and leaders from around the world.In her keynote speech, WISTA International President, Elpi Petraki stressed that…

Wartsila still believes the decarbonisation of marine traffic will continue despite a delay to establishing a global carbon price for shipping, its CEO said on Tuesday, as it reported third-quarter order intake below market expectations.The Finnish engineering group, one of the world's biggest ship engine makers, has invested in emissions reduction technologies for ships and power plants. It expects higher demand for those under the International Maritime Organisation's climate plan.However, a decision on a global price on shipping emissions was delayed by a year earlier this month under U.S.

The maritime industry is charting a new course toward decarbonization, yet this time round it is not only traditional shipowners at the helm. Major energy and commodity traders, whose shipping operations often carry large carbon footprints, are now investing in cleaner and more efficient shipping. With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) calling for a 40% reduction in shipping’s carbon intensity by 2030 from 2008 levels, these players are now deploying new methods to cut emissions at sea.

In a landmark step toward maritime decarbonization, Anew Climate (Anew) and Seaspan Energy (Seaspan) have successfully completed their first ship-to-ship loading operation of renewable liquefied natural gas (Bio-LNG) in the Port of Long Beach, California, marking an important moment in the transition to lower-carbon marine fuels on the North American West Coast.Following the announcement of a strategic agreement last month to deliver Bio-LNG at scale, the two companies have successfully completed their first bunkering of a commercial container vessel.

Growing environmental pressures are reviving interest in nuclear propulsion as a potential long-term route to decarbonize shipping, DNV said in a new paper, despite there being no civilian nuclear-powered vessels built for more than four decades.DNV’s latest report, Maritime nuclear propulsion: Technologies, commercial viability, and regulatory challenges for nuclear-powered vessels, highlights how maritime nuclear technologies differ from land-based reactors, and emphasizes the need to address technological…

ABS Wavesight, the ABS-affiliated software-as-a-service (SaaS) company, has been chosen by Navilands Group to provide a single integrated platform to help streamline compliance with the FuelEU Maritime Regulation and EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) requirements.Navilands will implement the Carbon Diligence suite, part of the new ABS Wavesight Advantage platform, across a selection of bulkers and containerships, with further expansion planned by year-end.As of January 1, 2025…

Bloomberg reports that, ahead of Friday’s vote at the IMO, Andrew Forrest, the billionaire founder and chair of Fortescue Metals Group, decried what he said were “intimidatory tactics” impacting delegates’ ability to vote their conscience.“As a global industrialist and philanthropist, I stand ready to support any country or individual being blackmailed or threatened,” Forrest said in a message to negotiators at the UN. “I am committed to working with others to ensure that justice prevails and bullying tactics do not win out.”Still…

A majority of countries at the U.N. shipping agency voted on Friday to postpone by a year a decision on a global carbon price on international shipping, after failing to reach consensus on the emissions reduction measure amid U.S. pressure.The delay is a blow to the European Union and other countries including Brazil which have been pushing for the shipping industry to go greener and set out a price mechanism for decarbonisation.Washington and Riyadh, the world's two largest oil producers…

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reported in September that the number of member cruise line ships with the ability to use shore power has nearly doubled since 2018.Today, 166 ships are able to plug in at port, a 12% increase from the prior year. These ships represent 58% of the fleet and 65% of capacity.By 2036, 273 ships that can connect are expected to be in service.As part of the EU’s Fit for 55 decarbonization regulations, by 2030 major ports in Europe will be required to have shore power…

French engineering specialist GTT has teamed up with Bloom Energy and Ponant Explorations Group to develop an integrated energy system combining solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) powered by LNG with marine carbon capture, aiming to significantly cut onboard emissions for future cruise operations.The system is slated to be installed on Ponant’s Swap2Zero cruise vessel by 2030. The vessel will be propelled by wind-assisted technology and fuel cells, and the new system is designed to cover the ship’s hotel load - including lighting…

The International Maritime Organization will meet this week to formally decide whether to impose a carbon emissions price on global shipping, a move supported by an EU-led bloc including Britain, China and Japan but strongly opposed by the U.S.The IMO struck a preliminary deal to charge the global shipping industry for emissions in April after the U.S. pulled out of associated talks, prompting Washington to threaten "reciprocal measures" against any fees charged on U.S. ships.The…

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…

Leading international maritime associations and organisations have reiterated their strong support for the adoption of the “Net-Zero Framework” at the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee next week (October 14-17) by the world’s governments at the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO). The global industry remains committed to working collaboratively with IMO Member States to successfully implement this regulatory package for achieving net zero GHG emissions by or close to 2050…