By Sue Terpilowski, SeaNews
The maritime sector stands at a pivotal juncture in its decarbonisation trajectory, as was made abundantly clear on the current Maritime London seminar on 16 July, held at Hill Dickinson’s London workplaces. Organised by Solis Marine, Hill Dickinson, and Maritime London, the occasion introduced collectively a full home of shipowners, authorized specialists, classification societies and technical consultants to look at the sensible and authorized hurdles of switching to various marine fuels.Following the MEPC 83 settlement in April 2025, when the IMO adopted a historic framework for decreasing greenhouse gases, the seminar explored the twin problem of regulatory alignment and gasoline system transformation.
The session supplied a uncommon discussion board for business leaders to talk candidly in regards to the operational and contractual dangers forward. As Jos Standerwick, CEO of Maritime London and seminar moderator, mirrored: “Whereas the bottom is lastly set from a regulatory perspective, it’s more and more clear that technological uncertainty and authorized ambiguity nonetheless must be addressed.”
Regulatory Duality: Double Compliance, Double ComplexityA main supply of concern stays the concurrent operation of the IMO Internet-Zero Framework and the EU’s FuelEU Maritime Regulation. Each purpose to scale back lifecycle greenhouse gasoline (GHG) emissions by gasoline depth targets and pricing mechanisms, however they diverge in scope, geography, timelines and credit score buying and selling guidelines.
“Whether or not or not stakeholders agree with it, the Internet-Zero Framework has not less than ended a few of the uncertainty,” famous Alvin Forster, Head of Marine Engineering Providers at Solis Marine. “However we’re now getting into an period the place ships buying and selling out and in of the EU will probably be regulated twice by two separate and incompatible methods. That provides threat and complexity.”
There may be hope that future alignment might come. FuelEU features a provision for potential evaluate, however political timelines are unsure. Till then, shipowners face layered reporting necessities and price burdens that threat deterring funding of their fleets.
No One Gas to Rule Them AllTechnical shows confirmed that there will probably be no single ‘gasoline of the longer term’. As a substitute, shipowners are making ready for a multi-fuel ecosystem formed by vessel kind, commerce sample and bunkering entry. Methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, biofuels and LNG are all within the working—however every comes with trade-offs.
“Each gasoline has its personal technical, security and availability challenges,” stated Richard Pemberton, Head of Clear Delivery at Solis Marine. “There’s no common winner. House owners will select what most closely fits their working profile.”
Knowledge from DNV’s Various Fuels Perception platform confirmed a transparent uptick in methanol and LNG-capable ships on order; nevertheless, infrastructure and gasoline provide chains stay embryonic, significantly for hydrogen and ammonia.
Contractual Gaps and Authorized LagA recurrent theme all through the seminar was the pressing want for contractual modernisation. Present constitution celebration templates usually lack provisions for emissions credit score pooling, dual-fuel threat sharing, or efficiency degradation related to various fuels.
“Constitution events don’t mirror the realities of a dual-fuel world,” warned James Turner KC of Quadrant Chambers. “With out readability on duty, significantly round emissions liabilities and efficiency baselines, we’re nearly definitely going to see disputes and certain quickly.”Turner additionally pointed to timing misalignments between reporting intervals and constitution durations. “Only a few constitution events run neatly from January to December, but compliance mechanisms are annual. That’s a ticking time bomb.”
Whereas BIMCO has launched draft clauses for FuelEU and CII, a number of consultants have famous that they’re nonetheless underutilised and in some circumstances require additional refinement, together with BIMCO one.
Security and Spill Dangers EscalateAlternative fuels introduce new security hazards that reach far past these related to typical marine gasoline. Methanol is flammable. Ammonia is extremely poisonous. LNG presents cryogenic dealing with dangers. Within the occasion of a casualty or spill, containment methods differ dramatically.“Many of those fuels behave extra like chemical compounds than oil,” defined Andrew Le Masurier, Senior Technical Adviser at ITOPF. “They’re unstable, usually poisonous, and disperse rapidly. Response home windows are slender, and first responders are sometimes the crew, not educated emergency personnel.”
Le Masurier illustrated his level with a hanging video from Aqaba Port, the place the rupture of a single chlorine tank launched a poisonous cloud that drifted fatally throughout the harbour. Whereas the incident was not maritime in origin, it starkly highlighted the human and authorized dangers posed by insufficient preparation and emergency planning.
Seafarer Coaching: Dangerously Behind the CurveA constant message from panellists was that STCW coaching provisions are outdated. Crew readiness for fuels like ammonia and methanol is patchy at finest, and in lots of circumstances, it’s absent.
Are seafarers adequately geared up to deal with the protection calls for of next-generation fuels? “The straightforward reply is not any, we’re not doing sufficient,” admitted one speaker. “It’s not nearly dealing with the gasoline; it’s about firefighting, first response, and evacuation protocols. We’re asking seafarers to handle superior threat with out superior coaching.”Calls have been made for regulators to speed up STCW updates, and for house owners to transcend compliance with focused onboard and simulator coaching, particularly for dual-fuel vessels.
Collaboration, Not ConflictDespite the challenges, audio system repeatedly returned to at least one resolution: collaboration. Charterers and house owners should transfer past transactional relationships and co-develop operational and compliance methods to attain a more practical partnership. Ports should align with flag states. Regulators should hearken to business voices when refining guidelines and enforcement.
“We want shared duty, not finger-pointing,” concluded Jos Standerwick. “The regulatory structure is in place, however implementation will fail with out alignment throughout contracts, coaching, infrastructure, and funding.”
The seminar served as a well timed wake-up name: whereas the coverage frameworks are advancing, the business’s readiness to function inside them safely, commercially, and legally continues to be a piece in progress.
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