Explora Journeys recently officially named EXPLORA III in Barcelona, welcoming the brand’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered ship to the fleet. 

Following her early delivery in Genoa on 23 July 2026, EXPLORA III embarked on a journey through the Mediterranean before arriving in Barcelona for the official naming ceremony. 

“As the first LNG-powered vessel in the Explora Journeys fleet, EXPLORA III represents the next step in the brand’s investment in advanced marine technologies,” the company said on its website. 

Designed to operate on LNG today, the ship also offers a pathway towards renewable alternatives such as bio-LNG and synthetic LNG as these become increasingly available. 

The vessel is equipped with shore power capability, enabling connection to onshore electricity in ports where infrastructure exists, allowing engines to be switched off while alongside.

EXPLORA III departed on 3 August on its seven-night Maiden Journey to Lisbon.

Photo credit: Explora Journeys
Published: 5 August, 2026

Low-carbon fuel solutions provider Anew Climate on Tuesday (4 August) announced that it has joined SEA-LNG to boost the coalition’s work to reduce emissions across the global shipping industry by promoting the adoption of the methane decarbonisation pathway.

Majority-owned by TPG Rise, Anew delivers liquefied biomethane (LBM or Bio-LNG) for maritime decarbonisation across vital shipping hubs in North America, Europe, and Asia, reducing GHG emissions by up to 80% compared to marine diesel on a full well-to-wake basis.

Anew’s membership in SEA-LNG comes as liquefied biomethane adoption accelerates under regulations like FuelEU Maritime, which requires fleet operators to pool to meet GHG intensity targets. Liquefied biomethane use generates credits within this pooling mechanism, which operators can use directly for compliance or sell to other fleet operators. 

Liquefied biomethane leverages existing LNG infrastructure and is already bunkered at roughly 70 ports across Europe, the US, and parts of Asia. Some pathways can achieve negative carbon intensity by avoiding emissions, such as methane that would otherwise be released from waste streams.

Andy Brosnan, President of Low Carbon Fuels, Anew Climate, said: “Bio-LNG is one of the most practical and scalable tools available today to help the maritime sector reduce emissions and meet evolving regulatory requirements. We’re seeing growing momentum across global shipping as stakeholders turn decarbonisation commitments into action. Through SEA-LNG, we look forward to collaborating with industry leaders to accelerate the availability and adoption of Bio-LNG and support the industry’s transition to lower-carbon fuels.”

Steve Esau, COO of SEA-LNG, added: “Anew’s membership expands our North American footprint and supports the methane decarbonisation pathway’s global expansion. As a first mover in bringing liquefied biomethane to scale, Anew joins a roster of fuel producers with a proven track record, a presence in strategic shipping hubs, and a tangible impact on compliance and decarbonisation today.”

Headquartered in North America with additional operational hubs in Europe and Asia, Anew brings an international supply perspective to the coalition, with partnerships including Avenir LNG and Seaspan Energy. Its portfolio of low- and negative-carbon fuels broadens the scope of Bio-LNG supply available to the global LNG-fuelled fleet, the leading alternative-fuel choice, now accounting for almost 90% of all alternative-fuel vessels on order.

Photo credit: Venti Views on Unsplash
Published: 5 August, 2026

Quadrise, a low emissions fuels and biofuel developer, recently announced an amendment to the Joint Development Agreement (JDA) with Australian-based Licella Holdings (Licella).

Licella is a global technology pioneer delivering scalable, low-cost and high-value fossil replacement solutions. Its proprietary Cat-HTR™ hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL” technology efficiently converts abundant biomass residues and biowastes, including wood and agricultural waste, into high-quality, sustainable bio-oil that can be blended or refined into low-carbon liquid fuels.

“HTL is globally recognised as one of the most promising pathways for producing sustainable fuels for hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping, with organisations highlighting its potential to deliver low-carbon bio-oils at the scale the maritime sector requires,” Quadrise said. 

Under the JDA entered into on 26 March 2025, Quadrise and Licella have been collaborating and seeking, inter alia, to progress the use of Licella’s bio-oil produced by HTL technology as a potential cost-effective feedstock for the Company’s  bioMSAR™ and bioMSAR Zero™ fuels.  

Under the JDA, pursuant to which lab testing has been undertaken in Australia and the UK, the parties have jointly developed a deeper understanding of the technological advancements needed to supply sustainable HTL-derived bio-oils to the maritime sector.

As a result, and prior to diesel engine testing, the Amended JDA now sets out a non-binding but more specific development focus, with an updated time schedule for the joint testing of the parties’ respective fuel technologies, with Licella providing the scalable HTL bio-oil production expertise and Quadrise providing maritime market access and fuel experience.  

Upon successful completion of final lab tests on refined Licella HTL bio-oils in H2 2026, initial marine fuel diesel engine pilot tests are planned by the parties, after which Quadrise and Licella will seek to undertake the larger scale, third-party engine testing required to move to commercial vessel tests.

Photo credit: Scott Graham
Published: 4 August, 2026