Alternative Fuels

Acceleron: Asia Pacific illuminating cross-sector e-fuel pathways for maritime decarbonisation

Asia Pacific is actively demonstrating how the critical elements of a future e-fuel system can operate together and across sector boundaries, linking ports, industrial clusters and bunkering infrastructure.

Published

9 months ago

December 3, 2025

Admin

Acceleron: Asia Pacific illuminating cross-sector e-fuel pathways for maritime decarbonisation

Accelleron on Wednesday (3 December) released its second report in its Accelerating to Net Zero series, highlighting the Asia Pacific market’s critical role as the proving ground for much-needed e-fuel networks.

Daniel Bischofberger, Chief Executive Officer at Accelleron, said: “The ships are ready. The net-zero technology is ready. The fuels are still missing.”

“Our customers are preparing ships to run on e-ammonia and e-methanol, and there is broad agreement that green hydrogen-based e-fuels will be essential for reaching net-zero. Even with delays to global net-zero regulation, progress is visible. We wrote this report to bring clarity to that progress and support the industry with evidence it can use. Developments in Asia Pacific show green hydrogen and e-fuel infrastructure beginning to take shape in ways that could inform similar efforts in other regions.”

With the economic scale and distinctive political environment to support early progress in green hydrogen and e-fuel development, the Asia Pacific region has emerged as an advanced testbed for these systems.

Key findings from the report reveal that while the recent postponement of the International Maritime Organization’s Net-Zero Framework has caused uncertainty within the shipping industry, the drive for maritime decarbonization across the region continues at pace.

A driving force behind this progress is Asia Pacific’s view of green hydrogen and e-fuels as a pillar of both decarbonization and long-term, cross-sector energy security. In addition, the region boasts some of the world’s most extensive renewable energy and industrial resources to stimulate green hydrogen and e-fuel production. Several countries are already developing “book and claim” systems to overcome early gaps in e-fuel distribution infrastructure, while smaller-scale, modular e-fuel production models are emerging that enable incremental buildout and directly accelerate early supply. Targeted government supply-side incentives support that acceleration by reducing costs across the e-fuel value chain.

These conditions create a strong cross-sector foundation for e-fuel production, matched by a natural upstream/downstream supply/demand dynamic for e-fuels that is unparalleled in other regions around the world. Asia Pacific is actively demonstrating how the critical elements of a future e-fuel system can operate together and across sector boundaries, linking ports, industrial clusters and bunkering infrastructure.

Despite this progress, maritime demand for e-fuels is currently not high enough to mobilize production at the scale required to decarbonize the sector. Why?

Accelleron’s report identifies vital deadlocks still to be overcome to accelerate missing e-fuel demand, as well key points that the global market can take from developments in the Asia Pacific region.

This includes:

Viable ecosystems don’t need a global regulatory trigger. The Asia Pacific market has shown that if national governments and industry formalize cross-sector programs that link port development, green hydrogen and e-fuel production clusters, industrial offtakers, and maritime demand, early ecosystems can progress in advance of global regulatory alignment.
Inter-country harmonization. National energy agencies and port authorities can accelerate progress by harmonizing cross-sector hydrogen and e-fuel strategies, certification, storage, handling, and bunkering development with neighboring countries, so that regional supply and demand flows are strengthened.
Leverage existing cross-sector trade corridors. Governments, ports, and industry can use existing high-traffic trade corridors, like the Australia-Singapore-China iron route, as the backbone for early e-fuel deployment, coordinating fuel availability, bunkering readiness, cross-sector offtake, and shipping use along the same routes.
Think small to aim big. The Asia Pacific market reveals that smaller scale, modular production concepts – linking renewable power, storage, electrolyzers, and ammonia or methanol synthesis in integrated units – can build out incrementally to supply cross-sector offtake. This allows for smaller upfront offtake commitments, accelerating early market formation.
Get the other half of the job done: generating demand. In contrast to the wealth of cross-sector, supply-side incentives for green hydrogen and e-fuel production and infrastructure, maritime carbon pricing and demand-side incentives for e-fuels are virtually absent across the Asia Pacific region, signaling a clear expectation that these must come from global maritime regulation.

Allan-Qingzhou Wang, Chairman of Accelleron China, concluded: “Our first Accelerating to Net Zero report highlighted the central role that green hydrogen–based e-fuels will play in shipping’s energy transition. This new report shows how that transition is beginning to take shape on the ground. Across Asia Pacific, different approaches to early e-fuel development are emerging, offering evidence of how e-fuel networks can develop in practice and laying the foundations for future scale-up.”

Note: Download the full report here.

Photo credit: Accelleron
Published: 3 December, 2025

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Ammonia

Amogy and LOTTE Fine Chemical to explore ammonia bunkering in South Korea

Under a MoU, both will explore supplying ammonia to vessels equipped with Amogy’s Ammonia-to-Power technology, leveraging LFC’s ammonia terminal at Ulsan Port and ship-bunkering capabilities.

Published

19 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Admin

Amogy, LOTTE Fine Chemical to explore ammonia bunkering in South Korea

Ammonia-to-power solutions provider Amogy and LOTTE Fine Chemical Co Ltd (LFC) on Thursday (10 September) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly advance ammonia-to-hydrogen and ammonia-to-power solutions in South Korea.

Under the MoU, Amogy and LFC will explore collaboration across three priority areas that combine LFC’s ammonia supply and infrastructure capabilities with Amogy’s downstream ammonia cracking and power generation technology.

In hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, LFC would supply green ammonia through its overseas procurement and domestic infrastructure, with Amogy’s ammonia cracking technology converting the ammonia into high-purity hydrogen on-site for use at hydrogen refueling stations.

For distributed ammonia-to-power generation at commercial and community-scale sites, LFC would provide ammonia supply, storage, and logistics, while Amogy would provide its Ammonia-to-Power generation modules, including fuel cell or internal combustion engine configurations.

In marine ammonia bunkering, the companies would explore supplying ammonia to vessels equipped with Amogy’s Ammonia-to-Power technology, leveraging LFC’s ammonia terminal at Ulsan Port and ship-bunkering capabilities.

“As Korea continues to build out its clean ammonia and hydrogen infrastructure, partnerships that connect upstream supply with downstream technology are essential to accelerating deployment,” said Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy.

“LOTTE Fine Chemical’s ammonia infrastructure, paired with our ammonia-to-hydrogen and ammonia-to-power technology, gives us a strong foundation to advance hydrogen refuelling, distributed power, and marine applications across the region.”

“LFC has built the infrastructure to import, store, and supply ammonia safely and at scale, including the world’s first ship-bunkering supply of ammonia,” said Suk Min Hwang, Vice President of Ammonia Business Division at LOTTE Fine Chemical.

“This collaboration with Amogy allows us to extend that infrastructure into new downstream applications, supporting Korea’s transition to a clean ammonia and hydrogen economy.”

LFC has achieved the world’s first commercial import of green ammonia in addition to the world’s first domestic ship-bunkering supply using green ammonia.

Amogy’s proprietary ammonia cracking technology enables the efficient conversion of ammonia into hydrogen, supporting both high-purity hydrogen production and ammonia-to-power generation across stationary, distributed, and marine applications.

Building on the MoU, Amogy and LFC will continue joint evaluation of collaboration opportunities across hydrogen refuelling, distributed power, and marine ammonia bunkering, with further details on project scope and timing to be finalised for execution.

Photo credit: Amogy
Published: 11 September, 2026

Events

PIL’s new LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elan” makes maiden call in Singapore

“Kota Elan” is currently operating on PIL’s East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route that connects Asia with South America and is now on its way to Brazil.

Published

19 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Admin

PIL’s new LNG dual-fuel boxship “Kota Elan” makes maiden call in Singapore

Singapore-based Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd (PIL) on Thursday (10 September) said its newest 13,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel Kota Elan made its maiden call in Singapore on 4 September.

In a social media post, PIL said a ceremony was held on board the vessel where representatives from PSA Singapore presented a commemorative plaque to the Master of Kota Elan, Captain Thanabalan Govindaraju, marking its inaugural call at one of the world’s busiest and most connected ports.

The company said Kota Elan is currently operating on PIL’s East Coast Service 1 (ES1) route that connects Asia with South America.

The vessel is now on its way to Brazil, before calling at Uruguay and Argentina, and then finally returning to Asia.

“As one of the latest additions to our growing fleet of greener vessels, Kota Elan reflects PIL’s commitment to building a more sustainable future for shipping through cleaner and more efficient operations,” the company said.

Photo credit: Pacific International Lines
Published: 11 September, 2026

Engine

Polaris Shipping orders WinGD engines capable of running on methanol, ethanol

Ability to operate on either fuel gives Polaris Shipping greater flexibility to respond to changes in fuel availability, pricing and regulatory requirements over the vessels’ operating lives.

Published

19 hours ago

September 11, 2026

Admin

Polaris Shipping orders WinGD engines capable of running on methanol, ethanol

Swiss marine power company WinGD on Thursday (10 September) said it has won a contract that will give Polaris Shipping true fuel flexibility for its future Newcastlemax fleet with an order of four X72DF-M-1.0 engines that can operate on methanol and ethanol.

The ability to operate on either fuel gives Polaris Shipping greater flexibility to respond to changes in fuel availability, pricing and regulatory requirements over the vessels’ operating lives and is a key benefit of WinGD’s alcohol-fuel engine platform.

The WinGD engines will power four 210,000 DWT Ore carriers being built for Polaris Shipping at Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Heavy Industry Co in China, with delivery scheduled for 2031.

Dr. Carmelo Cartalemi, Head of Strategic Marketing, WinGD, said “Shipowners are looking for flexible solutions to help them meet their decarbonisation goals without compromising on reliability, safety or financial stability.

“Our alcohol-fuel engine platform enables ships to operate on either ethanol or methanol, giving shipowners and managers the option to select the fuel that best fits their operational and commercial requirements. With fuel markets and regulations continuing to evolve, that flexibility can be a valuable asset over the lifetime of a vessel.”

The X72DF-M1.0 can run on methanol and ethanol. This provides flexibility between the two fuels, while maintaining compliance with the regulatory requirements applicable to both fuels.

WinGD will also provide dedicated service and lifecycle support for the new alcohol fuels, helping shipowners and operators build familiarity with the technology, optimise operation and maintenance, and adopt methanol and ethanol propulsion in a safe and economically sustainable way

Polaris Shipping, said: “Fuel availability and economics will continue to evolve over the lifetime of these vessels. Selecting an engine platform that gives us access to both methanol and ethanol means we can provide to our charter a greater choice in how the ships are operated in the future, rather than having to predict today which fuel will be most competitive in the years ahead.

“We’re investing for the long-term, and this engine choice gives us the confidence to do that.”

The order adds to WinGD orderbook of alternative fuel engine technology, which now spans LNG, methanol, ethanol and ammonia. Beihai Shipyard is also working with WinGD on the installation of its ammonia-fuelled engine for CMB TECH’s newbuild 210,000 dwt dry bulk carriers.

Photo credit: WinGD
Published: 11 September, 2026