Shipping’s decarbonisation ambitions are clear but turning that ambition into commercially viable emissions reductions at scale remains a challenge.

As regulatory requirements tighten and fuel markets remain volatile, Pekka Pakkanen, Executive Vice President, Shipping Solutions, NAPA, says operational efficiency is emerging as one of the most immediate and scalable levers available to shipowners, with digital tools increasingly helping to maximise the benefits of energy efficiency technologies: 

The shipping industry’s decarbonization drive does not lack ambition – that is visible in the pace of innovation and research we see around us. But translating that ambition into action at scale and in a commercially viable way remains a different challenge altogether. The International Maritime Organization’s MEPC 84, which concluded in April 2026, reminded us of both how far we have come and how much complexity still remains.

Discussions around the Net-Zero Framework continued, with delegates agreeing to seek further consensus on key adjustments later in October 2026, while progress was made across several other fronts. Separately, the adoption of amendments designating the North-East Atlantic as a new Emission Control Area for Sulphur Oxides (Sox), particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (Nox) is a significant achievement. At the same time, the second phase of the review of the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) began, focusing mainly on enhancing the SEEMP.

Progress, though incremental, is still being made in an environment defined by mounting regulatory obligations, volatile fuel markets, and a clean technology landscape still maturing. All these factors create a backdrop of uncertainty. It’s a word used often to describe shipping’s operating environment and still stands the test of time.

Why energy efficiency technologies remain key

Despite knowing this, the argument I want to put forward is a simple one that can help cut through the uncertainty. The single most accessible, most immediate, commercially viable and scalable lever available to shipping today for managing decarbonization is operational efficiency. Not instead of alternative fuels or new vessel technologies, but as the foundation on which everything else must be built.

Fuel price volatility has made efficiency a financial necessity as much as an environmental one. The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and FuelEU Maritime are already in effect and tightening year on year. Add to this the second phase of the CII and SEEMP review, which MEPC 84 formally commenced, and all signs point to the need for operational performance data, optimization and reporting.

In today’s market, efficiency is both a sustainability metric and a margin protection strategy. Every tonne of fuel saved reduces exposure to volatile fuel prices, emissions costs, and operational uncertainty. The question for shipping executives is, therefore, is how to maximize the impact of efficiency.

The answer increasingly lies in the intelligent combination of digital tools and energy efficiency technologies. One development that has captured significant industry attention is the growing integration of wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) with voyage optimization software. Harnessing the power of the wind is not just about installing sails, wings, or kites – it is also about navigating the inherent challenges that come with wind propulsion, from complex and fast-evolving weather patterns to training crew. Operating wind-assisted propulsion vessels requires both careful pre-planning and adjustments throughout a ship’s journey. Fast-evolving wind speed and direction, as well as waves and currents, must be assessed and constantly re-assessed throughout the voyage to determine the best possible route. Wind-assisted vessels need to catch winds at the right speeds and angles to make the most of their wings, rotors, or sails, which demands continuous route and speed modelling throughout the voyage not just before it. Relying on traditional means and manual methods alone risks leaving a lot of savings on the table. Instead, understanding changes in wind patterns and using this to the vessel’s advantage requires advanced digital tools.

Classification societies have also been responding to the increase in WAPS on the market and have included specific stability rule checks, which digital tools can help comply with. WAPS typically add weight to a vessel’s upper structure, shifting its center of gravity and creating additional stability considerations to be managed. Digital tools, within NAPA Design, can be used to calculate vessel stability characteristics and help users check their design’s performance against multiple classification society rules as well. These are all essential considerations to ensure the solution continues performing optimally.

Whether the technology is wind-assisted propulsion or air lubrication technology, digital technologies can help maximize the savings they deliver. Users can measure performance, adapt operations continuously and make decisions based on reliable data, which can then inform future investments in energy efficiency technologies.

MEPC 84 makes progress on the foundations underpinning global decarbonization 

The expansion of ECAs at MEPC 84 – including the newly designated North-East Atlantic zone – adds another layer of complexity. Research has consistently shown that ECA avoidance through route deviation is rarely the optimal commercial or environmental response; the fuel costs and schedule implications of detours frequently outweigh the cost of sailing through the zone with compliant fuel. Voyage optimization tools model these trade-offs in real time to help make better decisions than human assumptions alone.

MEPC 84 also progressed a review of the SEEMP framework, which remains central to how vessels document and demonstrate their carbon intensity management. The direction of travel is towards increased expectations around the quality, granularity, and integration of performance data. As regulatory frameworks increasingly rely on verifiable performance data, the quality of operational data becomes just as important as the technologies being measured. Poor data quality can undermine both compliance confidence and optimization efforts. Shipowners who have already invested in the digital infrastructure to capture and act on operational data will find themselves significantly better positioned, both for compliance and for commercial advantage.

The case for integrated data systems – platforms that bring together performance analytics, voyage planning, regulatory compliance, and reporting in a coherent interface – is a response to genuine operational needs. When data from signals, noon reports, and logbook entries can be brought together on one platform to produce clear, actionable insights, crews spend less time managing information and more time using it. The same shared source of operational truth also supports better ship to shore collaboration to support real-time route and speed optimization, continuous hull performance monitoring, and integrated compliance management.

None of this diminishes the importance of the longer-term energy transition. Alternative fuels, new energy efficiency technologies, and next-generation vessel design all have a critical role to play in reaching net zero by 2050. But those transitions take time, capital, and regulatory frameworks that are still being finalized. In the interim, and complementing those transitions, operational efficiency represents a proven, scalable, and commercially viable path to meaningful emissions reduction. The industry does not need to wait for its decarbonization ‘golden ticket’ to arrive from future technology. It already holds one. The challenge now is not identifying opportunities for efficiency but capturing them consistently across fleets and voyages.

Photo credit: NAPA
Published: 28 August, 2026

The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) on Thursday (27 August) released its report, Quantity assurance in marine biofuel supply chains, outlining a practical approach to help shipowners verify that they receive both the total quantity of fuel and the renewable content contracted. 

The approach draws on evidence from GCMD’s end-to-end marine biofuel supply chain trials conducted under commercial operating conditions.

Biofuels are purchased not only for their energy content, but also for the renewable content and emissions reductions they represent. The renewable fraction determines the green premium and underpins GHG accounting and regulatory compliance, yet blend ratios, such as B24 or B30, are typically supplier-declared rather than independently verified. Closing this verification gap will strengthen confidence in marine biofuel transactions.

Ensuring reliable measurement of total quantity transferred

Mass flow meters (MFMs) have become the preferred method for custody transfer, as they provide a transparent and auditable basis for determining the quantity of fuel transferred.

However, adding fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) to conventional marine fuels, such as Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO) or High Sulphur Fuel Oil (HSFO), can reduce the final blend’s viscosity, potentially pushing it outside the validated operating range of the MFM installed on the bunker barge. To maintain measurement integrity, the viscosity of the final blend should therefore be assessed under the actual transfer conditions against the applicable MFM operating range. This can be managed through appropriate transfer-temperature control or by using MFMs that have been validated for broader ranges.

Verifying the renewable fraction in biofuel blends

Verifying the renewable fraction requires appropriate analytical methods. FAME-based blends can be verified through compositional analysis, while hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO)-based blends require radiocarbon analysis because renewable and fossil hydrocarbons cannot be distinguished through compositional testing. 

Interpreting analytical measurements, however, is not straightforward. Neat FAME may contain up to 3.5% non-ester material, so the measurable FAME content of a finished BXX blend may not exactly match its declared blend ratio.

Laboratory methods also have finite measurement precision. A difference between a measured result and a declared blend ratio therefore does not necessarily indicate incorrect blending or under-delivery.

Together, the three pillars of GCMD’s quality, quantity, and GHG emissions abatement assurance framework address whether the fuel is fit for use, delivers the claimed emissions reductions, and contains the contracted fuel quantity and renewable content. 

Professor Lynn Loo, CEO of GCMD, said: “Buyers need confidence that they have received both the fuel and the renewable content they paid for. This report provides a practical, evidence-backed basis for verifying renewable fuel claims, protecting commercial value and supporting credible GHG accounting as marine biofuel use scales.” 

Note: GCMD’s report can be found here. 

Photo credit: Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
Published: 27 August, 2026

The Global Ethanol Association (GEA) and DNV on Monday (24 August) announced the launch of a three-year Ethanol Data Intelligence Partnership, marking an important expansion of their activities in ethanol research and data intelligence. 

The collaboration will support the development of a structured global ethanol database together with ongoing research, data maintenance and regular updates throughout the partnership.

Under the agreement, GEA will develop and provide comprehensive ethanol fuel data intelligence which will be integrated and made available to users of DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform. This initiative is designed to improve visibility and transparency across the global ethanol industry by bringing together structured and traceable information on ethanol production facilities and their characteristics from a fuelgrade perspective.

 The research will progressively capture and map key information including production facilities and their locations, production capacities, feedstocks and raw materials, fuel and output categories, based on documented and traceable sources. The research framework places particular emphasis on data quality and source traceability, drawing on publicly available and other verifiable information.

“With Morten Jacobsen, our Secretary General, and on behalf of our association, we are very pleased to develop this new capability, which further reinforces our role as an international coordination and execution platform for the ethanol industry,” said Sylvain Zurcher, President of the Global Ethanol Association.

“Through this collaboration, we are establishing the research infrastructure needed to map ethanol production facilities globally from a fuel-grade perspective and transform fragmented information into structured and traceable market intelligence. By providing greater visibility into areas such as production capacity, feedstocks, fuel categories and other fields of research, our objective is to help reduce information asymmetries for market participants and support better-informed decisions across the ethanol value chain.”

“As we have expanded and added new assets to the AFI platform we have always looked to build around the provision of high quality, verifiable data. And from our first meeting with GEA we have been very impressed by their commitment to providing the industry with solid insights on ethanol and the way they have already been able to build a solid network within the industry. This is looking to be a very productive partnership, and we are positive that this new data intelligence from GEA will enable our AFI customers to explore new shipping fuel pathways with confidence,” said Nathaniel Frithiof, Sales Lead Digital Products, DNV.

By developing a dedicated ethanol research and data intelligence capability, GEA aims to strengthen the information infrastructure available to organizations who are looking to evaluate ethanol across both emerging and established markets and applications. This new activity complements GEA’s existing work across its marine and aviation sector initiatives, project groups, policy engagement, and market-development activities.

Photo credit: DNV
Published: 25 August, 2026