Alternative Fuels

Clarksons: Alternative-fuelled ships represented 50% of tonnage ordered in 2024

‘With overall newbuild order volumes reaching their highest level since 2007, alternative fuel has continued to play a prominent role representing 50% of all tonnage ordered in 2024,’ says Steve Gordon.

Published

1 week ago

January 6, 2025

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Clarksons Research on Friday (3 January) released their latest Green Technology Tracker, including full year 2024 data points, charting the progress of alternative bunker fuel uptake and investments in energy saving technologies across the global shipping fleet.

Summarising the latest Tracker, Steve Gordon, Global Head of Clarksons Research, commented: “With overall newbuild order volumes reaching their highest level since 2007, alternative fuel has continued to play a prominent role representing 50% of all tonnage ordered in 2024.

Across 2024, we have reported 820 vessels ordered of 62.2m GT involving alternative fuel capability (727 orders of 52.1m GT excluding LNG Carriers), a record level of investment.

There has been a return to LNG dual fuel technology dominating (accounting for 70% of alternative fuelled tonnage ordered excluding LNG Carriers, up from 43% in 2023, with methanol declining to 14% share from 30%). Overall, we have reported orders for vessels capable of using either LNG (390 orders, 297 excluding LNG Carriers), methanol (118 orders), ammonia (25 orders), LPG (72 orders) or Hydrogen (12 orders).

Additionally orders involving “ready” status have increased to around a fifth of all orders (452 orders, 21% of tonnage ordered). Across the fuel types, ammonia and methanol have been prominent as alternative fuel “ready” choices (ammonia: 130 orders, methanol: 320).

Outside vessel segments that can utilise cargo (100% of LNG Carrier tonnage ordered in 2024 was LNG dual fuel capable, VLGC/VLAC/VLEC: 90% LPG/ethane/ammonia dual fuel), the 12,000+ TEU Containership segment (71% LNG, 17% methanol) and Car Carriers (78% LNG, 21% methanol) had the highest levels of alternative fuel order adoption in 2024. Meanwhile, the lowest share of alternative fuel uptake in 2024 came in sectors such as Ultramaxes (4%), Handysize (4%) and MR Tankers (1%).

With the confirmed orderbook (~50% of orderbook tonnage is today alternative fuelled) and projected investment in the coming years, we forecast that over a fifth of all fleet capacity will be alternative fuel capable by 2030 (2017: 2% of fleet capacity “on the water”, 2024: 8%, 2030(f): >20%).

Investments in port infrastructure and the availability of “green” fuels continue to lag, with our Green Technology Tracker detailing 276 ports with LNG bunkering and 275 ports with shore power connection in place or planned but only 35 ports with methanol bunkering available and planned.

With an ageing fleet (13.1 years on a GT weighted basis, up from a low of 9.7 years in 2013), around on third of fleet capacity rating D or E under CII last year and lengthening lead times (~3.7 years) at major shipyards, retrofitting of Energy Saving Technologies (ESTs) remains a crucial part of shipping’s decarbonisation pathway.

Significant Energy Saving Technologies (ESTs) have been fitted on over 10,360 ships, accounting for >37% of fleet tonnage: this includes propeller ducts, rudder bulbs, Flettner rotors, wind kites, air lubrication systems and others (>580 ships with air lubrication system and >145 units involving “wind” assistance in the fleet and orderbook). Our tracker also includes 37 vessels in the fleet (plus 12 newbuild orders) testing onboard carbon capture technology. And the share of fleet that is fitted with an “Eco” engine has risen to over 34%.

We now estimate that shipping’s global GHG emissions will have increased by ~4% y-o-y in 2024 to over 1 billion tonnes of CO2e on a WTW basis and have moved above pre Covid-19 levels, with a higher proportion of time being spent at sea (amid Red Sea re-routing), some increases in speed (especially in the container market, albeit we project the underlying long term trend for declining speed will continue) and trade growth offsetting the growing share of alternative fuelled vessels, “eco” ships and tonnage with ESTs.”

Photo credit: Venti Views on Unsplash
Published: 6 January, 2025

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Alternative Fuels

Höegh Autoliners names LNG-powered RoRo ship “Höegh Sunlight” in China

Firm’s fourth Aurora Class newbuild “Höegh Sunlight” began its LNG-powered maiden voyage to Europe, fully loaded with Chinese cargo after a naming ceremony at Taicang Haitong Auto Terminal.

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January 15, 2025

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Höegh Autoliners names LNG-powered RoRo ship before commencing first voyage

Höegh Autoliners on Tuesday (14 January) said its fourth Aurora Class newbuild, Höegh Sunlight, was named at a ceremony at Taicang Haitong Auto Terminal.

The 9,100 CEU Höegh Sunlight commenced its LNG-powered maiden voyage to Europe, fully loaded with Chinese cargo, shortly after the fireworks.

“We now have four of the world’s largest and most environmentally friendly car carriers sailing the seas,” the firm said in a social media post.

“Today’s celebrations are not only marking the handover of a ship; they once again underline our relentless quest toward a greener future—and a transformed industry.”

Höegh Autoliners names LNG-powered RoRo ship “Höegh Sunlight” in China

The Höegh Sunlight will reduce carbon emissions by 58 percent per transported car compared to the current industry average.

In 2027, when the first Aurora is powered entirely by clean ammonia, nearly all carbon emissions will be eliminated.

CEO, Andreas Enger, said: “Taking delivery of four of the world’s largest and most environmentally friendly PCTCs within six months is a decisive step to renew the company and our industry. We are pleased to celebrate this milestone with customers and partners during her first cargo operation in Taicang.”

COO, Sebjørn Dahl, said: “Never in our nearly 100-year history have we built so many vessels in one newbuild programme, such large vessels, so technically advanced, so green, and so many at the same time and at this speed. We are indeed an agile, bold, and professional team at Höegh Autoliners.”

Photo credit: Höegh Autoliners
Published: 15 January, 2025

Bunker Fuel

China: Zhoushan Port achieves 7.26 million mt annual bunker volume for 2024

Zhoushan Hi-Tech Zone Administrative Committee highlighted the progress Zhoushan Port has made in the past year including actively planning to build an alternative fuel bunkering centre.

Published

1 day ago

January 14, 2025

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China: Zhoushan Port achieves 7.26 million mt annual bunker volume for 2024

Zhoushan Hi-Tech Zone Administrative Committee on Friday (10 January) said Zhoushan, the fourth largest bunkering port of the world, delivered 7.26 million metric tonnes (mt) of marine fuel in 2024.

This marked about a 3% increase from 7.04 million mt in 2023.

The committee also highlighted the progress Zhoushan Port has made in the past year including actively planning to build an alternative fuel bunkering centre.

It has successfully obtained approval for the national biodiesel promotion and application pilot project. The construction of a project to produce an annual 1 million mt of marine biodiesel has begun.

The first methanol vehicle-to-ship pilot was carried out, and the first methanol bunkering barge in Zhoushan was officially built and is expected to be put into use by the end of 2025.

The port has also improved the fuel supply efficiency of various bunkering anchorages in Zhoushan including Tiaozhumen Anchorage adding three bunkering anchorages on top of the original five and has successfully carried out night bunkering operations.

Xiushandong and Mazhi anchorages have added a total of three new bonded bunkering anchorages, which can implement all-weather and fully automatic anchorage reservations, and provide advance reservations and priority refueling services for large ships and large orders.

The committee also highlighted Dong Fang Zhao Yang becoming the first domestic bunkering barge to obtain the mass flow meter system certification under the ISO22192:2021 standard. The barge conducted a successful pilot for the bunkering of bonded fuel oil using a mass flow meter at Xiushandong Anchorage on 9 December.

A spokesperson of the committee said Zhoushan will focus on promoting alternative bunker fuels such as biofuel and LNG and accelerating the completion of methanol refuelling safety assessments.

Photo credit: Zhoushan Hi-Tech Zone Administrative Committee
Published: 14 January, 2025

Biofuel

UECC wraps up first truck-to-ship bio-LNG bunkering operation in Spain

Liquefied biomethane supplied by green energy developer Naturgy was pumped directly from a tanker truck into the tanks of UECC’s multi-fuel LNG battery hybrid PCTC “Auto Advance”.

Published

1 day ago

January 14, 2025

Admin

UECC wraps up first truck-to-ship bio-LNG bunkering operation in Spain

United European Car Carriers (UECC) on Monday (13 January) said it has performed the first-ever ship bunkering operation in Spain with a truck-borne shipment of liquefied biomethane (LBM), also known as bio-LNG, to widen access to supplies of the sustainable fuel.

In the milestone event at the Port of Vigo, LBM supplied by green energy developer Naturgy from a biomethane production plant in the surrounding Galicia province was pumped directly from a tanker truck into the tanks of UECC’s multi-fuel LNG battery hybrid Pure Car and Truck Carrier, Auto Advance.

“This is an important step as it is the first time LBM has been delivered by truck to ship in the whole of Spain. We view Spain as a promising market for biomethane production and so it’s great to get this first delivery over the line,” said UECC’s Energy & Sustainability Manager Daniel Gent.

The delivery allows the leading sustainable carrier in the European shortsea RoRo trade to diversify its regional sources of supply for LBM beyond its main hub of Zeebrugge where it has a long-term supply agreement in place with Titan Clean Fuels.

“We are trying to promote the growth of the wider small-scale LBM supply network,” Gent explained.

Another aspect of this diversification is that it also represents the first physical molecule delivery of the fuel - instead of mass balanced - as UECC explores multiple alternative delivery pathways to broaden its LBM portfolio.

UECC is boosting uptake of the fuel in line with expansion of its Sail for Change sustainability initiative launched last summer in which LBM is being bunkered on the company’s five dual and multi-fuel LNG PCTCs for several major vehicle manufacturers to cut their Scope 3 emissions.

As well as contributing to its customers’ decarbonisation efforts, UECC is providing fuel demand to support renewable energy development by Naturgy, which is involved in numerous innovative projects to convert agricultural and livestock waste into biomethane, strengthening the regional circular economy.

Naturgy, in a joint venture with Reganosa and Repsol, is looking to produce 1 terawatt hours per year of biomethane from treatment of animal slurry and other waste sources, which would cover 7% of Galicia’s annual gas import requirements and result in a reduction of 500,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Gent added: “We hope the LBM truck delivery in Spain will be the first of many.”

Photo credit: United European Car Carriers
Published: 14 January, 2025