Classification society ClassNK on Tuesday (18 August) said it has revised the safety requirements within its guidelines for ships using methanol, ethanol and hydrogen as marine fuels. 

In Part D of the guidelines, covering hydrogen-fuelled ships, the revision incorporates the Interim Guidelines for the Safety of Ships Using Hydrogen as Fuel (MSC.1/Circ.1701) issued by the IMO this year, and additionally introduces a hydrogen leak frequency table that can be used for the safety assessments required under the IMO guidelines. 

In Part A, covering methanol and ethanol-fuelled ships, new structural strength requirements for methanol/ethanol fuel tanks—which are not addressed in the IMO guidelines—have been established. 

“Through this revision, shipyards, designers, and shipowners can carry out design and safety assessments in line with the latest international standards, and by utilizing ClassNK’s own leak frequency estimates and the relevant requirements, they can proceed the development of alternative-fuelled ships in a more rationally,” ClassNK said in a statement. 

As the building of alternative-fuelled ships advances in response to the global challenge of reducing GHG emissions, ClassNK has comprehensively compiled the safety requirements for ships using methanol, ethanol, LPG, ammonia, and hydrogen—fuels regarded as promising alternatives—and has issued the guidelines. 

“Taking into account the risks that the use of alternative fuels poses to the environment, seafarers, and ships, the guidelines set out requirements for equipment, controls, and safety devices to minimize such risks,” it added. 

With the issuance of the IMO guidelines for hydrogen-fueled ships (MSC.1/Circ.1701), ClassNK said it has fully incorporated the IMO guidelines to make the guidelines more user-friendly for shipyards, designers, and shipowners, while also enhancing the requirements serving as design and assessment guidance for other alternative fuels. 

In the development of the IMO guidelines, now reflected in Part D, ClassNK participated as a member of the Japanese delegation to the IMO Sub-Committee CCC 11 and contributed to the discussions.

Note: The Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels (Edition 3.1)  can be viewed under “Guidelines” on My Page by registering as a user on the ClassNK website. 

Photo credit: Venti Views on Unsplash
Published: 20 August, 2026

Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (Decarb Hub) and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) on Thursday (13 August) launched a new suite of resources to help shipowners, operators and managers prepare for the safe adoption of ammonia as a marine fuel.

The resources include an Ammonia Process Safety Management (PSM) Maturity Self-Assessment Tool and a series of Ammonia Competency and Training Practitioner Handbooks. 

Collectively, they form part of the ‘Fuel Safety Frameworks: Ammonia’ initiative, developed jointly by the Decarb Hub and MMMCZCS, which brings together expertise from across the shipping, energy, fuel production, training and technology sectors.

In preparation for ammonia-fuelled shipping, real progress has been made in understanding the technical requirements for safe ammonia fuel systems. However, ammonia’s hazard profile – particularly its toxicity – introduces safety challenges that need to be managed throughout a vessel’s operating life. This points to a need for new approaches to operational safety management, training and risk control, both ashore and at sea. Vessel operators with more mature safety management organisations, staffed by teams with the right competencies, will be better placed to control ammonia’s hazards and reduce the risk of incidents.

The Ammonia PSM Maturity Self-Assessment Tool aims to help shipowners, operators and managers evaluate where their safety management practices stand today and what might need to improve to achieve ammonia readiness. It uses a 5-tier maturity scale to identify weaknesses and to track improvements over time, helping to strengthen the controls that prevent ammonia incidents. 

As best practices for managing ammonia safety are still emerging in maritime, the tool borrows its evaluation framework from industries that already manage similar hazards, such as chemical processing and oil & gas. The tool is designed to support ongoing improvement rather than to check compliance, and works alongside existing regulations and requirements.

The three Ammonia Competency and Training Practitioner Handbooks have been developed to help organisations understand what different members of the maritime workforce need to know, understand and be able to do when working with ammonia. 

They focus on three safety-critical areas: Emergency Response; Maintenance; and Leak Detection, Management, Isolation and Repair. Each handbook translates realistic ammonia operational scenarios into competency and training expectations for shipboard and shore-based roles, including seafarers, vessel managers, terminal personnel, shore support teams and emergency responders.

These resources build on the partners’ established Ammonia Phase 3 Competencies and Training project, which identified the capabilities and operational requirements needed to support the safe deployment of ammonia-fuelled vessels.

Tom Chitseko, Head of Risk and Safety at Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, said: “The industry has made significant progress in understanding the technical requirements for ammonia-fuelled vessels. People, processes and organisations must be equally ready. These resources provide practical guidance to help shipowners, operators and managers build that readiness and more systematically manage the risks posed by use of ammonia as a marine fuel.”

Martin Eriksen, Head of Safety Leadership & Operations at the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, said: “Ammonia asks for more of our safety management than the conventional fuels we’re used to. A leak that would be a contained minor technical failure with conventional fuel can become an operational crisis with ammonia. 

“This tool has been developed so operators don’t have to work that out the hard way — it gives them a structured way to see where their safety management stands today, and what ‘ammonia-ready’ looks like in practice.

“Additionally, the tool draws on process safety management having decades of track record in chemical engineering and oil & gas, handling exactly the kind of hazards ammonia introduces. This tool translates that experience into something maritime operators can use, in their language, against their operations.”

Note: The Ammonia PSM Tool and Competency and Training Practitioner Handbooks are available free of charge from the Decarb Hub/Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. 

Photo credit: Chris Pagan on Unsplash
Published: 18 August, 2026

An explosion at a petroleum storage facility in the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, killed one person and injured six others on Thursday (13 August), Reuters reported.

The blast occurred at around 11.30 am local time. Gunvor, which operates oil product storage tanks at the site, said the incident took place while maintenance work was being carried out on one of its storage tanks.

Police said there was no immediate evidence of sabotage, although all possibilities remained under consideration.

Gunvor added it was cooperating with the authorities. 

Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Rolf Bridde
Published: 17 August, 2026