Singapore-headquartered tanker operator Hafnia on Thursday (20 March) said it is set to launch FuelSure – a digital platform to combat ‘hidden costs’ in the global bunker supply, bringing greater transparency, accountability, and cost savings to the maritime bunker fuel market.

The platform has been developed in collaboration with Studio 30 50, a Venture Growth Team for maritime innovation.

Peter Martin Grünwaldt, VP Head of Bunkers at Hafnia, said: “Hidden costs in bunker supply have plagued the maritime world for decades, with unreliable fuel quality that can cause mechanical breakdowns or even vessel detentions and delivery discrepancies that can prove both costly and imply foul play somewhere in the delivery chain.”

“While bunkers themselves remain costly, these additional factors create significant losses on both a short-term and industry-wide scale. FuelSure addresses these issues head-on by centralising supplier reviews and performance metrics, empowering our crews and trading teams to make data-driven decisions that reduce risks and ultimately benefit the entire global supply chain.”

By integrating real-time vessel feedback, lab analyses, and financial loss data, FuelSure aims to quantify the “value of trust” for shipowners and traders navigating one of the shipping industry’s most opaque sectors – where quantity shortages alone can cost up to USD 5.2 billion annually.

FuelSure collects critical data points each time a vessel takes on fuel, such as barge condition, delivery accuracy, and overall supplier performance—and blends them with lab-verified chemical analyses of the fuel itself. The platform also tracks the downstream financial impact of bad bunkers, from engine damage to operational delays, to provide a comprehensive performance score for every supplier.

FuelSure is currently in beta testing with a select group of industry experts. The platform is set to debut at Singapore Maritime Week on 24 March, where the team will demonstrate its features and gather additional feedback before its wider release.

Hafnia and Studio 30 50 believe this early engagement will ensure the solution meets the rigorous demands of global shipping and paves the way for broader industry adoption. FuelSure’s go-to-market will involve strategic pilots with select fleets, partnerships with testing labs and classification societies, and phased rollouts in major global ports. This is set to lay the groundwork for a more transparent and efficient bunkering ecosystem worldwide.

Shanker Pillai, Head of Studio 30 50, said: “Through our collaboration with Hafnia, we discovered that industry players often have no clear way to evaluate the long-term cost of subpar bunkering. With FuelSure, we are not only shining a light on hidden costs; but also driving a culture of accountability and transparency that could reshape the maritime sector’s approach to fuel procurement.”

Studio 30 50 was launched by Hafnia in collaboration with Hafnia, Microsoft, DNV, IMC Ventures and Wilhelmsen in 2023. The studio’s objective is to identify new solutions which can address a broad range of ESG topics concerning the maritime industry, while also funding innovative proposals (built by startups) which seek to improve efficiencies across the whole maritime supply chain.

Photo credit: Hafnia
Published: 21 March, 2025

Shine Consultant, the organiser of Green ShipTech Innovation Asia Summit 2025, on Thursday (20 March) announced the line-up of speakers for the event to explore the new trends in the shipping industry. 

With over 300 attendees expected to attend, the Green ShipTech Innovation Asia Summit 2025 will be held in Shanghai, China, on 16 May. 

Themed Diversified Innovation for Sustainable Green Transformation, the summit will host a main forum called Green Development Strategies and Pioneer Practices Towards Zero Carbon Goals and two sub-forums, Green Shipbuilding and Retrofitting Forum and Green Shipping Ecosystem Cooperation Forum. 

It will focus on key issues such as low-carbon ship construction and transformation, the latest green technology equipment, alternative marine fuel selections and supply status and digital ship management technology. 

Speakers for the summit include:

• Li Zhengjian, Chief Expert/Senior Engineer, the Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers
• Karim Fahssis, Decarbonization China Head, Maersk
• Lu Yanhui, Vice President, COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd
• Liu Jianfeng, Chief Technologist, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., LTD.
• Li Zhonggang, Vice President, China Ship Design & Research Center Com.,Ltd.(CSDC)
• Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping
• Keiichiro Nakanishi, Managing Executive Officer, MOL(Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.)
• Sun Haihua, Deputy Director of Shanghai Arbitration Commission, Deputy Chairman and Secretary-General of Shanghai International Shipping Center Development and Promotion Organization
• Yan Wei, Vice President, Shanghai Maritime University
• Ye Mao, Deputy President of the Design Research Institute, Wuchang Shipbuilding Industry Group Co., LTD.
• Wee Meng Tan, Chief Projects Officer, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation
• Yuan Chao, General Manager of Equipment, CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping Company Limited
• Zhang Yunxing, Head of the Ballast Water Convention Research Office, Hebei Maritime Safety Administration
• Zhang Yong, Vice President, Shanghai Academy of Development & Reform
• Gou Yingdi, Director of Sustainable Development and General Manager of the Technology and Development (Innovation) Center, Seacon Shipping Group
• Zhao Cuiyun, Deputy Director of the Institute for the Construction of the Shipping Center and Director of the Green Shipping Research Office, Shanghai International Shipping Institute
• Cao Xianfeng, Deputy Chief Digital Planner, COSCO Shipping (Qidong) Offshore Co., Ltd

Conference Framework

May 16 (am) 

Plenary Session: Green Development Strategies and Pioneer Practices Towards Zero Carbon Goals

May 16 (pm)

Sub-Forum I: Green Shipbuilding and Retrofitting Forum
Sub-Forum II: Green Shipping Ecosystem Cooperation Forum

Key Topics

• Maritime regulatory focus under policy guidance towards zero-carbon goals
• Global green ship type product key technologies and applications
• Analysis of paths to improve the efficiency of existing ships
• How shipping companies can achieve sustainable green transformation
• Innovative design methods for green ship types
• Development and design of methanol dual-fuel ship types
• Innovation and application of ship engines and propulsion systems
• Technological application and outlook of wind energy as auxiliary power for ships
• Prospects and challenges of ammonia fuel application
• Innovation in new marine fuels and supply systems
• Upgrading of ship battery systems to meet shipping emission reduction
• Fluid power energy-saving technology and practice to promote the green and low-carbon development of the shipping industry
• Green ship repair, intelligent painting and VOCs management in ship and marine engineering
• Exploration and practice in digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of the ship repair and modification industry
• Practice of ship energy consumption data analysis and carbon intensity management
• SCR technology innovation for NOx reduction in ship diesel engines
• The latest technological applications of "carbon capture" in the shipping industry
• Ballast water management systems in line with international standards
• Shore power systems combined with green electricity to assist shipping decarbonization
• Supply status and choice analysis of the marine green fuel market

Host:

• Shanghai International Shipping Center Development and Promotion Organization

Co-organisers:

• Shanghai Maritime University 
• Shanghai Institute of Navigation
• Jiangsu Association of Shipbuilding Industry
• Jiangsu Society of Naval Architects And Marine Engineers

Supporting Organisations:

• Shanghai Port Association
• Hubei Association of Shipbuilding Industry
• Shanghai International Shipping institute

Interested parties may contact:

Yulia Zhang
T: (+8621) 6095 7179
M:(+86) 158 3615 6079 (Also on WeChat）
E-mail: [email protected] 

Note: More information on the summit, including registration, can be found here. 

Photo credit: Shine Consultant
Published: 21 March, 2025

Baltic Exchange on Wednesday (12 March) introduced a series of green fuel options to its FuelEU voyage and compliance cost calculator as more shipowners, traders and charterers seek to understand the commercial implications of this regulation on their voyage costs.

Biodiesel, bio-LNG, bio-LPG, green methanol, green hydrogen and green ammonia have all been added to the calculator, either as green fuel or blend options. Baltic Exchange’s FuelEU Maritime calculator provides an overview of the cost implications for the selected option relative to the Baltic standard for that route. This will enable the market to factor any change in fuel selected or contemplated into their voyage cost estimates.

“Green fuels are expected to be very expensive initially, so will likely be blended into fossil-derived fuels initially, to achieve compliance with the new FuelEU Maritime regulation. For this reason and based on industry feedback, we have added a blend capability to Baltic Exchange’s FuelEU compliance and fuel cost calculator,” said Martin Crawford-Brunt, Emissions Lead at Baltic Exchange.

“Baltic Exchange is assisting the market by cutting through the considerable complexity of these regulations by providing a simple decision-making tool that estimates the voyage costs of the many fuel and blend alternatives quickly and simply,” he added.

“With the latest update to Baltic Exchange’s FuelEU Maritime Calculator, users now have the ability to experiment with any green fuel blend percentage taking into account the assumed green fuel cost premium and the expected well-to-tank emissions profile for the specific green fuel blend selected,” Crawford-Brunt noted.

“Regulations like FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS will become increasingly impactful on voyage costs to and from the EU. All contracting parties, their brokers and traders need to be able to estimate these additional costs quickly to avoid facing high financial penalties.” 

Photo credit: Baltic Exchange
Published: 17 March, 2025