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Wärtsilä: Long live the internal combustion engine

‘What strikes us is that the combustion engine is extremely fuel flexible and only minor changes are needed to adapt it to new fuels,’ says Wärtsilä manager.
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Maritime technology group Wärtsilä published an article analysing the internal combustion engine’s flexibility to to adapt using alternative fuels and achieving environmental targets; it was written by Alexander Farnsworth:

The internal combustion engine stands out as one invention that has transformed every facet of human life. Over a hundred years after its invention, it still stands tall as the primary driver of industry and transportation across the globe.

Yet, as the world grapples with the effects of climate change, there are concerns about the internal combustion engine’s contribution to global warming. Historically, improvements to the design have focussed on maximising its power and torque, with little innovation when it comes to improving its eco-credentials. But this trend is changing, and fast. That has a lot to do with how ubiquitous it is especially in the maritime industry.

“There are not many viable alternatives to the internal combustion engine,” declares Lucien Koopmans, Professor and Head of Division for Combustion and Propulsion Systems at Chalmers University, Sweden. “Electric motors are an option where minimising emissions and particulate matter is important – in regulated areas, entering and exiting harbours – but giving up cargo space, and weight, for battery space is the big issue if longer distances need to be covered.”

“We still need the internal combustion engine. It’s the best we have in our path towards sustainable shipping. In fact, it is possible today to power a ship and have close to zero emissions with today’s alternative energy and clean-burning solutions,” claims Fredrik Östman, General Manager Wärtsilä Marine Business, Strategy & Business Development.

How can this be done? The trick, says experts, is to find a way to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by these engines through the use of alternative fuels, and smarter, more efficient means of combustion.

Improving upon established designs

“Our focus is to optimise the efficiency of the combustion processes as much as we possibly can, together with various low carbon fuels like biofuels, ammonia, hydrogen and methanol,” explains Östman. “Applying these kinds of minute and advanced controls to the combustion process has only been possible in the last decade or so with advances in combustion control and computer modelling.”

As the climate debate has heated up, more research has been applied to studying the minutia of the actual combustion process down to the atomic level, and what happens to different fuels and their thermal efficiencies when combusted at different pressures and physical states. 

“As computer power has become cheaper and more sophisticated, much of our efforts focus on modelling combustion parameters like turbulence and chaos with different fuels and application types, like spray and atomisation in order to increase the thermal efficiency (output/input) of engines big and small. And usually, the bigger the engine, the higher efficiency you can get,” says Koopmans.

The holy grail is reaching 60 percent efficiency, according to Koopmans, which isn’t too far off. Wärtsilä holds a Guinness Book of World Records title for its Wärtsilä 31 engine, the most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine in the world, with more than 50 percent fuel efficiency. 

“It really boils down to an economic argument. Will there ever be a fuel as cheap as HFO? Every alternative we know of requires a lot of expensive processes to make them viable for combustion at scale. Since the supply of biofuels will be limited, industries like aviation with a capability to pay more for the fuel will likely gobble up whatever is available.” 

But says Östman: “Economics is indeed important, but the price of HFO is irrelevant if there is emission legislation in place that forces the industry to move towards alternative fuels. So given strict emission regulation on green-house gases, the relative cost of the alternative fuels is what will be important.”

The search for alternative solutions

One fuel that is gaining traction worldwide, however, is liquefied natural gas, or LNG, with bunkering facilities currently being built around the world to harness dual-fuel (DF) capabilities. 

“There is nothing that the internal combustion engine does with HFO that cannot be done with LNG,” says Östman. “LNG contains no sulphur, making compliance a piece of cake. The reality is that the combustion engine really doesn’t care about the fuel. As long as it burns, we can use it in our engines.”

“Carbon-neutral fuels like synthetic LNG seems today to be the most economically viable for the shipping industry to become sustainable. But at the same, it’s also clear that there will be a large palette of fuels with large local variations in availability. So, what we need to focus on is fuel flexibility. Testing different fuels is a core element of our business, which we continuously do. A large set of various biofuels, hydrogen and methanol have been tested for years in our engines. We’re currently also investigating what it means to use ammonia as a fuel. What strikes us time and time again is that the combustion engine is extremely fuel flexible and only minor changes are needed to adapt it to new fuels. A lot of the needed infrastructure is already in place, the technology is mature and safe, and we have the needed regulations in place – along with years of experience!”

While work finding cleaner fuels and exotic new technologies continues, it is clear that it is the internal combustion engine that will remain the mainstay of the maritime industry. And with efforts to improve its efficiency continuing, it is the best placed to enable the transition to the low-emission future that the sector is desperately searching for. 

“The combustion engine remains the stalwart of shipping because it enables fuel flexibility leaving the doors wide open for the future renewable liquid and gaseous fuels as and when they become compliant, market-ready and available,” says Östman.


Photo credit: Wärtsilä
Published: 9 March, 2020.

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Shipping Corridor

Industry partners launch Brazil-Belgium e-fuel green shipping corridor initiative

A new consortium facilitated by the Global Maritime Forum and RMI will work to establish a green shipping corridor between the Port of Açu in Brazil and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium.
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A new consortium facilitated by the Global Maritime Forum and RMI will work to establish a green shipping corridor between the Port of Açu in Brazil and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, according to Global Maritime Forum on Thursday (4 June). 

In addition to the port teams on both ends of the corridor, the consortium includes HIF Global, Fuella, NYK Line, Höegh Autoliners, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen. 

The consortium will assess infrastructure, vessels, and business models to create a roadmap for transporting zero-carbon fuels produced in Açu, such as e-ammonia or e-methanol. The transport itself would also be powered by the same zero- or near-zero-emission fuels.

“We’re thrilled to be working with these partners to take these important steps towards Brazil’s e-fuel production and bunkering opportunity, whilst supporting the growing demand for e-fuels in Europe,” said Eleanor Wells, a senior project manager at the Global Maritime Forum.

The new consortium builds on a pre-feasibility study developed by RMI and the Global Maritime Forum in November 2025. 

The study highlighted the competitive projected costs of e-fuel produced in Açu, due to Brazilian policies supportive of green hydrogen production, the country’s largely renewable electricity grid, its abundance of renewable energy sources, and a relatively low cost of capital. A 2024 report from the same two organisations, Oceans of Opportunity, identified the Port of Açu as a high-potential e-fuel export hub.

Green shipping corridors are dedicated trade routes where the feasibility of zero-emission shipping is catalysed by public and private action. These routes are seen as central to delivering on the shipping industry’s goal of having zero-emission fuels account for 5% of all fuels by 2030. 

While green corridors have rapidly expanded in popularity worldwide, and a handful of initiatives have now reached the realisation stage, the most recent edition of the Annual Progress Report on Green Shipping Corridors warned that progress is being stalled by a ‘feasibility wall’ created by the cost gap between conventional and zero-emission fuels.

The Global Maritime Forum and RMI will continue to facilitate the realisation of the Açu-Antwerp green corridor, with work already moving at pace to progress beyond pre-feasibility and develop a feasibility analysis for the corridor. The feasibility analysis is expected to be published by the end of the year, with the consortium meeting regularly in the meantime.

 

Photo credit: william william on Unsplash
Published: 5 June, 2026

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Emissions reporting

StormGeo and OceanScore link emissions data, compliance workflows

Cooperation combines StormGeo’s expertise in operational vessel and emissions data with OceanScore’s expertise in emissions compliance workflows across EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and UK ETS requirements.
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StormGeo and OceanScore link emissions data, compliance workflows

Weather intelligence and decision support solutions provider StormGeo and Hamburg-based technology platform OceanScore on Wednesday (3 June) said they have deepened their ongoing cooperation through the signing of a collaboration agreement during Posidonia 2026 in Athens on 2 June.

The cooperation combines StormGeo’s expertise in operational vessel and emissions data with OceanScore’s expertise in emissions compliance workflows across EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and upcoming UK ETS requirements.

Together, the companies aim to help shipping companies seamlessly navigate increasing regulatory complexity more efficiently — from emissions reporting and data validation to compliance exposure management, pooling and financial settlement.

As emissions regulation becomes an increasingly important part of commercial shipping operations, the need for reliable operational data and streamlined compliance processes continues to grow. The cooperation between StormGeo and OceanScore is designed to support shipping companies with more connected, transparent and actionable processes across operational and commercial teams.

“From the outside, companies like StormGeo and OceanScore may sometimes be perceived as competitors because both operate around emissions and compliance workflows,” said Albrecht Grell, Managing Director at OceanScore. 

“But in reality, the industry increasingly needs both perspectives working together: trusted operational emissions data on one side and commercial compliance execution on the other. Our cooperation reflects that shipping companies are no longer looking for isolated solutions — they need connected processes, automated across different systems and reliable decision-making throughout the full compliance chain.”

By connecting validated operational emissions data with commercial compliance management, the cooperation supports workflows across:

  • emissions reporting and validation 
  • compliance management across EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and upcoming UK ETS requirements
  • exposure visibility and cost transparency
  • pooling, settlement and financial processes 

The cooperation also aims to improve commercial transparency and coordination across operational and commercial stakeholders.

“StormGeo plays a central role in helping shipping companies turn operational vessel and emissions data into trusted, decision-ready insights,” said Espen Martinsen, Chief Commercial Officer at StormGeo. 

“As emissions regulations become more complex, this data is essential for transparent and efficient compliance management. By working with OceanScore, we can help customers connect StormGeo’s validated operational data with commercial compliance processes, creating a more integrated and practical approach to emissions management.”

The signing ceremony took place at the StormGeo booth during Posidonia 2026 in Athens and was attended by representatives from both companies.

Both companies expect the cooperation to continue evolving alongside upcoming regulatory developments, including FuelEU Maritime, EU ETS, the upcoming UK ETS and future emissions-related frameworks affecting global shipping.

 

Photo credit: StormGeo
Published: 4 June, 2026

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Methanol

Seaspan and Hapag-Lloyd complete first of five methanol vessel retrofit

Following “Seaspan Yangtze”, the remaining vessels planned for retrofit under the methanol retrofit programme are “Seaspan Amazon”, “Seaspan Ganges”, “Seaspan Thames”, and “Seaspan Zambezi”.
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Seaspan and Hapag-Lloyd complete first of five methanol vessel retrofit

Seaspan Corporation (Seaspan) and Hapag-Lloyd on Wednesday (3 June) announced the successful completion of the first of the five vessel conversions under their methanol retrofit programme with the delivery of Seaspan Yangtze.

From the early SAVER (Seaspan Action for Vessel Energy Reduction) programme to today’s CleanBlue initiative, Seaspan has committed over USD 230 USD million across 86 vessels, executing more than 550 efficiency and retrofit projects.

Following Seaspan Yangtze, the remaining vessels planned for retrofit under the programme are Seaspan Amazon, Seaspan Ganges, Seaspan Thames, and Seaspan Zambezi. Each retrofit is expected to reduce well-to-wake CO₂e emissions by approximately 30,000 to 50,000 metric tonnes per vessel annually when operating on low-carbon methanol, while also extending vessel lifespan and enhancing fuel flexibility.

“Decarbonisation is not just about building the fleet of tomorrow, it is also about unlocking the full potential of the fleet we have today. Retrofitting and upgrades on existing fleets play a practical, immediate, and economical role in accelerating shipping’s decarbonization journey,” said Bing Chen, Chairman, President and CEO of Seaspan. 

“Project SAVER CleanBlue highlights Seaspan’s strong customer partnerships, deep technical expertise, and unique platform integrated with JV partners, such as WattSpan Maritime Technology, in executing complex and large-scale retrofit projects.”

“The successful conversion of the Seaspan Yangtze together with the planned retrofit of its four sister vessels is another important step on our ambitious path towards net-zero fleet operations by 2045,” said Silke Lehmköster, Managing Director, Fleet, Hapag-Lloyd. 

“Together with Seaspan, we are demonstrating that retrofitting existing vessels for low-carbon methanol can be a practical way to reduce emissions in shipping.”

 

Photo credit: Seaspan
Published: 4 June, 2026

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