The Under-The-Radar Shipping Pivot

by Futoshi Tachino

Maritime transport seldom makes sustainability headlines, yet the sector has moved from pilot projects to concrete deployment. Three forces are converging: binding rules that now bite on real voyages, an orderbook filled with ships capable of running on cleaner fuels, and a rapid return of wind—this time via rotor sails and wings. The result is a structural shift in how ships will be powered and paid for over the coming decade [1–3, 13].

Policy signals with teeth

The International Maritime Organization’s 2023 strategy set a clear trajectory toward net-zero by mid-century, with interim targets to drive uptake of “zero or near-zero” fuels this decade [1]. The European Union then translated ambition into immediate economics: shipping entered the EU Emissions Trading System in 2024 with phased compliance, and FuelEU Maritime began in 2025, requiring a steady reduction in the greenhouse-gas intensity of energy used on board, rising from −2% in 2025 toward −80% by 2050 [2–3].

Hardware follows: a different kind of orderbook

What matters is not slogans but steel. Industry trackers show a decisive turn in newbuilds and retrofits:

Orders for alternative-fuel-capable vessels reached record territory through 2024 and remained strong into 2025, led by container ships and with momentum spreading to bulkers, tankers and RoPax ferries [4–6].

“Fuel-flexible” designs are now common. As of March 2025 there were nearly 200 ammonia-ready vessels in the global pipeline, even before large-scale ammonia bunkering is available [7].

The first commercial ammonia-fuel bulk carrier deliveries are targeted for 2026, signaling that engines, safety cases, and supply chains are nearing operational readiness [8].

Ports are preparing the molecules

Cleaner ships need cleaner bunkers—and ports are moving fast. Singapore demonstrated simultaneous methanol bunkering and cargo operations at scale in 2024 and has since introduced a national bunkering standard to enable commercial volumes; Rotterdam and other North Sea hubs have issued permits and licenses to build out methanol supply chains [9–11]. Rotterdam’s 2024 figures confirm an uptick in alternative fuels alongside traditional products, underscoring the direction of travel [12].

Wind returns—this time as an efficiency technology

A second, quieter revolution is underway on deck. Large commercial vessels are increasingly fitted with wind-assisted propulsion (rotor sails, suction wings, rigid wings). By mid-2025, more than 70 ships had installations, with industry groups projecting ~100 by year-end and a substantial order pipeline into 2026. Wind hardware is spreading beyond early Ro-Ros into bulkers and tankers, where the fuel-saving potential is largest [14–16]. These systems stack with cleaner fuels, cutting consumption (and compliance costs) regardless of the molecule.

Why this progress matters

Near-term abatement: The sector accounts for roughly three percent of global greenhouse emissions; operational measures, wind assistance, and low-carbon fuels deliver reductions now, while truly zero-carbon fuels scale through the 2020s [13].

Regulatory durability: EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime directly price or cap well-to-wake emissions on EU-related voyages—creating investable demand for efficiency and cleaner fuels that ripples across global trades [2–3].

Industrial readiness: Engine makers now offer commercial dual-fuel platforms; shipyards and classification societies have standard pathways for methanol today and ammonia-ready designs for tomorrow [4, 7–8].

What to watch next

Fuel availability and standards. Continued scale-up of methanol bunkering across major hubs and safe, regulated demonstration of ammonia will be decisive [9–11].

Cost pass-through. Compliance mechanisms (pooling, credits, and ETS exposure) will reward early movers with efficient ships and fuel flexibility [2–3].

Wind scaling. As installations pass the 100-ship threshold, performance data will harden bankability and accelerate retrofits on fuel-intensive routes [14–16].

Operations. Carbon-intensity rules (CII) and voyage optimization will keep squeezing emissions even before the cleanest fuels are ubiquitous [1, 17].

Bottom line: Shipping’s transition is no longer hypothetical. Rules are reshaping incentives, shipyards are delivering alternative-fuel and wind-assisted tonnage, and ports are standing up the supply chains. It is a pragmatic, portfolio-based pivot—quiet, cumulative, and well underway [1–6, 9–16].

References (full details & URLs)

[1] International Maritime Organization. “2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships.” 2023. https://www.imo.org/en/ourwork/environment/pages/2023-imo-strategy-on-reduction-of-ghg-emissions-from-ships.aspx

[2] European Commission – Climate Action. “Reducing emissions from the shipping sector: inclusion of maritime emissions in the EU ETS (from January 2024).” 2024. https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/transport-decarbonisation/reducing-emissions-shipping-sector_en

[3] European Commission – Mobility and Transport. “Decarbonising maritime transport – FuelEU Maritime (from 2025).” 2025. https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-modes/maritime/decarbonising-maritime-transport-fueleu-maritime_en

[4] DNV. “LNG powers unprecedented year for orders of alternative-fuelled vessels.” 10 January 2025. https://www.dnv.com/news/2025/lng-powers-unprecedented-year-for-orders-of-alternative-fuelled-vesselss/

[5] DNV. “Alternative fuels orderbook shows resilience amid overall decline in newbuild market (H1 2025).” 1 July 2025. https://www.dnv.com/news/2025/alternative-fuels-orderbook-shows-resilience-amid-overall-decline-in-newbuild-market/

[6] Clarksons Research. “Green Technology Tracker: Record investments in alternative fuel capability across 2024.” 3 January 2025. https://www.clarksons.com/home/news-and-insights/2025/green-technology-tracker-record-investments-in-alternative-fuel/

[7] Ammonia Energy Association. Low-Emission Ammonia Data (LEAD): Vessels Executive Summary v1. March 2025. https://ammoniaenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AEA-AFV-Executive-Summary-v1-March-2025.pdf

[8] Reuters. “BHP says it aims to receive first ammonia-fuelled bulk carrier in 2026.” 22 April 2024. https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/bhp-says-it-aims-receive-first-ammonia-fuelled-bulk-carrier-2026-2024-04-22/

[9] Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Joint Media Release: Singapore carries out ship-to-ship bunkering of ~1,340 tonnes of blended methanol. 24 May 2024. https://www.mpa.gov.sg/docs/mpalibraries/circulars-and-notices/media-release_singapore-carries-out-ship-to-ship-bunkering-of-close-to-1-340-metric-tonnes-of-blended-methanol_24-may.pdf

[10] MPA. “Singapore is ready for methanol bunkering for container vessels at Tuas Port with first successful simultaneous methanol bunkering and cargo operation.” 27 May 2024. https://www.mpa.gov.sg/media-centre/details/singapore-is-ready-for-methanol-bunkering-for-container-vessels-at-tuas-port-with-first-successful-simultaneous-methanol-bunkering-and-cargo-operation

[11] Offshore Energy. “Unibarge clinches methanol bunker license for key European ports.” 24 February 2025. https://www.offshore-energy.biz/unibarge-clinches-methanol-bunker-license-for-key-european-ports/

[12] Port of Rotterdam. “Maritime shipping bunkered slightly less fuel in Rotterdam in 2024; demand for LNG rebounded.” 30 January 2025. https://www.portofrotterdam.com/en/news-and-press-releases/maritime-shipping-bunkered-slightly-less-fuel-rotterdam-2024-demand-lng

[13] International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from global shipping, 2016–2023. 3 April 2025. https://theicct.org/publication/greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-air-pollution-from-global-shipping-2016-2023-apr25/

[14] International Windship Association (IWSA). “Vessel List – Large Commercial Vessel Wind Propulsion Installations (Q3 2025).” Accessed 4 November 2025. https://www.wind-ship.org/vessel-list/

[15] Ship & Bunker. “Wind-powered fleet tops 70 ships, bulk carriers lead the way – IWSA.” 12 June 2025. https://shipandbunker.com/news/world/904496-wind-powered-fleet-tops-70-ships-bulk-carriers-lead-the-way-iswa

[16] Gard. “Will 2025 be the year of the WAPS?” 30 January 2025. https://gard.no/insights/will-2025-be-the-year-of-the-waps/

[17] Kim, M. “Proposals on Effective Implementation of the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII).” Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 12, no. 11 (2024): 1906. https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/12/11/1906

Bio

Futoshi Tachino is an environmental writer who believes in the power of small, positive actions to protect the planet. He writes about the beauty of nature and offers practical tips for everyday sustainability, from reducing waste to conserving energy.

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