Has anyone else have noticed lately that there is a plethora of announcements regarding studies and concepts looking into the efficacy of nuclear propulsion for commercial shipping? A recent joint study by Lloyds Register (LR), Maersk, CORE POWER, and the Port of Rotterdam assessed the practical and regulatory logistics of letting nuclear-powered commercial ships to dock in Europe. One key finding of the report was that the existing safety and technical frameworks can be adapted to reduce the perceived risk in going small scale nuclear. The report also lays out a roadmap for adaptation by EU ports. LR is also working with Hyundai Heavy Industries on a concept design for a nuclear powered car carrier. ABS and DNV are also devoting time and energy to these types of endeavors.

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Source: US Merchant Marine Academy

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Source: NY Times

Will the next meeting of IMO’s Marine and Environment Committee (MEPC) catapult ethanol onto the big stage?

Last week, Swiss engine manufacturer WinGD revealed that they had secured the first orders for dual-fuel engines to run on 100% ethanol, The same week, Maersk announced the completion of a 100% ethanol trial on one of its dual fuel methanol ships. In other news, this past Monday, the New York Knickerbockers, more commonly known as the Knicks, secured their spot in the National Basketball Association ( NBA) finals. The last time New York Knicks became NBA champs was in 1973! You know what else was being championed that year? Ethanol. The fuel was having its day because in 1973, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued regulations aimed at phasing out lead in gasoline, introducing ethanol as a suitable blend. It then became an attractive additive for refiners. The homecourt for the New York Knicks is in Madison Square Garden, dubbed by many as the “World’s Most Famous Arena”. Why is ethanol entering the arena as a large scale marine fuel contender so late in the game?

Since launching this Substack a year ago, the deep dive into certain subject matter remains part the TSEA-Green DNA. So, the TSEA-Green team decided to take a deeper dive into the use of ethanol on large scale engines used in ocean-going ships. If it is such a magic bullet, why hasn’t it happened sooner? After all, hasn’t ethanol been around for decades?

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Source: Anyaivanova | Dreamstime.com

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Source: Getty Images

The 130th Boston Marathon was held this past Monday. The race was marked by many historic performances, including the setting of a new men’s course record. An estimated 30,000 runners from all around the world ran from Hopkinton to Boston. Meanwhile, delegates from all over the world are preparing for a showdown in London over the future of the efforts by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships. MEPC 84 will be held in London April 27-May 1, 2026.

Just when you thought it was all about Agenda Item 7 - Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. As we have previously hammered home on this Substack, the IMO Net-Zero Framework (NZF) introduces a GHG Fuel Standard along with some economic measure connected to meeting those standards.

When MEPC 84 convenes next week, energy efficiency (Agenda Item 6) may take up some room in the Agenda Item 7 slot. The IMO GHG reductions efforts have always been connected to vessel energy efficiency, but some apers submitted under item 6 are affecting certain proposal that fall under Item 7. Both items involve technical measures that fall under MARPOL Annex VI, the chapter of MARPOL designated for all things air pollution.

We have published multiple articles addressing ship efficiency (these can be found in our archives). As a refresher, we have dropped in below a table that gives a very basic overview of the two frameworks.

As of January 1, 2023, all ships over a certain size are required to calculate their attained Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI), i.e., measuring their energy efficiency. This also kicked off the collection of data reporting their annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII) and resulting in a CII rating. This data is submitted to IMO at the end of March each year. CII rating methods have been controversial from the outset.

The TSEA-Green team has now gone through the relevant submissions under Agenda Items 6 and 7 and these are the submissions that tie both items together.

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Source: IMO

As we mentioned in last week’s Substack, the TSEA-Green team has been busy powering through the 57 documents submitted under Agenda Item 7 ahead of the 84th Session of the IMO Marine and Environment Committee (MEPC 84). Agenda item 7 focuses on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ships and most recently development of IMO’s Net Zero Framework (NZF). As we are quickly learning, all the MEPC 84 Agenda 7 submissions aren’t created equal. Most of the papers are highly procedural, attempting to tackle things like implementation guidelines, ways to assess a fuel’s carbon lifecycle and certification and/or rewards for zero or near-zero (ZNZ) fuels. Some however, are offering alternatives to the original, agreed upon framework.

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This is the time of year that many in the book world are announcing their “spring into summer” reading lists. One of the best known compilations of popular reads is curated by the New York Times (NYT). They publish several reading lists that depend on things like whether you are looking for current bestsellers, staff recommendations or even a book appropriate for the season. Topping the current NYT list for fiction are Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary and the newer release, The Night We Met penned by Abby Jimenez.

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Source- NCAA

All this month we have been “marching forth” examining the eight necessary steps integral to understanding the “origin to delivery story” path to decarbonization in the shipping sector. Over the course of four weeks, the following fuels have been put through an 8 step gauntlet:

· HVO/Renewable Diesel

· RNG/BioLNG

· Methanol

· Ammonia

As a reminder, here are the questions that we posed for each of the fuels:

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This week’s Substack looks at green methanol using the same 8 step gauntlet:

1. Does the green methanol being offered meet the current safety standards for marine use? The ISO standard for the use of this methanol was published in 2024. It is ISO 6583:2024 - Methanol as a Fuel for Marine Applications — General requirements and specifications. Other entities like IMO and Class are in the midst of developing guidelines that address quality requirements, restrictions, and test methods for a range of methanol arrays including the bio-sources that render green methanol.

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This week’s Substack looks at Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) or bio-LNG using the same 8 step gauntlet:

1. Does the offered RNG/bio-LNG meet ISO 23306 or EN ISO 23306? These are the accepted standards for bio-LNG (liquefied biomethane) for use as a marine fuel. It includes standards for quality requirements, parameters, and test methods for a range of LNG used as marine fuel, including bio-sources.

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Why? Well, yesterday, the Financial Times published an a…

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Last year, approximately 50 LNG dual-fueled vessels called the Port of New York and New Jersey, unable to bunker LNG. While LNG is available in the vicinity, it is solely used for peak shaving: a method to ease the demand during peak power generation needs (winter and summer). There is peak shaver located adjacent to Port Elizabeth operated by Elizabeth Town Gas. A long-standing moratorium on LNG effectively prohibits bunkering of the fuel within the five boroughs of New York City.

LNG bunkering in the PANYNJ New Jersey ports remains stagnant, evolving with fits and starts. Development projects are highly regulated at the state and local levels. This high potential market currently lacks adequate active infrastructure. While the port is a hub for traditional fuel, LNG options are currently constrained by state regulations, as New Jersey state law prohibits LNG storage in certain areas. The prospect of LNG coming from 80 miles away in South Philadelphia is currently being discussed by three different developers/suppliers.

TSEA’s modeling estimates the size of the total addressable LNG bunkering market by examining the volume of vessels calling the port, historical and anticipated cargo volume growth, and the call frequency of individual vessels at the NJ port complex. This data can be used to make the case for infrastructure to support LNG bunkering in New Jersey.

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But, while all eyes may be on Milan right now, there’s another sort of gamesmanship playing out across the Continent. It’s the first anniversary of FuelEU. A little over 13 months ago, (January 1, 2025) the EEA began its implementation of a framework to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of the shipping sector. Based on a little research and discussions with a smattering of stakeholders, the Tsea-Green team tried to get an early tell on how the roll out went. What compliance tools were favored and why? What will be the plan for vessels calling Europe over the next few decades?

To start our analysis, let’s look at the schedule for 2026:

Source – Tsea-Green

In discussions with our customers, and a review of press coverage on the anniversary, it appears that many companies are carefully applying an array of compliance pathways that best integrate into their operations, vessel type, and commercial and technical goals.

As we have discussed in previous newsletters the options for FuelEU compliance are:

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Source: Oldendorff

In our first Substack of 2026, we took a closer look at, based on the orderbook through 2030, the more prevalent options for alternative marine fuels. In that deep dive we examined how far the industry has come in 6 years based on the fuels they are choosing for their fleets. Earlier drafts of that Substack included wind-assist propulsion systems, or WAPS, in the analysis. We later decided that WAPS needed its own space. So, here we go.

WAPS are nothing new…

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It’s January 2026!

Here’s your friendly reminder that we are officially in the latter half of the “2020s”. Six years ago, “IMO 2020” was a catch phrase that referred to a regulation that kicked in on January 1, 2020. It mandated significant reductions in marine fuel sulfur content from 3.5% to 0.5% globally, it also created special Emission Control Areas (ECAs) where the obligations dropped to 0.1%. Even well into the latter half of 2019, the shipping industry was still making their mind up on the three compliance solutions. These included: going with low sulfur fuels, sticking with high sulfur fuels and installing exhaust gas cleaning systems ( i.e. scrubbers) or switching to an emerging fuel, ie. liquefied natural gas (LNG). What we didn’t realize a mere 72 months ago was that those were in many ways, simpler times, well, sans the impending pandemic.

Here in the US, January is not only a month of tentative resolutions but it’s also chockablock with playoff games for college and professional (American) football teams. The TSEA-Green team has decided to apply some “bracketology “ to rank the leading alternative fuel types as we step into 2026: LNG/RNG, Green Methanol, Nuclear propulsion, Renewable Biofuels/HVO, and Green Ammonia will be ranked or “seeded” based on 6 elements.

It’s no secret that the TSEA-Green team is a fan of the 5 A’s Alternative Marine Fuel Gauntlet. We’ve also added a 6^th “A” – Administration:

1. Availability – Can you even get the fuel?

2. Accessibility – Is it accessible? What does the last mile delivery look like?

3. Array – What is the color of the fuel – Is it Green, Blue, or Gray? This will become an increasingly important factor as lifecycle assessment protocols are formalized.

4. Affordability – Can an owner or operator afford to buy the fuel?

5. Arbitrage – Has a market developed for this fuel? Even LNG has yet to be traded on any sort of consistent spot system.

6. Administration – What does the regulatory landscape look like for these fuels? Regulatory mapping of these fuels is critical to their uptake in the short term, near term and even long term.

So let’s get into the pre-season analysis…..

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Bringing Net Zero Back On Track

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