Since IMO's adoption of the 2050 decarbonization goal, the shipping industry's primary concern has been the choice of alternative fuels. Currently, alongside LNG, notable alternative fuels include Methanol, Ammonia, Biofuels, Hydrogen and others. To enable the use of these alternative fuels in ships, various technological preparations are required, such as stable production and bunkering infrastructure for fuels, engine development and endurance testing, international regulations, classification society rules, and crew training. Additionally, economic analyses spanning the entire lifecycle of ships, considering factors like carbon taxes and fuel prices, are necessary. Despite significant technological and economic uncertainties, continuous analysis allows shipping companies to accumulate data for making optimal choices in alternative fuel selection.

In this winter issue, we delve into the diverse technological and economic analyses of alternative fuels. Firstly, Ammonia, with its potential for mass production alongside LNG, is expected to gain prominence as a future fuel. However, overcoming issues related to toxicity remains a challenge. This issue provides in-depth analyses of Ammonia as a ship fuel, covering economic and safety perspectives, social acceptance, ship safety regulations, port regulations, fuel supply, bunkering infrastructure, and crew training.

Methanol, gaining attention as a fuel for container ships, is relatively safe and technically mature. However, there are conflicting opinions regarding stable production and supply of the green fuel. This issue focuses on the Well-to-Wake perspective of Methanol production and provides information on engine development status, economics, and various characteristics of Methanol as a ship fuel.

With the onset of the decarbonization era, new engines are being developed to use various alternative fuels. This issue introduces the direction of developing alternative fuel engines in response to IMO GHG regulations, the impact of expanding the use of Biodiesel on engines, and the construction of bunkering infrastructure. It also discusses anticipated issues with the use of new engines and how shipping companies can address them.

Ensuring fuel supply and infrastructure in ports is crucial for using alternative fuels. Since the Clydebank Declaration at COP 26 in 2021, 171 countries worldwide are building 44 green shipping routes. This issue extensively introduces the progress and procedures of the global Green Shipping Corridor construction project, especially the readiness for environmentally-friendly fuel in ports and associated port capacity indicators.

IACS established the Safe Decarbonization Panel (SDP) last year to develop unified rules for new alternative fuels and fuel-saving technologies. It also presents systematic approaches and specific roadmaps to achieve the IMO 2050 GHG goal. The ‘Regulatory Updates’ section introduces content related to decarbonization regulation development conducted by IACS.

‘Inside KR’ features updates to KR GEARs, which has seen features added to align with new regulations such as ETS compliance, SEEMP Part III company audits, Biofuel use, and major projects like an AIP for Onboard Carbon Capture Systems and MOUs for developing GHG reduction solutions using IT technology. This issue also reports on the successful hosting of the MacNet seminar on Biofuels and Ammonia and KR's 2023 Environmental Conference, highlighting various research activities and technologies for GHG reduction.

The mid-term measures by IMO, to be completed in 2025, will eliminate the greatest uncertainty resulting from IMO GHG regulation. Moreover, from a technological perspective, ongoing developments and testing of Ammonia engines, fuel cells, onboard carbon capture devices, etc., suggest that a significant portion of uncertainty will be resolved. Therefore, shipping companies need to closely monitor IMO's mid-term measures and industry trends in technological development. KR, through the Decarbonization Magazine, will consistently provide updates of relevant information and contribute to supporting the maritime industry in the way forward on these matters.