Maritime Propulsion Choices Begin with Fuel, End with Politics

The maritime industry’s elusive quest to achieve so-called ‘zero’ emissions continues. Where it ends is not a one-size-fits-all discussion.

The year-end maritime industry discussions tend to move away from global influence and back drift to national and domestic debates. As this happens, a positioning of a relatively small group of American owners and operators prepare for the upcoming business year and markets. The propulsion debate continues to be future fuels based upon sustainability and climate change. And it is not only what you burn in your engine, but also what you will be trading domestically in your barges and tankers.

• “The current domestic fleet serving the non-contiguous trades and the smaller ferry fleets serving surrounding ports and cities made fuel decisions months, if not years ago, as first movers and without the extreme IMO pressure.”

The discussions differ from the global fleet of companies continuing to chase emission standards with the path to reach ‘zero’ and satisfy the IMO projections for 2030. The added impact of The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), a carbon credit program that limits carbon dioxide emissions, has not only led to the emergence of a plethora of early alternative fuels, but