The maritime transport sector, in order to decarbonise, can now use ammonia and methanol as fuels, as the second ready to be used to operate at low emission and being the first ready for experimentation. However, both require concerted efforts to ensure that sufficient maturity is reached to allow a rapid scalability from 2030, in line with the decarbonization goals for the sector. The new report "From pilots to practice: Methanol and ammonia as shipping fuels" of the Global Getting to Zero Coalition Maritime Forum underlining that this represents a significant increase in the degree of maturity of these compared to the first edition of the report in 2020.

As with other alternative fuels for shipping, the new report specifies that the key element to their success is constituted by their supply chain, being in particular necessary, in the case of methanol, improve the availability of green molecules, and, for ammonia, validate and implement the commercial activity of supplying ammonia in the main ports.

With regard to methanol, the new report explains that There are currently over 60 ships in service that can be fuelled by methanol, to which another 300 will be added already ordered from shipyards, and the supply of methanol is Available in about 20 ports. The document specifies that the challenge for the large-scale use of methanol is the availability of green methanol, which is only one small share of the total supply and remains difficult to access for shipping companies.

As for ammonia, the report notes that it is rapidly approaching the testing phase for its use as a fuel naval system, with experiments on marine engines suggesting that It can reduce tank-to-wake emissions by up to 95%. The document recalls that the first ammonia-fueled boats have been successfully tested, that the tests on the engines have been almost completed and tests are underway for the ammonia supply, none of which revealed important obstacles to its use.

The new report from the Getting to Zero Coalition, based on interviews with about 40 leading organizations in the sector, collects several proposals to accelerate the development of supply chains methanol and ammonia formulated by those who are planning the use of these fuels. The first exhortation is to provide policy incentives and targeted funding to bridge the Cost gap between the use of green methanol and ammonia compared to to the use of conventional fuels and to support the first Users. In addition, among the various proposals, it is suggested to establish robust and harmonised fuel certification schemes unlocking investments and preventing greenwashing, and Use book-and-claim systems to connect global demand the availability of refuelling with emission fuels zero on practicable routes.

"In recent years," commented Jesse Fahnestock, decarbonisation officer of the Global Maritime Forum - We have seen excellent progress in the development of zero-emission fuels and technologies, with methanol and ammonia that have now gone from being potential solutions to reality in the start-up and test phase. However, we are only at the beginning of the path and, alone, the availability of technology It is not enough. To spread emission fuels Zero at the required pace We need the action International Maritime Organization, policy makers to create the right favourable conditions. This will be as essential as the development of the technology itself".