The IMO wants 10% of the sector’s fuel use to be low-emission by 2030
IMO deal will push shipping towards hydrogen fuels
Methanol order book already starting to grow, but ammonia may take longer due to safety concerns
The recent International Maritime Organization (IMO) deal on shipping falls short of aligning the shipping industry with the goals of the Paris Agreement but will do more to encourage the uptake of alternative fuels, according to experts. The 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, adopted in early July, significantly increased ambition over the previous 2018 strategy. The IMO agreed on ‘indicative checkpoints’ of reducing emissions by at least 20% (striving for 30%) by 2030 and at least 70% (striving for 80%) by 2040, with net zero being reached by 2050. It also agreed that zero or near-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission technologies, fuels and/or energy sources to repre
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Low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia development is advancing much more slowly and unevenly than once expected, with high costs and policy uncertainty thinning investment. Meanwhile, surging energy demand is reinforcing the role of natural gas and LNG as the backbone of the global energy system, panellists at LNG2026 said
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As a fertiliser feedstock, it is indispensable, but ammonia’s potential as a carbon-free energy carrier is also making it central to global decarbonisation strategies
