Energy Vision Report Finds Strong Case for Adopting Low-Carbon Maritime Shipping Fuels

NEW YORK, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The case for adopting lower-carbon alternative maritime shipping fuels is strong and getting stronger, according to a report released today by the NGO Energy Vision: The Future of Shipping: Cleaner Fuel Options for the Maritime Sector.

Low-carbon alternatives cost more than conventional shipping fuels, but oil price volatility and mounting regulatory pressure are narrowing that gap. Regulatory regimes increasingly charge shipping companies for GHG emissions. Over the last month, global conventional fuel prices rose more than 10%. 

One of the report's most actionable findings is that large consumer-facing companies may hold the key to funding maritime decarbonization by spreading  green fuel premiums across goods they ship.  The additional cost of using low-carbon fuels would be nearly imperceptible to end consumers: just 12 cents per pair of sneakers and less than a tenth of a cent per smartphone.

Energy Vision's report studies renewable diesel and biodiesel which are compatible with existing engines and proven at scale; bio-liquefied natural gas (bioLNG) and biomethanol requiring special engines and starting to get deployed; and green hydrogen, green ammonia, and e-fuels made with renewable electricity and captured CO2, which aren't commercially deployable or scalable yet, but will grow as policies and markets evolve.

It found fuels made from organic waste to be the strongest candidates for near-term adoption. BioLNG has the lowest price premium of alternative fuels and is cost-competitive with conventional fuel on some routes under EU regulation. Biodiesel and fuels made from wastewater- or landfill-derived renewable natural gas have a third to half the lifecycle emissions of fossil shipping fuels. Fuels derived from food waste and livestock manure are carbon-negative over their lifecycle, meaning more GHG is captured during production than is released when the fuel is burned. 

"Fleet owners face a choice," said Michael Lerner, Energy Vision's Director of Research and Publications and the report's lead author, "continue bearing non-compliance costs and volatile fossil fuel prices, or get ahead of regulation and future shocks by investing in vessels that run on alternative fuels and have lower risks and emissions across their 30-year lifespans."

Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Fortescue, and United European Car Carriers already invest in clean fuel programs, and the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (including Amazon, Patagonia, and Tchibo) pools demand and facilitates long-term low-carbon fuel contracts.

Read the full version of this release here.

Source: https://energy-vision.org/

Contact: Stephen Kent, [email protected], 914-589-5988

SOURCE NGO Energy Vision