Maritime Alternative fuel regulatory status updated
A regulatory mapping for maritime fuels has been updated to reflect recent developments in safety and environmental standards and regulations. Building upon the assessment undertaken in 2023 by the Global Industry Alliance to Support Low Carbon Shipping (Low Carbon GIA), the mapping has been reviewed and revised based on the work of the IMO and other bodies.
The mapping presents the assessed regulatory status using an indicative traffic-light colour coding and covers the following fuels:
- Conventional fuels (Diesel/Gas Oil/Fuel Oil);
- Bio/synthetic liquid diesel fuels;
- Methanol;
- Ethanol;
- Dimethyl Ether (DME);
- Propane/butane (LPG);
- Methane (LNG);
- Ethane;
- Ammonia; and
- Hyrdrogen
“This review of the regulatory framework for conventional and low-GHG-emission fuels is essential for any stakeholder involved in fuel production to fully understand regulatory requirements and the barriers that may arise from the absence of regulation or guidelines yet to be developed” said Robert Masse, Lead of the Low Carbon GIA Alternative low- and zero-carbon fuels Workstream. “In 2025 it was clear that it was time to review this work to include the progress in the regulations and guidelines and to fill some of the gaps identified previously.”
Since the initial mapping in 2023, significant progress has been made in developing safety guidelines for the use of ammonia as a marine fuel. The update reflects recent developments and also considers regulatory aspects related to emissions such as methane slip, nitrous oxides, and other fugitive emissions. A low regulatory readiness level for a particular fuel in the mapping does not necessarily indicate barriers to its uptake, but it does highlight the scope for future work to be done. Work is currently ongoing at IMO to finalize regulatory provisions for hydrogen and low-flashpoint diesel.
Access the updated regulatory mapping here. Users are encouraged to provide feedback on the accompanying questionnaire and share their experience in applying the mapping to new fuel projects here: Contact us.
The Low Carbon GIA is a public-private partnership operating under the framework of the IMO-GreenVoyage2050 Programme. The alliance works to develop innovative solutions to address common barriers to decarbonizing the shipping sector.
