Author: Hardeep Singh

Closer guidance for complex regulations

Japanese shipowners are encountering a growing range of carbon pricing frameworks including EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime and soon UK ETS. OceanScore launched its Tokyo office to place experienced advisors and data specialists within the same time zone as clients, ensuring queries are resolved before markets open in Europe. By linking proximity with its cloud based Compliance Manager platform, the company combines local understanding with global data accuracy.

Streamlining commercial workflows

While verifiers manage the technical reporting of ship emissions, commercial tasks such as exposure forecasting and cost allocation sit directly with companies. OceanScore uses automated voyage data,

allowance tracking and role based permissions to produce statements that owners can share with charterers in minutes. An overlooked benefit is smoother cash flow planning; with clear future exposure estimates, finance teams can reserve capital for allowances months ahead instead of reacting at settlement.

Building regional partnerships

The firm already supports large Japanese groups including Mitsui O S K Lines and Meiji Shipping. The new office enables round table workshops where practitioners compare solutions for pooling decisions under FuelEU. Such collaboration shortens learning curves and creates informal regional benchmarks that accelerate best practice adoption across Asia. OceanScore plans similar hubs in South Korea and India during 2026, reflecting a strategy of meeting clients inside their business cultures.

A non-obvious insight

By cultivating shared regional benchmarks, OceanScore is quietly creating a de facto pricing standard for administrative services linked to emissions trading. When comparable cost structures become visible, owners gain leverage in negotiations with charterers, ultimately reducing system wide compliance friction.

Conclusion

OceanScore presence in Tokyo illustrates how digital tools combined with local expertise can turn regulatory complexity into routine administration, giving Asian shipping companies confidence to trade globally under evolving climate rules.

Source – Shipmanagement International

Numbers Show Decarbonization Remains on Course

DNV Alternative Fuels Insight platform recorded two hundred seventy five orders for ships capable of using alternative fuels during 2025. Although overall newbuild contracts fell sharply after the historic rush of 2024, vessels with cleaner energy options still represented thirty eight percent of gross tonnage. The data illustrates that owners are retaining long term carbon strategies even as they adjust to economic headwinds.

Container Segment Drives Momentum

Containerships alone accounted for nearly half of all tonnage ordered and sixty eight percent of alternative fuel bookings. Most of those contracts specified liquefied natural gas dual fuel capability, with methanol a growing second choice. The concentration reflects established global bunkering networks for LNG and the clear demand from cargo owners who wish to measure and cut supply chain emissions.

Insight: Stability Encourages Supply Investments

A non obvious outcome of steady alternative fuel share is confidence among infrastructure providers. Twenty two additional LNG bunker vessels joined the orderbook in 2025 alongside new methanol and biofuel tankers. Predictable demand allows financiers to underwrite terminals, barges, and training programs, which in turn reduce perceived risk for shipowners considering future orders.

Beyond Containers

Passenger vessels, car carriers, and pure car and truck carriers also supported the numbers, while wind assisted propulsion added further efficiency with twenty four ships delivered. Even in segments that remained cautious, designers responded with dual fuel readiness and modular energy saving devices, ensuring fleets can switch fuels when regulation or market signals strengthen.

Conclusion

The 2025 figures confirm that the maritime energy transition is broadening beyond headline order spikes. Consistent tonnage share, rising infrastructure capacity, and ship level flexibility suggest that alternative fuels are becoming routine commercial decisions rather than experimental outliers. This steady normalization will help crews gain familiarity, regulators refine guidance, and investors unlock capital for the next wave.

Source – Hellenic Shipping News

A new mindset for compliance

The latest amendments to MARPOL Annex VI broaden the IMO Data Collection System by asking ships of five thousand gross tonnes and above to measure fuel use by each onboard consumer rather than simply record totals. Crucially, data generation starts with the first minute of twenty twenty six even though reports will be filed in early twenty twenty seven.

Why data quality now matters

Separating measurement from reporting means figures cannot be recreated later. Continuous flow meters and engine performance tools must be commissioned before the calendar year starts. By logging consumption against distance sailed and operating mode, crews create an auditable trail that satisfies flag verification and impresses charterers who increasingly analyse environmental metrics when selecting tonnage.

Insight you may not expect

Because datasets must link fuel use to delivered work, shaft power meters and voyage management software become indirect compliance tools. Owners who integrate these systems today establish a robust baseline that can feed future carbon intensity optimisation projects, turning a regulatory obligation into a competitive differentiator.

Practical steps for owners

• Map every engine, boiler and generator that burns fuel
• Install reliable flow sensors where manual tank readings are still used
• Align noon report formats with new consumer categories
• Train bridge and engine teams to validate data during every watch
• Engage classification societies early to agree verification pathways

Benefits beyond the Statement of Compliance

Consistent monitoring reveals inefficiencies such as filter clogging or hull fouling earlier, reducing fuel spend and emissions simultaneously. Fleets adopting continuous measurement have reported savings of up to three percent within the first year simply by reacting faster to deviation trends.

Conclusion

Proactive measurement throughout twenty twenty six converts the expanded IMO DCS from an administrative challenge into a daily opportunity for insight led efficiency. Investing in sensors and workflows now will pay dividends in smoother audits and leaner operations.

Source – Hellenic Shipping News

A refreshed licensing framework

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has opened a competitive application window for new licenses to deliver LNG fuel in the world’s busiest bunkering hub. Existing suppliers and newcomers have until twenty seven March twenty twenty six to submit proposals showcasing technical readiness, secure supply chains and uncompromising safety standards.

Key requirements

Implement end to end supply chains covering purchase, storage, transfer and delivery

• Own or long term charter at least one LNG bunker vessel built to port standards
• Demonstrate pathways to offer bio methane and e methane with lower lifecycle emissions
• Present concrete measures to monitor and mitigate methane slip during bunkering
• Align operations with the forthcoming Singapore Standard upgrading Technical Reference fifty six

Insight you may not expect

By requesting detailed methane slip strategies, the MPA positions Singapore as a first mover in measuring upstream and operational greenhouse factors, not just tailpipe carbon dioxide. Early licensees therefore gain expertise customers worldwide will soon demand.

Benefits for applicants

Successful bidders access a market that has already delivered over four million tonnes of LNG bunker fuel and is poised for double digit growth. Sea based reloading, newly allowed, halves turnaround time for visiting tankers and frees scarce terminal slots, raising supply capacity without major infrastructure expansion.

Timeline and support

Industry briefings during the first quarter will clarify requirements and encourage partnerships. In parallel, MPA and Enterprise Singapore will convert TR fifty six into a full Singapore Standard, offering clear engineering and operational guidance for all license holders.

Conclusion

The updated framework blends proven LNG practice with forward looking climate safeguards, reinforcing Singapore leadership in sustainable bunkering. Early movers that embrace methane management can secure commercial advantage and valuable insight as global shipping accelerates toward net zero goals.

Source – Maritime Activity Reports

Momentum from global forum

During the Green Marine Fuels sub forum of the Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality event, COSCO Shipping and its bunkering arm CHIMBUSCO presented a detailed action plan to scale alternative fuels across a network of more than one hundred seventy ports. Selling over twenty-eight million tonnes of fuel in twenty twenty four provides a strong logistics foundation that can now pivot toward low carbon products.

The Five Guarantees philosophy

To win customer trust, CHIMBUSCO applies a service code built on five guarantees: quality, quantity, safety, integrity and stable pricing signals. Embedding these commitments within contracts lowers perceived risk for operators considering the switch to green methanol, biofuel or LNG.

Insight you may not expect

The guarantees also create quantifiable metrics that financiers can embed in performance clauses, linking fuel quality verification with loan conditions. Such alignment could unlock cheaper capital for early adopters, accelerating fleet wide decarbonisation.

Infrastructure and standardisation advances

• Construction of purpose built methanol bunker vessels is progressing at selected yards
• Portable refuelling skids enable flexible delivery in secondary ports without major infrastructure
• Group led standards for alternative fuels are shared with international bodies for harmonisation
• A closed loop bunker chain certified in July twenty twenty five demonstrates cradle to wake traceability

Partner ecosystem grows

New agreements with energy producers and engineering groups secure feedstock for e methanol and advanced biofuel plants. Combined with COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation assets, the partnerships create a vertically aligned supply chain capable of meeting rising global demand.

Conclusion

By leveraging scale, transparent service principles and collaborative innovation, COSCO and CHIMBUSCO are turning vision into practical supply capacity. Their approach shows how integrated logistics players can guide the maritime sector toward a cleaner and commercially attractive future.

Source – Logistics Manager

A fresh incentive woven into larger climate agenda

California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed budget includes a new Sustainable Aviation Fuel tax credit designed to close the remaining cost gap between conventional jet fuel and SAF. The credit will be available from 2027 to 2030 and stacks with the federal Section 45Z clean fuel production credit that begins in 2027. Together they create a clear price signal that many analysts say is finally sufficient to trigger large scale construction of SAF plants within the state.

How the mechanism will work

The draft language suggests a value up to twenty cents per gallon that declines as carbon intensity scores improve statewide. Unlike many earlier programmes, the credit is refundable, meaning companies with limited tax exposure can still benefit immediately rather than carrying losses forward. That feature quietly turns the measure into a flexible grant and removes a common barrier faced by early-stage producers.

• Key eligibility criteria will focus on verifiable carbon intensity scores.
• Feedstocks sourced from in state agriculture and waste streams receive preference.
• Credit stacking with federal programmes is explicitly permitted, increasing total potential value.

Economic and agricultural ripple effects

Corn growers and oilseed crushers in the Central Valley welcome the proposal. Surplus crop production, underscored by the recent record national corn harvest, can now find new premium markets. Logistics providers also anticipate fresh volumes as SAF moves from rural processing hubs

to coastal airports. The Renewable Fuels Association estimates that each one percent SAF penetration at California airports supports roughly five hundred direct and indirect jobs.

A non-obvious insight

Because the credit value shrinks as statewide average carbon intensity falls, there is a built in incentive for collaborative data sharing among producers. Firms that openly publish lifecycle improvements effectively reduce costs for everybody, turning transparency into a competitive advantage rather than a compliance burden.

Conclusion

California is positioning itself as a first mover in the growing SAF economy, using a carefully calibrated credit that rewards both production and performance. The policy blends climate ambition with pragmatic industry design and should accelerate investment decisions throughout 2026.

Source – Biodiesel Magazine

Environmental review completed without conditions

SkyNRG Americas has secured full environmental approvals for Project Wigeon, its planned Sustainable Aviation Fuel facility near Walla Walla. Reviews by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the County Commission confirmed that the project aligns with local land use rules, protects groundwater, and meets transport safety standards. The clear verdict allows the company to move confidently into front end engineering and design during the first half of 2026.

How renewable natural gas will become jet fuel

The plant will convert renewable natural gas sourced from regional dairy digesters and landfills into synthetic paraffinic kerosene that meets ASTM specifications. The process uses Fischer Tropsch synthesis followed by hydro conversion, creating a fuel with up to eighty percent lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel. At full capacity, Project Wigeon is expected to produce around ninety million gallons per year, enough to supply Seattle Tacoma International Airport with nearly five percent SAF blend.

Local economic lift

• Construction is projected to generate more than four hundred skilled jobs.
• Ongoing operations will support family wage positions in rural eastern Washington.
• Farmers will gain a new revenue stream for captured methane.
• Municipal waste utilities can monetise biogas that would otherwise be flared.

A non-obvious insight

Because the facility will draw gas from multiple small digesters, SkyNRG is quietly building a virtual pipeline that aggregates biomethane through existing natural gas infrastructure. This distributed model avoids the cost and land impact of new dedicated lines while providing dairies and landfills an immediate, low friction path into the aviation supply chain. The approach could be replicated rapidly across North America, turning scattered waste resources into a cohesive renewable energy network.

Conclusion

Environmental clearance transforms Project Wigeon from an idea into a construction ready opportunity. The approval showcases how cooperative planning, advanced technology, and creative feedstock logistics can align to advance decarbonised flight and boost regional prosperity.

Source – SkyNRG Americas

A forward-looking emissions scheme

Parliament is reviewing amendments that will modernise the United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme from 2027 onward. Proposed changes phase out certain free allowances while extending the overall cap to 2040, giving companies a clear runway for investment planning. Operators in cement, steel, fertiliser, aluminium, and hydrogen production will gradually transition toward full auction pricing, encouraging deployment of low carbon heat, capture, and efficiency technologies.

Market clarity and financial incentives

The scheme retains a robust auction reserve price and an automatic cost containment mechanism, both of which provide price stability and protect against unexpected volatility. Businesses can therefore invest with confidence in solutions such as carbon capture, fuel switching, and renewable power agreements. Importantly, allowances can be banked between the upcoming phases, allowing firms to reward early action and manage compliance cost strategically.

Complementary policy measures

• A new Climate Change Agreement programme will deliver levy discounts through 2033 for facilities that meet efficiency targets.
• Draft regulations move decarbonisation readiness reports into the environmental permitting process, streamlining approvals for modern power plants.
• The Planning and Infrastructure Act introduces voluntary environmental delivery plans, enabling developers to offset impacts through a simplified levy.
• Updated plastic packaging and landfill tax pathways align fiscal signals with circular economy objectives.

A non-obvious insight

By bringing energy from waste plants into the trading scheme beginning with voluntary monitoring in 2026, policymakers are effectively creating a data rich test bed before mandatory compliance starts in 2028. This soft launch will let plant operators fine tune operations and verify emissions factors, reducing future compliance risk and potentially uncovering profitable energy recovery upgrades.

Conclusion

The refreshed regulatory package demonstrates how clear targets, practical flexibility, and integrated incentives can stimulate private innovation while advancing national climate goals. Companies that engage early stand to reduce costs, capture new markets, and help deliver a thriving zero carbon economy.

Source – Osborne Clarke

Encouraging uptake in the initial compliance year

New figures from the Department for Transport indicate that Sustainable Aviation Fuel accounted for 1.63 percent of jet fuel supplied between January and late October. While the statistics remain provisional, they already represent more than one hundred sixty million litres of cleaner fuel in airline tanks. With several suppliers still finalising returns, industry group Sustainable Aviation remains

confident that the full two percent requirement for 2025 will be achieved once verified data are published next year.

Demonstrated capability of waste derived feedstocks

Every litre reported to date originated from used cooking oil, much of it collected in Asia and refined to international standards before shipment to the United Kingdom. The performance confirms that established hydro processed ester and fatty acid pathways can scale quickly and deliver reliable product quality. Upcoming capacity in Teesside and Humberside will diversify feedstocks to include municipal solid waste and cellulosic residues, further strengthening supply resilience.

Policy tools accelerating investment

• The proposed Revenue Certainty Mechanism will guarantee a reference price for producers.
• Consultations on contract design remain open until early April.
• Parliament expects the mechanism to be operational before year end 2026.
• Incremental mandate increases will rise to ten percent by 2030.

A non-obvious insight

Because SAF volumes must be fully validated before they count toward mandate compliance, the apparent delivery shortfall primarily reflects administrative timing rather than production limits. Companies that invest in streamlined chain of custody documentation can capture early sales premiums and reduce working capital exposure, turning paperwork efficiency into a tangible competitive edge.

Conclusion

The inaugural mandate year is already demonstrating market appetite for cleaner aviation energy. Robust progress on both supply volumes and supportive policy signals suggests that the United Kingdom is well positioned to accelerate SAF deployment, drive domestic innovation, and maintain global leadership in sustainable flight.

Source – BioEnergyTimes

Chilean State Railways EFE has taken a significant step toward delivering fast reliable commuter services for Santiago by awarding three high value contracts that combine Chinese electrification expertise with French engineering oversight. The awards center on two key corridors west and north of the capital that will connect more than one million six hundred thousand residents to economic opportunity.

Major Contracts Announced

China Railway International Group secured a contract valued at approximately one hundred million United States dollars to electrify the Alameda Melipilla and Santiago Batuco lines. The program includes eight traction substations and multiple grid connections that will feed modern overhead catenary equipment, enabling clean quiet train acceleration.

French consultancy Systra will deliver detailed track and power design for the sixty-one kilometre Alameda Melipilla route and provide technical inspection and project management for the shorter Santiago Batuco service. Together these assignments guarantee consistent standards and smooth coordination with civil works contractor consortia already active on the corridors.

Benefits for Travelers and Communities

• Travel time Santiago to Melipilla projected at forty eight minutes
• Batuco journey target stands at twenty four rapid minutes only
• Electrification eliminates diesel exhaust improving health along suburban alignments significantly
• Construction phase creates skilled jobs and facilitates technology transfer domestically

Residents will also gain seamless connections to metro and bus networks, enhancing multimodal travel convenience.

Non-Obvious Insight

By dividing design and inspection duties between independent international specialists, EFE effectively builds a dual layer quality assurance system that can reveal issues early and limit costly rework. This smart governance model may reduce life cycle maintenance expenses, freeing public funds for future extensions.

Conclusion

With renewed expertise and modern power systems, Santiago commuter rail is set for transformative growth. Rapid journeys will shorten distances within the metropolitan region, encourage public transport use, and support inclusive economic development.

Source – International Railway Journal