Economy at the rudder for choice of fuel in the shipping sector

When the impact of economic, environmental, social and technical aspects on fuel choice in the maritime sector was investigated within the project Prospects for renewable marine fuels, it was found that economic motives are most important for ship owners as well as for fuel producers and motor manufacturers. This is presented in a new article connected to the project that has been accepted for publication in Biomass & Energy.

The article presents a study in which a panel of relevant maritime stakeholders are presented with the possibility to choose between seven different fuels, among those LNG, renewable methanol and HVO. For the stakeholders already mentioned, the fuel price is the most important factor for fuel choice, while representatives from Swedish government authorities prioritize environmental criteria, specifically GHG emissions, and social criteria, specifically the potential to meet regulations. This leads to a difference in preference of fuel and shows that policy initiatives are needed to promote the introduction of renewable marine fuels.

The article is linked from the project site.