Advanced reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs) are moving from early concepts toward detailed design and testing. At the same time, interest in maritime nuclear energy is shifting from broad feasibility discussion toward practical questions that are unique to the industry: how nuclear systems integrate with ship design, how ports and coastal states manage operational interfaces, and how safety and security are demonstrated in an offshore environment. Floating nuclear power plants, offshore energy hubs and nuclear-powered commercial vessels each introduce different design requirements and regulatory pathways that shape engineering decisions from the outset. To achieve forward progress, designers, regulators, operators […]

LNG-fuelled vessels are already delivering compliance benefits for many operators. Yet a significant amount of that value often goes unrealised. Under today’s European Union (EU) regulatory frameworks, operators can choose between reporting methane emissions using standard default values or demonstrating representative actual engine performance. For vessels that outperform those default assumptions, that choice can have a material impact on compliance costs, fuel strategy and overall operating economics. That opportunity matters at a time when every compliance-related cost is coming under greater scrutiny. Wärtsilä’s recent At The Helm research found that 42% of maritime leaders consider balancing decarbonisation investment with acceptable […]

In my article in the August issue of ship.energy I argued that shipping’s energy transition is, at bottom, a landside infrastructure delivery programme, and that every green fuel begins life as renewable electricity. Ammonia is the cleanest test of that proposition. With zero carbon (C) in the molecule, combustion is not where its climate problem sits. Almost everything that decides whether ammonia is a solution or a fuel substitute happens before the fuel reaches the ship. How the electricity was generated, how the nitrogen was fixed, and who bears the cost of the terminal is the whole system’s logic, and […]

Marine fuel’s near-universal availability is something shipping has long taken for granted. Conventional bunkers are available across a broad global network, commercially familiar and largely interchangeable. A ship can trade and refuel almost anywhere, and a port’s role has traditionally been to handle that fuel efficiently rather than decide what it should be. Green hydrogen-based e-fuels break that assumption. They are expensive, scarce, and will emerge unevenly through a small number of renewable-rich production regions, import terminals and trade corridors. Fuel geography is beginning to shape commercial strategy rather than follow it. That shift forces ports to confront a strategic […]

The global shipping industry is no stranger to disruption. However, ongoing geopolitical uncertainty has created significant headwinds for operators as they work to keep the world’s supply chains running as smoothly as possible. This means that operational resilience is critical to vessel reliability. Even a single breakdown can cause severe disruption, delay schedules and increase costs throughout the value chain. Yet many operators still rely primarily on time-based maintenance to keep their vessels moving safely and efficiently. The case for change: From time-based to smarter condition-based maintenance Time-based maintenance gives operators a clear framework for inspecting and servicing equipment. But […]