Our guest this week works day in, day out, on a question that may appear technical at first glance, but will be central to deploying new green fuels in shipping: how can we bunker those fuels safely and efficiently?

The ship.energy podcast caught up with Stephen Gallagher, Technical Advisor at SGMF, a few weeks after the publication of its first bunkering guidelines for ammonia and methanol. This milestone, Stephen says, signals that the maritime industry is entering a more practical stage in the transition to new fuels, as the first vessels powered by those fuels hit the water and more are being built.

SGMF is hardly new to developing bunkering guidelines for new fuels. The organisation was first known for its LNG bunkering guidelines, which were launched in their initial version in 2016 and have since become a global reference. 

In this conversation, Stephen explains how experience gained with LNG was applied to developing the new bunkering guidelines, while accounting for the unique characteristics of each fuel, such as the toxicity of ammonia and the flammability of methanol. 

He believes that the new guidelines will help alleviate seafarer concerns about potential safety risks associated with new fuels, but also insists on the importance for shipping companies to foster an open dialogue with crews from the outset to build trust and ensure a safe environment.

Stephen also highlights the need for tailored training, as seafarers must be prepared for the unique scenarios they may encounter, depending on the characteristics of the fuel type. SGMF is working to expand its guidance on training and competency in areas such as ammonia and methanol, by leveraging insights from members and fuel producers, aiming to complement STCW requirements.

As SGMF expands its scope to include new fuels, Stephen says he is optimistic for what comes next. In his view, the multi-fuel era is an opportunity to innovate and improve practices.

The First Movers series puts the spotlight on those maritime companies that have been among the first to take the plunge on decarbonisation by trialling and adopting alternative fuels or green technologies. 

This series goes beyond the initial and optimistic big announcements and headlines and asks what happens in the months and years that follow. It aims to unpick the tangible results achieved and the practical challenges faced by these decarbonisation pioneers. 

As the series develops, we will interrogate the concept of a ‘first mover advantage’. How does being a trailblazer deliver in terms of achieving commercial success, developing cutting edge technology, and driving the energy transition forwards? With the benefit of hindsight, would these companies take the same decisions again or would their strategies be very different?

In this second episode of First Movers, Ariane Morrissey is joined by Andrew Hoare, Group Manager of Green Shipping at Fortescue. The company made global headlines for completing trials of the world’s first ammonia capable ship, the offshore vessel Green Pioneer, in Singapore.

In this conversation, Andrew relates how the company overcame a lack of regulatory readiness for the use of ammonia as a marine fuel. He reveals the multiple ‘chicken and egg’ situations that they faced, and how close collaboration with port authorities and classification societies was critical to obtain the necessary approvals for the project to go ahead. 

Andrew highlights that the biggest learning from Fortescue’s experience as a first mover was the importance of involving the crew from the outset, with a rigorous ‘safety-first’ approach and extensive training. 

Looking ahead, he argues that there will be a first-mover advantage, as a growing range of EU, global and national regulations will put a price on carbon emissions. He points out that this will not only make it increasingly expensive to operate on traditional fossil fuels, but also means that companies will find it difficult to secure financing unless they act on decarbonisation. 

Listen to the first episode of the First Movers series here: Rasmus Nielsen, Naval Architect / Officer, Scandlines 

In this week’s ship.energy podcast we look at the issue of methane slip across the maritime fuel supply chain and, more specifically, onboard LNG dual-fuelled vessels.

We hear a lot about the need to cut shipping’s carbon dioxide emissions but in terms of climate impact methane is much more pernicious than CO2. It has a global warming potential 28 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year timeframe, and when we are looking at a 20-year period, this rises to 87.

The Methane Abatement in Maritime Innovation Initiative – or MAMII – was launched over two years ago, in September 2022, by SafetyTech Accelerator, which was established by Lloyd’s Register and has a mission to find and put to the test a range of technologies will measure and abate methane emissions in the maritime sector.

To discuss the challenges posed by methane slip and the work being undertaken by MAMII, we are joined by its programme director, Steve Price.

During the conversation, Steve explains current approaches and methodologies in measuring methane slip and the project’s selection of measurement technologies.

He gives an overview of the methane slip abatement technologies that could be adapted for the maritime environment.

Steve also looks at the increasingly complex regulatory environment for shipping and considers what role MAMII could potentially play in developing or harmonising a standard for methane measurement.

For the last six years Steve has worked for Safetytech Accelerator, established by Lloyds Register, to bring innovation into safetytech critical industries including construction, shipping, ports, mining and nuclear). Challenges have included safety, sustainability and welfare. Steve has spent the last 20 years running innovation programmes for large corporates and the UK government’s innovation agency. He started his career with a computer science degree and went on to run digital transformation programmes throughout his management consulting career. 

The First Movers series puts the spotlight on those maritime companies that have been among the first to take the plunge on decarbonisation by trialling and adopting alternative fuels or green technologies. 

This series goes beyond the initial and optimistic big announcements and headlines and asks what happens in the months and years that follow. It aims to unpick the tangible results achieved and the practical challenges faced by these decarbonisation pioneers. 

As the series develops, we will interrogate the concept of a ‘first mover advantage’. How does being a trailblazer deliver in terms of achieving commercial success, developing cutting edge technology, and driving the energy transition forwards? With the benefit of hindsight, would these companies take the same decisions again or would their strategies be very different?

In this first episode of First Movers, Ariane Morrissey is joined by Rasmus Nielsen, Naval Architect and Officer at Scandlines, a ferry company that operates routes between Denmark and Germany. Rasmus was involved throughout the preparation, installation, and performance evaluation of rotor sails on M/V Copenhagen in 2020, and on M/V Berlin two years later. 

In this interview, he reveals how the company started small to test the technology, document performance and solve any teething issues – and how being a first mover paid off, with the wind propulsion system genuinely delivering the 4-5% average emissions reductions that were promised in the project. 

Rasmus also reflects on the challenges faced by first movers who pioneer technologies before regulation and rules are fully ready, and how Scandlines successfully jumped through those administrative hoops to install battery systems on board back in 2013. 

He believes that new regulation including EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime will make it inevitable for other companies to follow the path paved by first movers, arguing that doing nothing will also have a cost. 

As Ardmore marks 10 years without a lost-time injury (LTI) on its tanker Ardmore Endeavour, the company’s Fleet Management Director Gerry Docherty reflects on the importance of listening to seafarers to build a robust safety culture on board, and how that can be done in practice. 

In this interview, Gerry argues that maintaining an open dialogue with seafarers will be essential throughout the energy transition. He also expands on the role that digital technology will play in upskilling crews as new fuels and technologies are introduced on board – and how Ardmore is already using virtual reality as part of its training regime. 

Himself a seagoing marine engineer with BP Shipping in the 1990s, Gerry then served as a Project Manager and Senior Surveyor with Lloyd’s Register before joining Ardmore in 2011.

The first guest on the ship.energy podcast in October is Rob Mortimer, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based Fuelre4m. Rob has taken on the challenge of transforming how industries think about fossil fuels, with a focus on modernising outdated practices through innovation, digitalisation, and cutting-edge technology. 

At Fuelre4m, Rob spearheaded the development of Re4mx, a fuel optimisation technology that improves fuel efficiency by up to 20% while reducing emissions by as much as 80%. He also led the development of Styrex, a world-first innovation that recycles polystyrene waste into sustainable fuel, helping industries transition to circular economy models. 

Before launching Fuelre4m, Rob honed his leadership skills across various sectors. His role as Managing Director at Valley Utilities Ltd demonstrated his ability to drive business growth while focusing on the sustainability of energy resources. Additionally, his time as Managing Director at Catomance Ltd provided him with extensive experience in technical and regulatory leadership within the fuel and energy industries.

In conversation with ship.energy’s Lesley Bankes-Hughes, Rob explains how Re4mx technology can move the dial on conventional marine fuel in terms of energy content, combustion and emissions reduction. He also sets out his concerns over the accuracy of current data on fuel consumption and how that data is being collected and interpreted, and he gives his perspectives on how digitalisation can optimise the accretion and value of data. 

This week’s podcast guest is Ahila Karan who is the Senior Lead on Green Initiatives at the Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub. In this role she led the launch of The Silk Alliance Green Corridor Cluster to catalyse the bunkering of alternative fuels in Singapore, as well as the Maritime Fuel Supply Dialogues, a regional initiative facilitating public/private dialogues across the energy and transport sectors to accelerate hydrogen-based fuel supply development across Asia Pacific and Africa. 

Ahila has more than 7 years’ experience covering global energy markets, with a particular focus on transportation fuels and the cleaner fuels transition. 

She holds a Master of Science degree in Economics from University College London and previously worked at oil trading company Trafigura as the Global Distillates Analyst where she was also involved in producing analysis on shipping industry trends and fleet analysis. Prior to this, Ahila worked at S&P Global, reporting on major energy news and the latest environmental policy changes affecting the shipping and road fuels industries. 

The Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub is an independent, not-for-profit social purpose organisation, working towards a safe, sustainable, and human-centric decarbonised shipping industry for the benefit of society.  It was formed in 2020 with a grant from Lloyd’s Register Foundation.

ship.energy marks a new month with a new podcast, featuring Alexandre Tocatlian, Head of Business Development at Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) Commercial Division.

Taking a deep dive into all things LNG, Alexandre will discuss GTT’s work on LNG containment systems, explain the characteristics of bio and synthetic LNG, and consider how LNG can maintain its reputation as a low-emission fuel on a well-to-wake basis.

Alexandre Tocatlian graduated in 2011 from the Ecole Centrale de Lyon, with a specialiaation in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. 

He joined GTT in January 2014 as a Technical Project Manager on LNGCs and FSRUs projects. In September 2016, he moved to the LNG Fuel Division, as a Product Line Manager for the passenger ship market. From July 2019 he managed the Product Lines team, delivering solutions for all types of LNG-fuelled ships and LNG bunker vessels. 

Since July 2021, Alexandre has been heading the Business Development team covering all GTT products and services for Europe, Russia, Middle East, Africa and India.

In this week’s podcast, we discuss the issues surrounding the commercial viability of nuclear-powered ships and how they could change the shipping industry. 

In conversation with Mark Williams, Chirayu Batra, an independent expert on advanced reactors and small modular reactors, addresses technical questions on nuclear reactors. They are joined by Amelia Hipwell, Decarbonisation Innovation Manager at Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, who offers her perspectives on the business case for nuclear-powered shipping as well as the challenges, including overcoming public perceptions about the use of the technology. 

Amelia is the Decarbonisation Innovation Manager of the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (LR MDH). She manages the Hub’s proprietary Zero Carbon Fuel Monitor website which provides an insights-based assessment of the readiness of zero carbon fuels for maritime applications and industry-wide comparisons of alternative solutions across the entire fuel supply chain. 

Amelia joined Lloyd’s Register in 2016, after graduating with a Master of Engineering (Mechanical, Design and Operations) degree from the University of Durham. She joined LR on the graduate scheme before moving into the role of an Additive Manufacturing Inspection Surveyor, developing LR's additive manufacturing expertise and value propositions, and then as a Business Model Innovation Architect. 

At the LR MDH, Amelia has grown and evolved the Zero Carbon Fuel Monitor, which assesses the readiness levels of shipping’s most promising zero-carbon fuels and energy sources in three main areas: technology, investment, and community. She has authored two published update reports for the Monitor – the Zero Carbon Fuel Monitor October 2023 update and How close is the shipping industry to adopting nuclear for propulsion? She has also worked with the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI) on the report, Green Steel and Shipping.

Chirayu Batra has over a decade of experience in advanced nuclear technology. Currently, he is channelling his expertise into a new stealth-mode venture, focused on advancing nuclear technology. 

Previously, as Chief Technology Officer at TerraPraxis and LucidCatalyst, Chirayu worked on large-scale deployment strategies for nuclear energy. Prior to this, he served as a Project Officer for advanced reactor technologies at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 

As a subject matter expert, Chirayu has in-depth knowledge of nuclear reactor design, safety, and technology development. His advanced degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Nuclear Reactor Physics, complemented by research experience in neutronics and thermal hydraulics, underpin his technical and project management proficiency. 

At the IAEA, Chirayu was the first scientific secretary for the agency’s platform on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), coordinating the development of the IAEA’s medium-term strategy for near-term deployment of SMRs. He also led the creation of the international SMR Coordination and Resource Portal for Information Exchange, Outreach, and Networking, which is currently the primary source of information for all relevant activities on SMRs at the IAEA. 

Additionally, Chirayu spearheaded the IAEA’s activities on codes and standards, design engineering, and manufacturing of SMR components. His contributions extended to several international scientific committees, where he regularly provided technical insights. 

Chirayu holds a double master's degree in Nuclear Engineering and Nuclear Reactor Physics, along with an undergraduate degree in Material Science. 

ship.energy celebrates its 100th podcast this week with a great conversation between contributing editor Mark Williams and Allyson Browne, co-founder of High Ambition Climate Collective and a driving force for change in climate and energy policy.

With more than 10 years of experience across the public, private and nonprofit sectors, Allyson has also served as Pacific Environment’s Climate Campaign Director, leading their Ports for People campaigns to end port and ship pollution in partnership with frontline community-based organisations.

Shore power is a key strand in this discussion, and Allyson looks at developments in this technology at US ports and considers the challenges surrounding the supply of electricity from renewable sources in order to be truly net zero.

She also explains how ports’ decarbonisation efforts, including electrification and shore power, can support climate adaptation and resilience goals.

In other roles, Allyson has previously served as the Director of Regulatory Affairs for SRECTrade, where she collaborated with industry and grassroots organisations on renewable energy policies. She was Chief of Staff to Jared Blumenfeld for California Governor Newsom’s 2018 gubernatorial campaign and on the Energy & Environment team, and she has also worked as a consultant on energy in cities, cannabis, and cryptocurrency.

Allyson holds a Juris Doctor, Environmental Law from Golden Gate University School of Law and a B.S., Business Administration from University of Southern California Marshall School of Business.