Europe Watch

Spain:

Baleària incorporated Europe’s first autonomous e-methanol power generation container, manufactured by Methanol Reformer, into the electric ferry Cap de Barbaria.

Cap de Barbaria is an electric passenger and cargo ferry that began operation in 2023 and runs between Ibiza and Formentera. It has reduced CO2 emissions by 33% compared to the previous vessel.

During this project, the operator will be able to assess the potential of methanol as a flexible energy vector for maritime transport. It will also evaluate hydrogen’s contribution to overall consumption, reducing emissions, and the scalability of the solution to other ships and routes the company operates.

Europe:

The European Commission has released the Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP), setting out a roadmap to accelerate the energy transition for the aviation and waterborne transport sectors.

The objective behind the initiative is to provide a common approach to boost investments into renewables and low carbon fuels for these sectors. Accelerating EU-made sustainable fuels will be a key component to enabling Europe to boost its competitiveness and reduce energy dependency on fossil fuels.

This is a necessity. In order to meet targets set in the ReFuelEU Aviation and FuelEU Maritime Regulations, a volume of around 20 million tonnes of sustainable aviation fuels will be needed by 2035, and €100 billion to drive production.

Denmark:

Following a successful trial, Maersk will be conducting a test where 50% ethanol will be blended with 50% methanol on board its vessel ‘Laura Maersk’.

The first trial was carried out in October and November 2025 and involved a 10% ethanol and 90% e-methanol blend, where it was confirmed that ethanol can be safely and effectively integrated into the fuel mix. The vessel was designed to run on methanol as an alternative fuel, owing to the similar properties it shares with ethanol.

The initial trial tested whether an E10 blend would ignite and burn as efficiently as pure methanol. Results confirmed that ethanol can be blended with methanol without compromising engine performance.

Norway: 

299 million NOK has been awarded to LH2 Shipping, a Norwegian-based company developing liquid hydrogen solutions for maritime vessels, for the construction of liquid hydrogen powered bulk carriers.

The support comes from Enova, which provided funding for two liquid hydrogen bulk carriers earlier this year.

LH2 Shipping has been developing ship concepts for several years and has since turned its focus to zero-emission concepts, proving that zero-emission maritime transport is both possible and profitable in the long term.

Europe: 

The H2Deri@BSP, a project led by the Port of Hamburg, released a report covering hydrogen derivatives across the Baltic Sea Region. The report explored current and projected demand, production capacities, infrastructure preparedness, regulatory developments and the region’s import-export potential.

Findings from the report show the Baltic Sea Region is gaining momentum in renewable maritime fuels but hydrogen derivatives remain in their early stages. Ports will be key to this transition, and some are already planning or implementing bunkering and storage infrastructure for renewable fuels.

And beyond…

Singapore: 

Toll Group has launched Singapore’s first decarbonisation hub tailored towards electric supply vessels. It was developed in partnership with Yinson Greentech and aims to set a new benchmark for safe, smart and sustainable port operations.

The initiative is expected to reduce emissions by up to 80% per trip, saving more than a tonne of CEO, and optimise vessel movements.

The hub brings together electric marine transport, smart warehousing and efficient cargo trucking for a complete, end-to-end operation.