Bunker market participants urged the adoption of universal standards for alternative bunker fuels, warning that fragmented regulations are hampering the maritime sector's shift to lower-carbon options.
Speaking at the S&P Global Commodity Insights FUJCON 2025, held in Fujairah, UAE, stakeholders highlighted inconsistencies and divergent regional policies, governing biofuels, methanol, ammonia and hydrogen as a key obstacle to scaling up adoption.
The lack of harmonised standards on fuel certification, safety protocols and emissions accounting is creating uncertainty for operators and suppliers navigating a complex global market.
"Shipping companies like us face an unfair situation, falling behind the policies, that are changing every day," Jens Maul Jorgensen, director of bunkering at Oldendorff Carriers said.
The EU's emissions trading system (ETS) was extended to cover the maritime sector last year, and this year FuelEU Maritime came into effect, while the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is lagging with global regulations, Jorgensen said.
FuelEU Maritime, which came into effect this year, sets greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets for vessels travelling in or out of Europe.
Panel participants at FUJCON called for the replacement of "too many regulations" with universal, clear and policed rules.
"If we do not ensure the proper policing of these rules, people will keep finding loopholes, and we do not need loopholes," according to chair of the International Bunker Industry Association Constantinos Capetanakis.
The bunker market is under pressure to decarbonise as the IMO targets a 50pc cut in shipping emissions by 2050 from 2008 levels.
Alternative fuels are central to this goal, but regulatory disparities complicate investment decisions, industry players said.
Market participants warned that prolonged regulatory fragmentation could delay infrastructure investments and inflate costs for end-users.
