Huge ships, like container ships, bulk carriers and tankers, use large amounts of energy and are responsible for the corresponding climate emissions.
But new fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia, are not yet that easy to apply. Zero-emission solutions like electrification are not readily available for the largest ships either. That is why many shipowners regard the world’s oldest “fuel”
Shipping Telegraph
The Trump administration has launched a major push toward nuclear-powered commercial shipping, aiming to transform the U.S. maritime industry significantly.
On May 7, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the US Maritime Administration (MARAD) unveiled a new initiative focused on developing Small Modular Nuclear Reactors (SMR) for commercial shipping.
The initiative is part of an effort to advance President Donald J. Trump’s executive orders on unleashing American energy and restoring America’s maritime dominance.
The initiative begins with a formal Request for Information (RFI), seeking input from industry and innovators. As a first step, MARAD is calling on innovators and industry stakeholders to help develop an SMR model that revitalizes U.S. shipbuilding, cuts costs, and secures energy dominance.
MOL's rigid sails fitted on the first LNG carrier under construction in South Korea (MOL)
Pictures recently appeared showing the first-ever installation of solid wind sails on an LNG carrier. Hanwha Ocean highlighted the vessel, which is nearing construction at its shipyard in South Korea, as part of a project for Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines.
MOL, working with Japanese shipbuilder Oshima Shipbuilding Company, commercialized the designs for a telescopic sail made of fiber-reinforced plastic and installed the first one on a coal carrier, which entered service in October 2022. It has continued to place the technology on bulker newbuilds and also retrofitted it on a vessel.
European countries are forecast to source 80% of their liquefied natural gas supplies (LNG) imports from the US by 2028, deepening their reliance on LNG which threatens energy security, and posing risks for exposure to high gas prices and new forms of supply disruption, researchers at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said in a report released on Wednesday.
The ongoing energy crisis has increased Europe’s reliance on liquefied natural gas from the US, which is on track to supply two-thirds of the continent’s imports of the fuel in 2026, the IEEFA report highlights.
El crudo Brent sube en medio de enfrentamientos en una vía fluvial crucial.
Un barco pasa junto a un petrolero anclado en el estrecho de Ormuz, frente a la costa de la isla de Qeshm, Irán, el 18 de abril de 2026 [Foto de Asghar Besharati/AP].
Los precios del petróleo se han disparado después de que los enfrentamientos entre Estados Unidos e Irán en el estrecho de Ormuz pusieran a prueba su frágil alto el fuego.
Los futuros del crudo Brent subieron hasta un 7,5 por ciento durante una sesión de negociación volátil el jueves, antes de moderarse cuando los mercados asiáticos abrieron el viernes por la mañana.