Ethanol as a Marine Fuel/Exploring its Usability: Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping Report
October 29, 2026
By:
Walter G. Wright
Category:
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law
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The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (“Mærsk”) issued an October 2026 report titled:
Ethanol as a marine fuel: exploring its usability (“Report”).
The primary focus of the Report is an examination of ethanol’s technical viability as a marine fuel.
The Report initially notes that decarbonizing the shipping industry will require access to low-emissions fuels. Several low-emission fuels with relevance to shipping are stated to have been identified, citing as examples:
- Methanol.
- Ammonia.
- Biodiesel.
Nevertheless, the Report states that many of such fuels have limited availability in the near term.
Mærsk states that it is working with its partners to investigate ethanol’s potential as a marine fuel. It is described as an alcohol with similar properties to methanol and is currently produced at large volumes.
Key components of the Report include:
- The bigger picture behind ethanol as a marine fuel.
- Using ethanol in engines developed for methanol operation.
- Fuel properties, combustion behavior, and operational implications.
- Emissions certification, material compatibility, and regulatory considerations.
- Overall outlook.
- Ethanol-diesel blends as a potential option for existing diesel engines.
- Flashpoint and short-term solubility assessment.
- Long-term solubility assessment.
- Onboard blending.
- Techno-economic analysis of retrofit for operation on ethanol-MGO blends.
- Key topics for further consideration.
A copy of the Report can be found here.
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