NEW marine repor ts and guides
Infrastructure and regulation remain key barriers to hydrogen adoption
Lloyd’s Register (LR) has issued the latest instalment of its Fuel for Thought series, in which it explores hydrogen as an alternative fuel for the maritime industry. The report offers insights into hydrogen’s potential to transform shipping, offering a clear- eyed assessment of the opportunities, challenges, and pathways for adoption. It also provides an assessment of hydrogen propulsion technologies, including internal combustion engines and fuel cells, and evaluates their maturity for marine applications.
Challenges and adoption outlook
According to LR’s assessment, hydrogen has the potential to deliver the ultimate goal of net zero emissions shipping by 2050, eliminating the industry’s GHG emissions and increasing air quality.
As with other zero-emissions solutions, there are technical, commercial and regulatory challenges to be overcome, but there are no roadblocks to hydrogen’s broad adoption in the shipping industry. Despite the hurdles, the analysis points to near-term opportunities. Early adoption is most viable for short-sea trades such as ferries, tugs and coastal vessels where regular bunkering cycles reduce the constraints of onboard storage.
Fuel cell technologies show particular promise for these applications, supported by improving cost trajectories and advances in durability. Hydrogen-ready designs and hybrid fuel strategies also offer shipowners a practical route to futureproof assets.
Role of hydrogen in e-fuel pathways
As a necessary component of other e-fuels such as e-ammonia, e-methanol, and e-LNG, adoption of those other fuel pathways will bring benefits through incentivizing investment in green hydrogen production and research into hydrogen technologies.
Regulatory developments and safety considerations
On the regulatory front, global awareness of hydrogen’s role in decarbonization is supporting work on national hydrogen policies and relevant technical standards.
Within shipping, regulations for hydrogen are currently incomplete, but interim guidelines for the safe adoption of hydrogen are in active development at the IMO and are on course to bring greater clarity to support adoption. Such work is vital to understanding and managing fire and explosion risks as well as others arising from the use of hydrogen onboard.
Infrastructure and investment requirements The establishment of hydrogen infrastructure will require significant capital investment due to the lack of existing facilities and the specific requirements of hydrogen storage and transportation. Despite a few emerging bunkering projects, low-emissions hydrogen as a whole – including hydrogen produced via renewable-energy powered electrolysis (green hydrogen), biomass and fossil fuels with high levels of carbon capture and permanent storage (blue hydrogen) – accounted for less than 1% of global production in 2025, according to IEA.
Technical integration and cost challenges
The energy density of hydrogen presents integration challenges for larger vessels, requiring efficient propulsion systems and appropriate operating profiles to be viable. Broader challenges include the high price for prime movers, storage, and handling equipment, and the space requirements for LH2 tanks.
As production of relevant technologies scale up, equipment costs will fall, and innovations such as onboard ammonia cracking will expand the fleet for which hydrogen is a viable fuel choice.
IMB Annual Piracy Report 2025 published
The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported an increase in global maritime incidents and piracy and armed robbery in 2025, classifying most cases as low-level.
According to the IMB Annual Piracy and Armed Robbery Report, 137 incidents against ships were recorded in 2025 compared to 116 in 2024 and 120 in 2023. It reveals that 121 vessels were boarded, four vessels were hijacked and two fired upon as well as 10 attempted attacks.
While most reported incidents in 2025 were categorised as low level, violence against crew continues, with 46 crew members taken hostage in 2025 compared to 126 in 2024 and 73 in 2023. Twenty-five crew were reported kidnapped, compared to 12 in 2024 and 14 in 2023. A further 10 crew were threatened, four injured and three assaulted in 2025.
The reported use of guns continues to rise. In 2025, they were reported in 42 incidents compared to 26 in 2024. Knives were reported in 33 incidents in 2025, compared to 39 incidents in 2024.
ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said, “Maritime trade remains a cornerstone of real economic activity and growth. The rise in reported maritime incidents highlights the importance of protecting seafarers and securing key shipping routes not only for crew safety, but for the stability of global supply chains and the economies that depend on them. Ensuring safe passage at sea requires sustained cooperation, with regional and international partners working together to safeguard maritime commerce.”
Request to receive a copy of the report at
https://bit.ly/4rfJTi3.
THE REPORT | MAR 2026 | ISSUE 115 | 59
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