The ship.energy podcast

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143

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Nov 2026

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The ship.energy podcast allows subscribers to engage first-hand with the many discussions that are happening and evolving around shipping’s energy transition. We talk regularly to maritime thought leaders, technology experts, policymakers and finance providers as shipping embarks on its huge learning curve towards decarbonisation. Expect some tough talking, intelligent thinking, as well as some questions – nobody has all the answers! Join the discussion today by following ship.energy on LinkedIn , Facebook or X .

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November 3, 2026Episode 931 min

S7 Ep9: Søren Andersen, CEO, ZeroNorth

In this conversation, Søren Andersen considers how the use of digitalisation has become embedded in shipping operations and processes over the past 10 years – and he explains the immense potential of AI – including agentic AI – to support decision-making in areas such as voyage and vessel routing, onboard engine management, and bunker procurement and fuel optimisation. ZeroNorth was established in 2020 as a spin-off from Maersk Tankers and its growth has been achieved organically, through strategic acquisitions and commercial partnership. With a career that includes a stint at Maersk, Andersen joined ZeroNorth as CEO in early 2026 and in August the company revealed the development of Propel, its agentic AI partner for maritime operations. Now at the helm of a company which is working with around 6,000 ships every day, he explains that a key driver is to explore and develop the benefits of AI for everyone and to reduce shipping emissions. In the digitalisation and AI space, it’s essential to be a ‘first mover’ – to be a company that builds a lead and stays ahead. Digitalisation gives shipping access to thousands of data points which enable efficiencies and support informed fleetwide decision-making, and Sorensen emphasises that one of ZeroNorth’s differentiators is that its products are fully digital – he calls them ‘Google maps for ships.’ However, AI will move things to the next level. With Propel, the AI agent will be ‘a colleague’ which can take care of repetitious or menial tasks and refer to a human when permission for an action is needed. ‘We used code for data modelling and analysis, but we are now coding for working processes,’ explains Sorensen. ‘We are moving from what does the user need to know, to what does the user need to do.’ With an agent which is working 24/7, productivity will improve and AI has the potential to deliver huge changes to the industry. Those companies that choose to embrace it, will have an operational lead, a competitive advantage and support safer operations. For those AI sceptics who express concern about ‘agents’ going rogue, Sorensen makes it clear that ‘we are not experimenting, but taking very specific actions developed on specific models’, while continuously using AI tools to test the company’s own security measures. Sorensen talks about the other areas where he could see potential for the beneficial and effective deployment of AI, including the practice of ‘sail fast then wait’ by a vessel approaching a berth at port – a practice which is responsible for as much as 10% of shipping’s annual emissions. And by the end of this decade, he would like to see ZeroNorth positioned as ‘the company that brought agentic AI to shipping and ship operations.’

October 14, 2026Episode 831 min

S7 Ep8: Chris Chatterton, Maritime Director, Global Centre for Green Fuels

The IMO approved safety standards for the use of ethanol as a marine fuel six years ago, but the concept hasn’t gained significant traction, until now. Helping us understand ethanol’s apparent sudden rise up the marine fuels’ agenda is Chris Chatterton, maritime director at the Global Centre for Green Fuels. Ethanol is gaining momentum as a marine fuel due to converging market conditions rather than sudden technological breakthroughs. Although IMO safety standards were adopted six years ago, ethanol’s emergence builds on the foundational work undertaken with methanol, which now powers approximately 160 dual-fuel vessels. Unlike methanol, ethanol is already produced at significant global scale, with annual production exceeding 100 million tonnes. Established biofuel and advanced production pathways offer routes to low-carbon fuel without having to wait for future infrastructure development. Engine manufacturers are demonstrating that alcohol-capable dual-fuel technology can accommodate ethanol with appropriate recalibration. Meanwhile, increasingly stringent carbon regulations, including FuelEU Maritime and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), are shifting the industry’s economic focus from cost per tonne towards lifecycle carbon intensity and energy delivered. Ethanol offers several practical advantages: higher energy density than methanol, lower toxicity and established supply chains in major producing regions, including the United States and Brazil. Recent bunkering demonstrations at the ports of Santos, Rotterdam and Barcelona highlight the potential for rapid operational integration using modified methanol infrastructure. Blending opportunities also exist, with ongoing research into ethanol–marine gas oil (MGO) combinations that could deliver immediate carbon reductions in existing four-stroke engines without requiring full dual-fuel conversion. Looking ahead, ethanol is expected to develop around specific production hubs and trade corridors before expanding as standards and certification processes mature. Rather than replacing other fuels, ethanol adds flexibility to a decarbonisation strategy built around adaptable, multi-fuel engine platforms and practical solutions available today.

April 7, 2026Episode 725 min

S7 Ep7: Evelyne Williams, Research Associate, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University, New York

Evelyne analyses the different proposals submitted by different countries ahead of the MEPC 84 meeting, which will mark the first time the committee reconvenes since the extraordinary session, in October 2025, that was expected to formally adopt the first global greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing mechanism for shipping but was instead adjourned for a year. With Pacific Island States and Brazil calling for the existing Net-Zero Framework (NZF) text to progress without substantive alterations, while the United States and a group of petro-states including Saudi Arabia and Russia are opposed to any centrally administered pricing mechanism, she expects the current text to be reopened, and any potential outcome to ‘fall somewhere in the middle.’ Evelyne also dissects two ‘middle path’ proposals, one submitted by Liberia, Panama and Argentina and the other by Japan, which would weaken emissions reduction targets and remove the Net-Zero Fund. From a climate perspective, she warns that both options risk under-delivering on the IMO 2023 Strategy’s ambition of reaching net-zero ‘by or around’ 2050. She argues that the outcome of MEPC 84 will largely be dictated by how seriously countries will take pressure from the United States, and whether they will be willing to butt heads with the Trump administration. She emphasises that the war in Iran has given the U.S. ‘considerable’ leverage on countries that depend on its LNG, and expects that some delegations, including the EU, could be less vocal in their defence of the NZF as a result. While the White House has ramped up the ‘rhetorical volume’, she explains that the country’s opposition to the NZF is not purely ideological and reflects genuine economic concerns. However, she highlights that the longer-term strategic picture goes in the opposite direction, and the U.S. could benefit from the Net-Zero Framework as a leading producer of LNG and biofuels. She also interprets the country articulating its ‘red lines’ as a sign it might remain open to a deal, which she notes is a change from its previous posture during October’s extraordinary session. https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/

March 23, 2026Episode 622 min

S7 Ep6: Arvind Natrajan, Senior Manager and IMO representative, International Chamber of Shipping (ICS)

We take stock of the latest developments in IMO’s work to update seafarer training requirements for the arrival of new fuels and technologies. Podcast highlights Arvind hails the two sets of interim training guidelines for seafarers working on ships using methanol and ammonia as fuel, which were agreed at the IMO’s HTW Sub-Committee in February, as ‘a big step ahead’ and a ‘great achievement.’ He explains why he expects the industry to embrace those guidelines even though they are not mandatory. He also comments on the ongoing revision of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), which sets mandatory standards for seafarer training. He describes progress as ‘slow’ but ‘encouraging’, and outlines how IMO delegates are trying to ensure the new convention will be ‘future-proof’ for the 2040s and 2050s, amid rapid technology developments. A former seafarer and captain himself, he shares his views on what crews need in order to be prepared to safely deal with new fuels and technologies, insisting on the importance of onboard familiarisation and of avoiding overburdening seafarers with additional training requirements. Arvind also describes how alternative fuels training remains fragmented across the industry, with most first movers generally offering their own in-house training. Looking ahead to the wider adoption of new fuels, he acknowledges that questions around who will cover the cost of upskilling thousands of seafarers remain unresolved.

March 9, 2026Episode 526 min

S7 Ep5: Lara Naqushbandi, CEO of ETFuels

We unveil how some e-fuel producers are progressing their projects despite the uncertainty around the fate of a global pricing mechanism for shipping’s GHG emissions. Podcast highlights In this episode, Lara explains how the FuelEU Maritime regulation, with its requirements on the GHG intensity of the energy used on ships to ratchet up from 2030, was instrumental in sealing a 10-year binding offtake agreement under which ETFuels will supply e-methanol to shipping company RFOcean. The agreement, she says, demonstrates that the EU regulation, with its clear penalties for non-compliance and incentives for e-fuels, is strong enough to incentivise a fuel switch and make e-fuel production projects viable. She warns that companies that opt to do nothing and end up being hit by penalties are likely to see their fuel costs increase by 55% by 2030. Lara explains that the biggest challenge for ETFuels isn’t offering a mutually agreeable price for its e-methanol, but rather persuading shipping companies to commit to offtake agreements several years before they receive the fuel. While such long-term deals are essential for e-fuel producers to secure financing, she argues that locking in a long-term price for e-fuels is also a good risk management approach for shipping companies, as supplies of compliant fuels will be limited throughout the 2030s. Asked whether shipowners’ appetite for long-term agreements was dampened by the uncertainty around the IMO Net-Zero Framework, she reports that the potential global regulation was never a main driver for early transactions. She reveals that ETFuels currently has terms agreed for over 200% of its first plant’s production capacity and advanced commercial discussions with four additional companies, driven by European regulation. She also reflects on the role of public funding in making the first e-fuel production projects financially viable in the short and medium term, and on the reasons why installations in the United States and Europe can be competitive with countries like China.

February 23, 2026Episode 422 min

S7 Ep4: Daniel Gent, Marine Fuels Transition Lead, Soya Group

We ask what a sensible approach to decarbonisation can look like with the new Marine Fuels Transition Lead for Soya Group, which partly owns UECC, Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Wallenius Sol. Podcast highlights Daniel argues that shipping companies should move ahead of regulatory requirements on decarbonisation and start integrating alternative fuels into their operations despite uncertainty around the IMO Net-Zero Framework. He warns that adopting a ‘sit back and wait’ approach risks creating knowledge gaps, which would lead to those companies being outcompeted in the longer term. He makes the case that ‘union is strength’ when it comes to decarbonisation strategies, both in terms of sharing learnings between individual companies and aggregating demand to send stronger demand signals to alternative fuels producers. Daniel also shares some key learnings from UECC’s experience trialling and adopting LNG and biofuels. He emphasises that pilots must be designed to generate ‘repeatable learnings’, as well as the importance of mastering data and certification requirements for the use of renewable fuels to be recognised by regulators. He also explains how the company achieved, five years ahead of time, its ambition of having 40% alternative fuels in its energy mix by 2030. Reflecting on whether using alternative fuels pays off in business terms today, he acknowledges that first movers are not consistently rewarded commercially yet, with the picture depending on whether each company’s customer base is prepared to pay for decarbonised shipping. However, he highlights that the benefits are ‘more strategic than financial’, and insists that being prepared to introduce alternative fuels is a pragmatic decision.

February 9, 2026Episode 328 min

S7 Ep3: FuelEU Maritime turns 1 - Robert Gaina, Ardmore and Filip Feurst, Stena Bulk

Shipping companies Ardmore and Stena Bulk discuss how they have navigated the first year of the FuelEU Maritime regulation. Podcast highlights Ardmore’s Chief Operating Officer, Robert Gaina , explains how the company, which operates 25 chemical and product tankers, has decided to comply with FuelEU Maritime by bunkering biofuels on selected voyages. Describing how the new regulation, which sets a limit on the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of the energy used on ships, has impacted crews and onshore teams in practice, he argues that the biggest change was not technical, but ‘behavioural’ – as ensuring compliance requires closer collaboration between different teams on voyage planning and bunker procurement. As Ardmore’s fleet is operated primarily on the spot market but also includes vessels on time charters, Robert compares the complexity of ensuring compliance under the two trading models. Asked about the commercial repercussions of the regional regulation, he explains why he doesn’t believe that it has made European companies less competitive, and why he expects the additional costs to eventually be passed down as the market adapts. Stena Bulk’s Sustainability Manager, Filip Feurst , explains why the tanker operator opted for pooling as its main FuelEU compliance strategy, despite having six vessels capable of using methanol as fuel in its fleet of 58 ships. He illustrates how companies that operate the majority of their vessels on the spot market, like Stena Bulk, face additional challenges in planning for their FuelEU Maritime compliance – as a lack of visibility on whether a voyage will call Europe makes it harder for those companies to plan the bunkering and use of alternative fuels. But he explains how the new regulation has nonetheless changed Stena Bulk’s approach to fuel procurement. Filip also relates how the industry has leapt forward on data sharing as owners, operators, and pooling parties need to exchange information to ensure compliance and avoid penalties. Looking ahead, he sees a commercial potential for companies that are able to monetise and trade the compliance surpluses of their dual-fuel vessels, although he notes that the opportunity might be easier to seize for companies on liner trades.

January 26, 2026Episode 225 min

S7 Ep2: Jason Stefanatos, Global Decarbonization Director, DNV

DNV’s Global Decarbonization Director analyses the main trends from the alternative-fuelled vessel orderbook in 2025, and sheds light on what to expect in 2026. Jason Stefanatos Jason Stefanatos is Global Decarbonization Director at DNV, a role which he has held since 2023. He joined the classification society 15 years ago, having previously worked in a technical role for the Hellenic Navy and as a research assistant at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). Jason holds a M. Sc. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from NTUA. DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insights (AFI) platform gathers data on the development and uptake of alternative fuels and technology, covering both vessels and bunkering infrastructure. The platform has more than 18,000 users across the maritime industry.

January 12, 2026Episode 126 min

S7 Ep1: New Year’s special: three wishes for shipping in 2026

Representatives from academia, the bunkering industry and environmental NGOs reflect on some of the positive developments that marked 2025 and share their main wish for 2026. Speakers: Tristan Smith is Professor of Energy and Transport at the UCL Energy Institute, where he leads a research group focused on the global shipping industry. He attends MEPC meetings as a delegate of IMarEST and is a contributing author to work published by the IMO, UNEP, and the UK Committee on Climate Change. He trained and worked as a naval architect before joining the UCL Energy Institute in 2010. Alexander Prokopakis is Executive Director of IBIA – the International Bunker Industry Association, which represents companies across the marine energy value chain, including traditional and alternative marine fuels suppliers, traders, brokers, shipowners and port authorities. Previously, he worked in the bunkering industry, including as the CEO of PRO Holdings, the founder of the Probunkers project, and the lead of Mamidakis Group’s shipping, bunkering and aviation activities. He holds an MBA from St. John’s University. Sian Prior is Shipping Director at Seas At Risk and Lead Advisor for the Clean Arctic Alliance, which consists of 24 not-for-profit organisations and is focused on protecting the Arctic from the impacts of shipping. She has 30 years of experience in policy development, primarily in the non-government sector, but was also seconded to government positions. She has a B.Sc . in marine biology and oceanography from Bangor University and a PhD in marine ecotoxicology from Queen Mary, University of London.

December 15, 2025Episode 2533 min

S6 Ep25: Irene Rosberg, Director, The Blue MBA, Copenhagen Business School

Irene Rosberg, Director of the Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics at the Copenhagen Business School – which is widely known as The Blue MBA – explains why this globally recognised course came into being nearly 25 years ago, how it has evolved by keeping a finger on the pulse of a rapidly changing maritime sector, and what skills ‘fit-for-purpose’ leaders need today to grow and succeed, and, most importantly, to take their companies forward in a highly competitive and quickly evolving market. Over 450 ‘students’ have graduated since the course was launched, and its most recent cohort comprised 48 participants from 25 countries. At its launch nearly a quarter of a century ago, leaders in shipping and related sectors were predominantly male and drawn from the countries that had the largest maritime economies, such as Western Europe, the US and Japan. As Irene explains, today’s Blue MBA requires a mindset that embraces diversity in terms of nationality and gender but the course is laser focused on providing a holistic view of shipping and its connected industries, and one of its strengths is that its students are drawn from a wide range of industry segments, including owners, operators, freight forwarders, ship managers, lawyers and finance professionals. The students learn from their tutors – and also from each other. The MBA also requires its students to have a job in maritime, and this enables them to apply the learning and insights they gain throughout the course to real life challenges and issues within their own companies – education informs practise and vice versa. An executive leader today cannot just be an expert in a niche area, they must be able to read the market, put together forecasts, understand risk management, create strategies, understand ESG obligations and environmental regulations – and also recognise the importance of soft skills, emotional intelligence, human capital and taking a collaborative approach to decision-making.