Op-Ed: Biofuels move from theory to practice at sea

By Siddhesh Prabhu, Surveyor, IRClass

For many shipowners, the conversation around decarbonization is no longer about long-term ambition alone. It is increasingly about what can be done now, within existing operational and commercial constraints, to improve emissions performance without waiting for new fuels, new infrastructure, or major machinery upgrades.

From a survey-led perspective, that is one reason biofuels are attracting such strong interest. They are being viewed not as a perfect end-state solution, but as one of the most accessible near-term options available to owners looking to improve carbon intensity performance while continuing to operate within familiar technical frameworks.

A major driver is the immediate operational pressure created by MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 28 and the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regime. Because CII ratings increasingly affect commercial competitiveness, shipowners are under pressure to find practical measures that can deliver measurable improvement. Biofuels have therefore emerged as a comparatively accessible “drop-in” pathway, allowing operators to pursue better ratings without extensive machinery modification.

This interest is also being reinforced by wider market and regulatory signals. Proposed incentive schemes linked to vessel ratings are encouraging owners to consider fuels that support medium-term IMO decarbonization goals. At the same time, cargo owners and charterers…