SBS BIZ KOREA
K-GREEN FUEL
Market Insights

Which green fuel is right for your fleet?

Answer one question — we'll match you to the best option.

⛽
No retrofit budget?
$0
CAPEX
90%
Fleet Coverage
Best for 90% of vessels →
🔧
Ready to retrofit?
$12-24M
Investment
-82%
WtW Reduction
High-value vessels →
One ship. Multiple fuels. One port call.
We deliver methanol + biofuels simultaneously from a single supply vessel — saving bunkering time.
140
Green Methanol Vessels
In Operation
325
Green Methanol Vessels
On Order
48
Ports with Green Methanol
Bunkering
Dec 2026
IMO Net-Zero Framework
Vote (MEPC 85)

Methanol Fleet — Newbuild vs Retrofit

The transition is accelerating. Retrofits just started.

Source: DNV AFI, Lloyd's List, Maritime Executive (2026)

Green Marine Fuel Demand

Biofuel + methanol bunkering volume (million MT/year)

Source: DNV, EnergyComment, IndexBox, GM Insights (2026)

⛽ Drop-in Biofuels — Zero CAPEX Compliance Details ▾
B100 (UCOME)
26
gCO₂e/MJ WtW
Waste-oil biodiesel, drop-in
HVO
0.91×
Less fuel than VLSFO
Renewable diesel, TRL 9
Why drop-in? Zero CAPEX, zero downtime, zero crew retraining. Up to 95% CO₂ reduction. Works in all existing diesel engines. Blend or switch back to LSMGO anytime. Up to two-thirds of the global fleet may never retrofit — biofuels are their compliance path.
🔧 Methanol Retrofit — Long-term Decarbonization Details ▾
🌱
Bio-Methanol
WtW 16.2 gCO₂e/MJ. Produced from biomass/biogas. Ambient storage, no cryogenics. Scalable as production grows.
⚡
E-Methanol
WtW 8.2 gCO₂e/MJ. Green hydrogen + captured CO₂. Near-zero emissions, same engine and infrastructure.
$12–24M
Retrofit cost per vessel
50–80 days
Drydock downtime
213 vessels
Retrofitted by 2035
Milestones: COSCO Heavy Industry (Shanghai) completed the world's first 20,000 TEU mega-ship methanol conversion (Sep 2025) and Hapag-Lloyd/Seaspan's first 10,100 TEU retrofit (Jun 2026, ~$24M per ship, 5-ship $120M programme). Zhoushan Xinya delivered Maersk's first retrofit (Oct 2024, 88 days). Chinese yards lead global methanol retrofit capacity. MAN, Wärtsilä, and Everllence retrofit kits available for 2-stroke & 4-stroke engines.
📊 Fuel Comparison Table Details ▾
GHG Intensity (gCO₂e/MJ) — lower is better
VLSFO
91.2
B100
26
HVO
19.3
Bio-Methanol
16.2
E-Methanol
8.2
FAME
32
CAPEX Required
VLSFO
Current fuel
Drop-in Fuels
$0 — Zero CAPEX
Methanol Retrofit
$12–24M
✅
B100 / HVO
No engine mod
TRL 9
✅
FAME
Blend or drop-in
TRL 9
🔧
Methanol
Dual-fuel retrofit
TRL 8–9
⚠️
Ethanol
Minor adaptation
TRL 7–8
📋 Regulatory Timeline Details ▾
2024
EU ETS
2025
FuelEU
2026
IMO NZF Vote
2028
NZF Enforced
2030
5% Target
2050
Net-Zero
EU ETS (2024–2026)
40% → 70% → 100% coverage
IMO NZF (Dec 2026)
GHG fuel standard + emissions pricing
IMO 2030 Target
5% energy from zero/near-zero fuels
📈 Alternative Fuel Vessel Orderbook Details ▾

~1,880 alt-fuel capable vessels in the global newbuild orderbook (DNV AFI, Oct 2026)

Source: DNV Alternative Fuels Insight, 2026

2026 update: Methanol newbuild orders nearly stalled in H1 2026 — only 2 new orders vs 40 in H1 2025 (DNV). Regulatory uncertainty led some owners to pause. But deliveries kept coming — 38 methanol vessels entered service in H1 2026, expanding live bunkering demand. China yards dominate both newbuilds and retrofits, with COSCO Heavy Industry completing the first mega-ship methanol conversions.

🚢
Global Fleet Tracker
Track methanol & biofuel vessels by shipowner — newbuilds, retrofits, and orders worldwide.
378+
Methanol
82+
M-Ready
49+
Owners
Open Fleet Tracker →
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