In Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Hanwha Group vice chair Dong Kwan Kim argued that decarbonizing shipping is not about choosing a single fuel but building a complete operating system. “No single technology or policy can decarbonize shipping on its own,” he wrote, calling for coordination across shipbuilders, ports, power suppliers, and regulators.
Electric ships were presented as a fast-growing segment for short routes, but Kim stressed that longer voyages will need fuel-based propulsion, including ammonia and hydrogen. Hanwha is developing ammonia gas turbines and working with European ports on mobile clean energy units for charging and storage. “Infrastructure enables faster and easier adoption,” he said. “Vessel design alone will not deliver meaningful change.”
With the IMO targeting net zero around 2050 and the EU expanding emissions rules to cover shipping, Kim warned that timing matters. “Early adopters play a fundamental role in proving new technologies and business models,” he wrote.
Kim framed the transition as a system challenge rather than a product rollout. The real shift will come, he argued, when vessels and ports evolve together. “Shipping’s clean transition will be won or lost on land.”
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Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
