britanniapandi.com THERE SEEMS TO BE MANY ALTERNATIVE FUEL OPTIONS FOR SHIPOWNERS TO CHOOSE FROM, WHICH FUELS ARE ITOPF FOCUSING ON? Shipowners now have a very large range of different fuel options to choose from, from using biofuels as a drop-in alternative to HFO, retrofitting an existing vessel to run on an alternative fuel or ordering a vessel with a dual-fuel system that can run on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), methanol or ammonia alongside conventional fuels. ITOPF is focusing on the fuels that appear, currently, to be the most commercially viable, which include biofuels, LNG, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), methanol, ammonia, lithium-ion batteries and to a certain extent hydrogen. We are also following the development of small modular nuclear reactors, which have increasingly cropped up in discussions on maritime decarbonisation in recent years. We, at ITOPF, have been providing technical advice to our Members and Associates in the event of a spill, either from bunkers or cargo for the last 55 years. As a multi-fuel future is widely predicted, at least for now, we ensure that our stakeholders’ preparedness and awareness of the challenges of a spill encompasses all the potential fuel types, rather than focusing solely on one fuel type. For this reason, ITOPF has prepared a series of documents on the alternative fuel types for Clubs, shipowners and government organisations. The aim of these reports is to provide a summary of the fuels’ fate, behaviour, risks and possible damages and liabilities relating to spills of the substances. INTERVIEW WITH ITOPF ANDREW LE MASURIER, ITOPF SENIOR TECHNICAL ADVISER As the shipping industry transitions to low- and zero-carbon fuels, the operational and environmental challenges associated with these alternatives are becoming more apparent. To better understand the spill response considerations for alternative marine fuels, we sat down with the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation ITOPF, a leading authority in marine pollution response and industry preparedness, to discuss spill behaviour, associated risks and response strategies of these new alternative fuels to assist shipowners as they navigate this transition. INTERVIEW NAVIGATING ALTERNATIVE FUEL OPTIONS 1 // JULY 2025 Q britanniapandi.com 2 // JULY 2025 WHAT CONSIDERATIONS SHOULD SHIPOWNERS CONSIDER WHEN INTRODUCING ALTERNATIVE FUELS ONBOARD? WHAT ARE THE MAIN CONCERNS IN RELATION TO CREW SAFETY, EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY ON BOARD AND FUTURE VIABILITY OF THESE FUELS? The main concern currently felt within both the shipping and response industry is the hazardous nature of these alternative fuels. Therefore, ensuring crew safety is of paramount importance to mitigate against any risks to human health. Although, it may be said that these fuels have been shipped as cargo for decades, these have been typically transported in specialist vessels with specialist, experienced crews onboard. However, with approximately 49% vessels in the current orderbooks able to run on alternative fuels, this fleet increase will initially likely lead to the dilution of expertise and a higher risk of incidents of these substances. So, the key consideration of the shipowner should be to ensure that the crew possess regular, specialist training on how to respond to a spill of the substance type being used as bunkers. This training could be in the form of regular drills, exercises, workshops and specialist training courses. As for the equipment on-board, most alt