The Week in Alt Fuels: The retrofit paradox in International Shipping News 06/06/2026 Some alternative-fuel retrofit projects are moving ahead. But regulatory uncertainty is keeping broader investment subdued. German shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd has taken delivery of its first methanol-retrofitted container ship. The 10,000-TEU Seaspan Yangtze, owned by Seaspan and chartered to Hapag-Lloyd, has been converted from conventional fuel to dual-fuel methanol propulsion. This is the first of five planned retrofits in Hapag-Lloyd’s dual-fuel methanol programme. A.P. Moller-Maersk converted its 15,000-TEU vessel, Maersk Halifax, to dual-fuel methanol propulsion. In Norway, offshore vessel Viking Energy has entered dry dock for conversion from LNG to ammonia dual-fuel propulsion and is expected to return to service later this year. DNV’s alternative fuel database shows that two out of three ammonia-capable vessels currently in operation are retrofitted to run on the fuel. Despite a handful of high-profile projects, overall investment in vessel conversions remains subdued, engine-maker Everllence said. “The retrofit market is currently in the doldrums with shipowners backing off investment until clarity arrives regarding IMO rules,” said Klaus Rasmussen, project sales director at Everllence. IMAGE: Dual-fuel methanol container ship Seaspan Yangtze. X of @PDChina Even if every vessel delivered after 2030 runs on zero- or near-zero-emission fuels, around 50 GW of existing two-stroke engine capacity will still need to be converted over the next two decades to meet the IMO’s net-zero target by 2050. That is equivalent to roughly 2,000 large vessels, Everllence estimated. Around 5,300 vessels are suitable for dual-fuel conversion. But many owners are choosing energy-efficiency upgrades over alternative-fuel conversions while they wait for greater certainty around future IMO regulation, Rasmussen said. Hesitation also stems from uncertainty over returns. Shipowners need confidence tha