Argus Sustainable Marine Fuels Conference

08:00 - 09:00

Morning registration and networking breakfast

09:00 - 09:05

Conference producer's opening remarks

Speaker:

Emily Harris

Conference Producer

Argus

09:05 - 09:10

Chairperson's opening remarks

Industry keynote panel and policy deep-dive

09:10 - 09:55

Keynote panel: All aboard? How to ensure an even and steady development of a sustainable marine fuel industry

• Considering the fuels matrix: how are transition fuels such as biofuels, LNG, and methanol assisting in carbon emission reduction within the bunkering industry and what is the current state of development for future fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen?
• How does the bunkering industry ensure that plans for decarbonisation are scalable - What funding, education, and collaborative efforts are needed to push all the way to net zero?
• What new technologies are available to the maritime industry, and what could the next big opportunity be?

09:55 - 10:40

Breaking down the policy barrier: How to navigate the complex world of regulatory compliance and balance regional and international policy to optimise fuel choices

• How is the maritime industry thinking about their fuel choices when faced with a complex layering of international, federal, and state regulations - what are the main policy takeaways to ensure compliance and an optimised fleet?
• Looking to the IMO MEPC 83 GHG proposal that was approved in April and will face another vote in October 2025 - what are the panel's thoughts about the evolution of policy and if this proposal will come into force?
• What opportunities do schemes such as LCFS present for North American shipping companies?

Morning break

10:40 - 11:20

Morning networking and coffee break

Argus market update and shipowners' perspectives

11:20 - 11:50

Argus presents: Assessing the North American sustainable marine fuels matrix

• How do alternative marine fuels compare to traditional fuels such as fuel oil and marine gasoil in terms of pricing and availability?
• How is policy continuing to drive the sustainable marine fuels market globally, and how does this affect the North American market in particular?
• What is driving the marine fuels markets – what should the industry be watching out for?

11:50 - 12:30

Fleet first: How shipowners are balancing risk, regulation, and ROI in a sustainable marine fuels industry

• Looking to fleet planning and fuel strategy – how are shipowners choosing between fuels, and what dual-fuel options are being explored to mitigate risk? How are they considering and managing the fuel availability risk at key ports?
• Considering the bottom line – how are shipowners exploring the potential to monetise sustainablity and compliance through green premiums, carbon credits and selling overcompliance?
• How are shipowners ensuring compliance within their fleets, and balancing regional and international regulations? What technologies, tools, financing and more are being utilised to ensure compliance?

Lunch

12:30 - 14:00

Lunch break

Infrastructure: Building a sustainable marine fuels industry that works

14:00 - 14:45

How does the North American bunkering industry ensure integration for sustainable marine fuels within their national and international port, storage, and terminals networks?

• How are national and international ports, storage, and terminals preparing themselves for a multi-fuel future? Considering clean fuel hubs, testing new fuel technologies, on shore power supply, and more.
• How can ports use their influence in the infrastructure network to drive decarbonisation efforts in the wider value chain?
• What goes into the process of ensuring the safety of sustainable marine fuels when stored and bunkered at ports alongside other fuels? How can infrastructure companies help assuage safety concerns associated with some fuels?

14:45 - 15:15

Barriers to adoption: How are ‘last mile logistics’ players strategising to ensure safe, timely and scalable fuel delivery?

• What are the current limitations in pipelines, storage tanks, trucks, and barges for alternative marine fuels?
• What solutions are available currently, and how are these being piloted and implemented at US ports?
• What incentives or regulatory frameworks are needed to accelerate infrastructure upgrades and help streamline last mile logistics? Considering the role of regional clean fuel corridors, and how US federal and state incentives can be leveraged to fund these upgrades

Afternoon break

15:15 - 15:45

Afternoon networking and coffee break

Financing the sustainable transition and unlocking decarbonisation through data

15:45 - 16:15

De-risking investment: What financing options are available for the production, development, and purchasing of new ships, fuels and technologies?

• What public funding is available at federal and state level? How many tax credits and grants are available, what criteria must be met, and who are they available to?
• What opportunities are there for scalable fuel technologies such as methanol and ammonia in private capital and innovation funds?
• How are projects such as maritime book and claim and ship leasing helping to de-risk the investment needed in retrofitting or building a new ship to run on sustainable marine fuels?

16:15 - 17:00

Fuelling innovation for the future: Using data-driven technologies to unlock the full potential of maritime decarbonisation

• How can technology such as blockchain assist with certifying green fuels? What other benefits could blockchain unlock - compliance, end-to-end traceability, audit reporting and more
• How can ‘at-sea’ technology innovate vessel design moving forward? What role could AI play in optimising voyages, emissions tracking, and fuel management?
• What are the challenges and bottlenecks currently preventing digitilisation of the bunkering industry’s decarbonisation plans? Challenges in data quality, standardisation, verification, industry confidence and more

17:00

Chairperson's closing remarks

Networking drinks reception

17:00 - 19:00

Networking drinks reception open to all delegates

Location TBA

08:00 - 08:55

08:55 - 09:00

Chairperson's opening remarks

Engineering and shipbuilding

09:00 - 09:45

Engineering for fuel uncertainty: Building engines and ships for a multi-fuel world and upgrading legacy fleets

• Retrofitting vs newbuilds: What are the technical and economic trade offs?
• What engineering challenges are posed by the sustainable fuels transition, and what solutions are available? Understanding fuel injection systems, combustion optimisation, emissions control, dual-fuel compatibility, fuel storage and more
• When looking at fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen, what do the first pilot projects tell us about the timeline for commercial readiness of these fuels? What work is being done to mitigate safety concerns associated with storage and combustion of these fuels?

Fuels focus: Diving into the marine matrix

09:45 - 10:30

Drop-in decarbonisation: The role of biodiesel in North America’s marine fuel mix

• How is policy affecting the marine biodiesel market’s evolution? Considering the influence of the IRA, California’s LCFS, voluntary carbon markets and scope 3 emissions targets
• Looking to next-gen feedstocks, what role are feedstock innovations—such as waste oils, tallow, CSNL, and woody biomass—playing in expanding supply for marine use?
• How are shipowners and fuel suppliers responding to growing demand for feedstock availability from road and aviation sectors, and what does this mean for marine biodiesel availability?

Break

10:30 - 11:00

Morning networking break

Fuels focus resumes

11:00 - 11:45

From fossil to renewable: What’s next for North America’s gas fuelled fleets?

• With a mature infrastructure network in ports like Jacksonville, Houston, and Vancouver, how is LNG serving as a transitional fuel for North American fleets?
• LNG has moved beyond ferries and tankers to power cruise ships and large container vessels, but are we still seeing long-term investment in LNG-fueled newbuilds?
• Bio-LNG is emerging as a lower-carbon alternative fuel, and holds interesting opportunities for compliance. What are the regulatory and commercial drivers behind bio-LNG adoption, and how are shipowners navigating the methane slip debate?

11:45 - 12:30

Methanol’s momentum: Growing diversification, increased demand, dual-fuel appeal and more

• What’s the difference between fossil methanol, bio-methanol, and e-methanol? How do their emissions profiles and production pathways compare?
• How many methanol-fuelled vessels are operating or on order in North America, and what’s driving interest in dual-fuel methanol engines across vessel types?
• What are the certification and traceability challenges for bio-methanol, and how are regulators and industry groups addressing feedstock transparency?

12:30 - 13:15

Next-gen fuels: Can ammonia and hydrogen power North America’s fleet?

• Ammonia production announcements are ramping up, especially across the U.S. Gulf Coast. When will marine demand catch up with announced volumes, and who will move first: shipping or power?
• What’s the current state of ammonia and hydrogen engine development, and when will we see large-scale deployment in North American fleets?
• Which vessel types are best suited for these fuels, and what are the safety and training implications for crews?

Conference concludes and lunch

13:15

Chairperson's closing remarks

13:15 - 14:30

Networking lunch and conference concludes