The technologies needed to measure and dramatically reduce methane emissions from shipping are advancing rapidly. With the right policies and investment, Europe can use this progress not only to accelerate decarbonisation, but also to strengthen industrial competitiveness, create new markets and help shape the future of global maritime standards.
This is the central message of the Methane Abatement in Maritime Innovation Initiative (MAMII) new report, ‘Turning methane abatement into a competitive advantage: a five-point action plan for the EU’. In it, it is argued that the European Union (EU) has a unique opportunity to deliver near-term climate benefits, while strengthening its position as a leader in maritime innovation and clean technology.
The report comes at a pivotal moment. Over the past four years, MAMII has brought together shipowners, engine manufacturers, technology developers, fuel suppliers and researchers to better understand methane emissions and identify practical solutions. The findings are clear: technologies capable of accurately measuring and significantly reducing methane emissions already exist, and further advances are being made at pace. The challenge now is not whether methane emissions can be reduced, but how quickly these solutions can be deployed at scale.
To unlock that opportunity, MAMII calls on the EU to adopt a five-point action plan focused on supporting innovation, encouraging investment, recognising real-world emissions performance and strengthening Europe's leadership in maritime decarbonisation technologies.
The prize is substantial. By creating the right policy framework, the EU can reduce methane emissions from shipping while helping its maritime technology sector develop, commercialise and export the solutions that will be needed worldwide.
To understand why this opportunity exists, it is worth reflecting on how MAMII came about.
A challenge worth solving
The origins of MAMII lie in a simple observation. Several years ago, parts of the maritime industry, particularly within the cruise sector, made significant investments in LNG as a marine fuel that would reduce local air pollution and improve air quality for communities living near ports and coastal areas. These decisions were made long before today's regulatory requirements and climate mandates emerged.
LNG offers significant environmental advantages. It offers substantial reductions in CO₂ emissions, sulphur oxide emissions, and particulate matter, and improves local air quality. Yet as attention increasingly shifted towards greenhouse gas emissions, methane slip emerged as a legitimate concern.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. On a 100-year scale, its warming effect is approximately 28 times greater than that of CO₂, and significantly higher over shorter periods. Addressing methane emissions is therefore essential if shipping is to achieve its decarbonisation objectives.
However, operators that had invested in LNG were increasingly being judged solely through the lens of methane slip. The challenge was to balance concerns over methane emissions against the substantial progress LNG had enabled in reducing CO₂ emissions compared to conventional marine fuels.
The question became: could methane emissions be addressed in the same way the maritime sector has solved so many other technical challenges throughout its history?
Shipping has successfully introduced increasingly sophisticated technologies over the decades, from advanced emissions controls to alternative fuels, and is now exploring solutions ranging from ammonia propulsion to nuclear-powered vessels. Methane abatement appeared to be another challenge requiring focused innovation, collaboration and engineering expertise.
This conviction led to the creation of the Methane Abatement in Maritime Innovation Initiative (MAMII), a collaborative platform managed by Safetytech Accelerator and supported by a broad coalition of shipowners, fuel suppliers, engine manufacturers, technology providers, academic institutions and industry stakeholders.
From the outset, MAMII adopted a broad perspective. Rather than focusing solely on methane slip, the initiative examined methane emissions across the entire value chain, from production and supply through to onboard use. While shipping's influence on upstream emissions is limited, transparency, measurement and certification remain essential components of an effective methane reduction strategy.
From diagnosis to deployment
One of MAMII's first priorities was understanding the scale and nature of the challenge.
The findings were encouraging.
The LNG value chain accounts for a relatively small proportion of global methane emissions, and significant opportunities exist to further reduce emissions through improved monitoring, measurement and abatement technologies. Technologies capable of detecting and measuring methane emissions have advanced rapidly and methane monitoring systems can identify emissions with remarkable precision, creating unprecedented opportunities for transparency and accountability.
This matters because measurement is fundamental to progress. Quantifying methane emissions sets the foundation for certification, verification and, ultimately, incentivisation. Without trusted data, operators have little commercial incentive to invest in emissions reductions. With trusted data, genuine performance improvements can be recognised and rewarded.
At the same time, the technology landscape evolved far more rapidly than many expected.
Rapid technology evolution
Among the most encouraging developments has been the performance of modern four-stroke engines. Historically, these engines were often considered one of the more challenging areas for methane slip reduction. Improvements in engine design, combustion optimisation and operational performance have delivered substantial reductions in methane emissions.
Importantly, the very characteristic, probably originating from conditions that favoured methane slip, proves to be the key to the solution. Higher exhaust gas temperatures create favourable conditions for catalytic after-treatment systems, opening the door to technologies capable of addressing the remaining methane emissions that engine improvements alone cannot eliminate.
Progress has also been significant in the two-stroke segment.
High-pressure two-stroke engines are increasingly recognised as offering near-negligible methane slip emissions. Their growing adoption is particularly significant given their expanding role in the LNG-fuelled fleet. Today, a large proportion of LNG-fuelled vessels entering service use this technology, contributing to lower overall methane emissions across the sector.
At the same time, low-pressure two-stroke engines, which historically attracted greater scrutiny regarding methane slip, have also achieved substantial improvements. Manufacturers have delivered reductions of 60%–70% in methane slip over recent years, while simultaneously improving overall engine efficiency.
The objective is not simply to reduce methane emissions in isolation, but to minimise total greenhouse gas emissions across the vessel's operation. When methane performance improvements are considered alongside broader efficiency gains, the emissions gap narrows significantly.
The 'last mile' solution
Perhaps the most exciting area of innovation lies in catalytic oxidation technologies. These are often described as the industry's 'last mile' solution.
While engine improvements can dramatically reduce methane slip, catalytic systems offer the potential to address the residual emissions that remain. Installed downstream of the engine, methane oxidation catalysts convert methane into carbon dioxide and water before it is released into the atmosphere.
Recent demonstrations indicate that catalytic systems can achieve methane conversion efficiencies of 70%-90% under favourable operating conditions, with some developers targeting even higher performance levels. Several technology providers are already progressing towards commercial deployment, offering solutions with long operational lifetimes suitable for marine service conditions.
This is particularly important for four-stroke LNG engines, where catalysts may provide the final step needed to achieve near-complete methane abatement.
Challenges remain. Catalyst durability, sulphur poisoning, thermal ageing and performance across varying operating conditions continue to require further refinement. Yet these challenges increasingly appear to be engineering problems rather than fundamental scientific barriers.
The industry now knows that catalysts work. The focus has shifted towards optimisation, operational reliability and large-scale deployment.
The EU’s opportunity to lead
The overall direction of travel is clear. Technologies capable of reducing, and in some cases nearly eliminating, methane emissions are moving steadily closer to commercial reality. This progress creates an important opportunity for the EU.
EU manufacturers are already among the leaders in methane measurement and abatement solutions. The region benefits from deep maritime engineering expertise, world-class research institutions and a strong maritime industrial base. With the right type of investment and policy levers, these businesses could grow substantially.
History shows that innovation scales most effectively when supported by clear and smart policy frameworks, targeted investment and regulatory certainty. Industries such as renewable energy, batteries and hydrogen have all benefited from strategic policy support that helped accelerate deployment and attract capital.
Methane abatement deserves similar recognition.
In MAMII's view, five priorities should guide future action:
- Recognising methane abatement as a strategic priority within European industrial and maritime policy
- Enabling greater use of verified real-world emissions data
- Scaling investment and financial support for methane abatement technologies
- Expanding collaborative testing and evidence-sharing initiatives
- Strengthening Europe's leadership in the development of international methane standards
Measurement is particularly important because current regulatory frameworks continue to rely heavily on default emissions factors and standardised assumptions. While practical from an administrative perspective, this approach fails to recognise real-world emissions reductions achieved through technology deployment and operational improvements.
Greater use of verified operational data would improve transparency, strengthen incentives for innovation and better reflect actual vessel performance.
At the same time, collaboration remains essential. Shipping is a safety-critical industry. New technologies must be validated thoroughly before widespread adoption can occur. No single company can generate all the operational evidence required so collaborative initiatives such as MAMII play a vital role in improving learning, reducing uncertainty and building confidence across the industry.
The benefits extend beyond emissions reductions. The expertise, certification capability and technical knowledge developed through these activities also strengthen Europe's industrial competitiveness.
A strategic opportunity
As global climate ambitions increase and regulatory frameworks evolve, methane emissions will remain an important part of the decarbonisation conversation. The encouraging news is that this is one area where solutions already exist.
For Europe, the opportunity extends beyond environmental performance. Methane abatement represents a chance to strengthen industrial leadership, support innovation, create new markets and shape the development of global standards.
For instance, as the global maritime sector looks for practical ways to reduce methane emissions, demand for proven technologies, monitoring systems and engineering expertise is likely to grow rapidly.
By supporting the development, testing and deployment of methane abatement solutions now, the EU can help create high-value jobs, strengthen its maritime technology base and position European companies at the forefront of a market that is expected to expand significantly in the years ahead.
At the same time, generating the evidence and operational experience needed to inform future regulation would give Europe a stronger voice in shaping international standards, helping to ensure they are both ambitious and practical.
The technologies exist. The expertise exists. The industrial capability exists.
The task now is to create the policy and investment environment needed to scale these solutions and turn methane abatement into a genuine competitive advantage.
Turning methane abatement into a competitive advantage: a five-point action plan for the EU is available to download via the link below:
MAMII report
