This joint report by Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) and LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub summarizes the findings from a request for information (RFI) that the two parties co-ran in May 2024.

Nearly 50 ship operators and fuel suppliers from around the world responded to the ZEMBA RFI, which was intended to assess the market readiness of commercial deployment of e-fuels in shipping. 

The majority of RFI respondents predicted commercial e-fuels deployment in the maritime sector would be feasible starting in 2027 and 2028, with limited deployment potentially as early as late 2026.

The report provides an assessment of the readiness of the maritime industry to embrace e-fuels, such as e-methanol, highlighting both the potential for e-methanol-powered ships and the challenges posed by supply-demand mismatches. In addition, the report evaluates the implications of the RFI’s results for ZEMBA’s next tender, projected to be launched in early 2025, and how these findings relate to overarching trends in the commercial deployment of e-fuels in the maritime sector.