Realities and challenges of alternative marine fuels
Episode 3 of IMarEST’s Ship Energy & Environment podcast series, by Dr Thomas Beard
Episode 3 of IMarEST’s Ship Energy & Environment podcast series, by Dr Thomas Beard
30 April 2025
In the third episode of the IMarEST’s Ship Energy & Environment podcast series, Dr. Thomas Beard, Clean Shipping Lead at BMT, delves into the complexities of transitioning to the ‘big four’ alternative marine fuels. He examines the practical challenges of retrofitting existing vessels to accommodate new fuel storage systems and compares these hurdles with the risks associated with energy density and fuel availability. Dr. Beard also discusses the broader implications for ship design, operational safety, and regulatory compliance, offering a comprehensive overview for ship owners and operators navigating the maritime industry's path toward net zero.
Dr. Thomas Beard, Ph.D CEng MIMechE is a chartered Senior Analysis Engineer and the clean maritime/alternative fuels lead at BMT. He has a PhD in Hydrogen Safety from Loughborough University, following this he has spent several years in industry working on a variety of aspects of ship and submarine design and build. He is a member of the two UK maritime hydrogen working groups and is on the steering group for a research program on ammonia in maritime. He has published and presented numerous papers on the topic of alternative fuels for maritime and naval platforms.
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