Shipping in the Spotlight: Is Maritime the Key Market for Hydrogen and Carbon Solutions?
Written by Hetty Lowther, Senior Principal Consultant at Brightsmith and expert in Hydrogen & Carbon Solutions.
For years, shipping and maritime transport have been quiet outliers in the energy transition debate. While aviation and heavy industry grabbed headlines, maritime decarbonisation was long seen as too hard, too distant, and too costly. That perception is shifting fast. Today, with new hydrogen-powered ships sailing in Europe, India laying keels for its first green vessels, and even the world’s first hydrogen cruise liner under construction, shipping is emerging as a frontline test case for hydrogen and carbon solutions. The question isn’t whether shipping matters for decarbonisation, it does. The real question is whether it will become the defining market for hydrogen and carbon companies, or remain one of several hard-to-abate sectors competing for limited capital, infrastructure, and talent.
From Demonstration to Deployment
The launch of the H2 Barge 2 in Rotterdam marks a symbolic shift: hydrogen in shipping is no longer confined to laboratory pilots. Inland shipping routes are becoming real proving grounds for hydrogen fuel cells. India has gone further, commissioning shipyards to build the country’s first green hydrogen-powered vessels. And in Italy, Fincantieri is fitting out the Viking Libra, set to become the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship in 2026.
These are not incremental tweaks. They represent a qualitative leap from concept to construction, signalling that the maritime sector may finally be moving beyond rhetoric and into large-scale hydrogen deployment.
What’s Driving the Momentum?
Three forces are converging to accelerate maritime decarbonisation and hydrogen adoption:
Policy and Regulation
Policy and regulation are now decisive drivers of change in the shipping industry. The IMO’s carbon pricing trajectory, the EU’s ETS expansion, and national funding commitments such as the UK’s £30m programme and India’s hydrogen port hubs are reshaping the economics of maritime transport.Corporate Urgency
Corporate urgency is rising fast. Cargo owners are demanding lower emissions across global supply chains, and shipping companies are responding by trialling carbon insetting to demonstrate progress while scalable zero-emission fuels come online.Symbolism and Signalling
Symbolism also matters. The cruise industry, often criticised for its environmental footprint, is positioning the Viking Libra hydrogen cruise ship as a flagship of what’s possible. This is more than engineering — it’s brand repositioning, signalling to investors and passengers alike that net zero in shipping is fast becoming a licence to operate.
The Positives
One of the most encouraging signs for shipping decarbonisation is that the industry is not reliant on a single solution. Unlike aviation, where viable options remain limited, the maritime sector is actively pursuing multiple pathways — including hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, carbon capture, and wind-assist technologies. This diversity spreads risk, accelerates learning, and enables faster progress across different alternative fuels and propulsion systems.
Momentum is also no longer confined to Europe. From Rotterdam to Cochin to Trieste, hydrogen and carbon innovation in shipping is now global. This geographical spread matters because it ensures maritime decarbonisation is not the preserve of wealthy markets, but a genuinely international effort.
Most importantly, credibility is now being established through action rather than promises. The conversation has shifted from distant net zero roadmaps to actual vessels being built and deployed, giving investors, regulators, and shipping companies greater confidence that zero-emission shipping is achievable.
The Challenges
The biggest challenge for shipping decarbonisation remains the cost of green fuels and the lack of supporting infrastructure. Hydrogen and ammonia are still significantly more expensive than conventional heavy fuel oil, and bunkering networks remain embryonic. Without cost compression and rapid infrastructure development, there is a real risk that momentum will stall at pilot scale.
Certification also poses a serious threat. As the CEO of Lloyd’s Register has warned, the industry is running out of time to establish robust standards. If green shipping labels are applied loosely or inconsistently, trust in the market could collapse — and accusations of greenwashing could set progress back years.
There are systemic bottlenecks too. Even if demand surges, limited shipyard capacity, slow-moving crew training programmes, and underprepared ports for hydrogen and ammonia fuels could delay widespread adoption well into the 2030s.
Finally, shipping competes for capital with other hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, and heavy trucking. Investors are likely to prioritise the markets where certainty, scalability, and returns are clearest — creating a risk that hydrogen in shipping is left underfunded.
The Impact on the Talent Market
As the shipping industry pioneers hydrogen carriers and retrofits existing vessels, the workforce is emerging as both an opportunity and a bottleneck. Without scaled talent pipelines and modernised training systems, physical infrastructure alone will not deliver a successful maritime energy transition.
The Global Maritime Forum projects up to four million cumulative jobs across the energy supply chain by 2050. Most of these roles will emerge in the 2030s, particularly in renewable energy capacity and e-fuel production. Shipping’s transition could therefore deliver more than environmental benefits — it could drive economic revitalisation in regions investing in hydrogen hubs and green ports.
Research by Lloyd’s Register and UMAS suggests that 450,000 seafarers will require new training by 2030, rising to 800,000 by the mid-2030s. Existing frameworks such as STCW have not kept pace. While initiatives like SkillSea in Europe are beginning to close the gap, scaling globally remains a monumental challenge.
At the same time, automation, AI-enabled routing, and remote fleet management are reshaping maritime roles. Future operators will be as much digital analysts as traditional seafarers. This shift requires companies to invest in digital-first talent, land-based control centres, and continuous upskilling and reskilling programmes.
Is Shipping the Market to Watch?
In many ways, yes. Shipping and maritime transport have the scale, regulatory clarity, and visible pilots to become a cornerstone market for hydrogen and carbon solutions.
Yet the sector remains in fragile early stages, where bold announcements must be matched by operational delivery. For leaders in hydrogen and carbon, shipping is becoming a litmus test. Can technology move from pilot to scale at a pace that keeps up with regulation? Can certification and safety frameworks evolve quickly enough to protect credibility? Can costs fall to levels that drive adoption beyond niche projects?
The companies that succeed will be those that combine technology with execution. Success will not come from simply building vessels or producing fuels, but from aligning regulators, financiers, shipowners, and fuel providers in a coherent commercial ecosystem.
Momentum is building fast. In Norway, Møre Sjø has ordered the world’s first hydrogen-powered bulk carriers, backed by Enova and the NOx Fund, with delivery set for 2027. This is a direct replacement of 1980s-era tonnage and a signal that coastal logistics can leapfrog into a zero-emission shipping era. At a global scale, CMB.TECH’s merger with Golden Ocean has created an $11 billion group with more than 80 hydrogen- and ammonia-ready vessels, positioning the company to shape both the fuel supply chain and the global fleet at scale.
Taken together, these developments suggest that shipping is no longer on the sidelines of the hydrogen economy. It is becoming a proving ground for credibility, capital, and collaboration. The sector will not be defined by vision alone, but by operators who can deliver at scale — and by a workforce prepared to fuel, manage, and sail the vessels of the future.
Several players illustrate how this new phase is unfolding.
Seabound, a London-based startup, is developing modular carbon-capture units that slot into shipping containers, supported by UK government funding.
Amogy in the US is attracting significant private investment with its ammonia-to-hydrogen fuel cell systems, already trialled at tugboat scale.
Zero Emission Industries has brought hydrogen ferries into commercial service, proving that early applications can succeed in real-world conditions. On the incumbent side,
Everllence (formerly MAN Energy Solutions) is positioning itself as a fuel-agnostic technology provider, supplying dual-fuel engines to global operators such as Maersk.
What unites these examples is not just technology, but talent. Scaling hydrogen and carbon solutions in shipping will demand leaders who can align regulators and investors, engineers who can innovate under pressure, and crews who can adapt to digital-first, zero-emission operations. For companies navigating this transition, securing the right skills, leadership, and culture will be as critical as the vessels themselves.
About the Author
This article was written by Hetty Lowther, Senior Principal Consultant at Brightsmith. Hetty specialises in the hydrogen and carbon solutions space, partnering with pioneering companies to connect transformative talent with global energy transition projects. With deep expertise across cleantech and sustainability, she advises leaders on how to build the teams and strategies that will shape the future of decarbonisation.
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