Ethanol’s next Big Wave: Maritime Transport

by Luke Geiver (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Global logistics provider Maersk wants to work with ethanol producers from around the world to create the next big wave in maritime transport.

“Collaboration between shipping and fuel producers is essential to build supply chains that meet both scalability as well as sustainability requirements for lower greenhouse gas emissions fuels,” says Emma Mazhari, head of energy markets for Maersk.

Ethanol produced from corn or other feedstocks could be one of the leading near- and long-term solutions for Maersk and other maritime logistics service providers looking to maintain operations while lowering GHGs per trip. While fuel consumption depends on the size and type of vessel, Mazhari says one vessel can consume 80,000 to 200,000 gallons of fuel per day. The largest and longest-route traveling ships are designed to sail from Asia to Europe without refueling. Reducing carbon emissions with every gallon of fuel used will require new, non-fossil fuel options, Maersk says.

Since 2018, when Maersk set its first net-zero target for its maritime vessels, the company has worked hard on its energy transition, Mazhari explains. “For the fleet specifically, we’ve taken significant steps.”

Starting in 2021, all new vessel orders have been for dual-fuel ships capable of running on lower GHG fuels as well as conventional fuels. Today, she says, Maersk has 19 vessels in operation with more to come. “Beyond vessels, we’ve worked on fuel sourcing, partnerships and infrastructure to enable alternative fuels at scale.”

WinGD, a Swiss marine power company that designs and supplies some of the most high-tech engines and solutions to maritime vessel operators in the world, is also in on ethanol. In September 2025, WinGD introduced its first ethanol-fueled two-stroke marine engine for large vessels. The engine will be available for new builds and retrofits and follows a decade of testing.

“Ethanol-powered engines offer a practical and effective route to reducing emissions in marine propulsion while maintaining the performance and reliability ship operators expect,” says Volkmar Galke, director of sales for WinGD. “Ethanol has strong potential to deliver significant greenhouse gas reductions on a well-to-wake basis, particularly when produced from sustainable feedstocks, supporting compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

Global players like Maersk or WinGD are only part of the fast-moving storyline linking ethanol to maritime transport. From the Renewable Fuels Association to the Global Centre for Green Fuels to the newly formed Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance (MEMA), industry stakeholders new and old are leading the push.

Numerous biofuel-based technology adoptions and strategies are rolling out at the same time carbon-reduction inspired regulations for maritime shipping are hitting the water.

The Global Centre for Green Fuels, an organization based in Singapore, also believes in maritime ethanol. In October 2025, the GCGF launched a new group known as the Maritime Ethanol & Methanol Alliance, “to coordinate and accelerate the adoption of ethanol and methanol as low-carbon marine fuels,” according to the organization.

Clarence Woo, managing director for GCGF, says ethanol and methanol are among the few liquid fuels that can leverage existing infrastructure while delivering measurable reductions in carbon intensity.

In December 2025, RFA and the American Biogas Council officially launched the American Biofuels Maritime Initiative to work with President Trump’s administration and Congress to “establish U.S. dominance in the future of international maritime shipping.

Maersk’s Approach
Maersk has been reshaping its strategy and on-water solutions for several years in an effort to decarbonize its fleet. Through the Laura Maersk, a kind of floating lab and the company’s first dual-fuel methanol vessel, Maersk has been able to show the promise of ethanol.

Ethanol-Powered Marine Engines
Multiple marine engine designers and manufacturers have started to offer options specifically with ethanol in mind. Two major announcements came in 2025.

Everllence has built and tested a maritime engine to run on ethanol. The global company previously built an engine to run on methanol (for Maersk) and has since tweaked the platform for ethanol. The company tested the units in Japan. The ethanol-powered engines will be available as retrofits or for new applications, the company announced in 2025.

WinGD, another engine maker and designer, says ethanol offers a practical and effective route to reducing emissions without sacrificing anything. Starting in 2027, WinGD will offer its global shipper clients an ethanol engine option.

“The IMO has not approved default tank-to-wake emission values for ethanol in methanol engines due to limited evidence on methane and N2O emissions,” WinGD said in a statement. “Addressing this through testing and close collaboration with regulators will be key.”

WinGD’s ethanol engines operate on pure E100 (minus a small amount of pilot fuel). The engineers are developing a fuel sharing mode for their engines to enable any blend ratio of ethanol and methanol, to allow switching fuels or mixing them as needed depending on availability and voyage profiles, Galke says. Beyond fuel injection and combustion control in ethanol engines, few changes are required for fuel storage and supply systems. READ MORE