The new year started with fewer orders for ships with alternative fuels. More specifically, a drop of around 70% was recorded in new orders in January compared to the corresponding month of 2024.
According to data from the Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform of the Norwegian classification society DNV, orders were placed last month for just 12 ships, while in January 2024 orders for ships capable of running on alternative fuels had reached 40.
This, according to analysts, demonstrates that the new year has not followed – so far – the same momentum and intense activity of last year.
At the same time, the so-called Trump Effect also seems to play an important role, as the newly elected US president, Donald Trump, is betting on fossil fuels and strongly opposes the green transition.
In a recent analysis, Lloyd’s Register (LR) reported that the 2024 orderbook was strengthened with 600 ships that have the ability to consume alternative fuels, with total orders increasing by more than 50%, to 1,737 ships.
At the same time, an increase was also noted in the fleet of ships consuming alternative fuels, equal to 18%. As it is emphasized, 1,860 ships are able to consume alternative fuels, while the sum of the orderbook and fleet (3,597 ships) corresponds to approximately 4.8% of the sum of the total global fleet and orderbook.
