The report identifies priority ports and trade-route pairings that could enable early alternative fuel availability.
A new report from the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub (The Decarb Hub) finds that early investment in a small number of strategically positioned hubs and export gateways could accelerate the availability and uptake of sustainable maritime fuels.
The report, Building the sustainable maritime fuel supply chain, is the first in The Decarb Hub's “Maritime System in Transition” series. It sets out a global, evidence-based assessment of where alternative maritime fuels, including e-fuels and selected sustainable biofuels, are most likely to be produced, exported and bunkered first, and what this means for near-term infrastructure investment.
The analysis shows that global bunkering demand is highly concentrated, with just 19 ports supplying around half of the world’s marine fuel. This creates a clear opportunity to accelerate early adoption by equipping a small number of high-impact ports to handle multiple new fuel types safely. However, with the emerging sustainable maritime fuel trade, other ports can also play a significant role.
At the same time, the report also highlights a growing geographic mismatch between where sustainable fuel production is emerging and where demand is currently concentrated. Most credible fuel production projects are located outside today’s largest bunkering hubs, meaning the first wave of supply chains will depend on linking export-oriented production regions with established demand centres through viable trade routes and infrastructure corridors.
A key finding is that early fuel projects overwhelmingly favour co-location with existing industrial and port energy clusters. More than 60% of e-fuel projects are located within established refineries, petrochemical hubs or energy sites, helping reduce delivery risk by leveraging existing utilities, storage, permitting and logistics infrastructure.
The report identifies three overlapping regional patterns likely to shape early markets. Asian hubs are set to depend heavily on imports, while Europe is likely to combine domestic supply with imports. In contrast, parts of the Americas, Africa and Asia could become production-led exporters, supplying both local and international markets.
The report concludes that the main barriers to scaling are increasingly financial, regulatory and coordination related, rather than technical. Coordinated investment across production, ports, bunkering infrastructure and shipping demand, supported by blended finance and risk sharing mechanisms, will be critical to move projects from announcement to operation.
The research also introduces the Port Explorer Tool, a multi criteria screening framework designed to help investors, ports and policymakers identify the next wave of ports with high potential for fuel export, bunkering, or both, beyond today’s established hubs.
Dr Carlo Raucci, Director of Sustainable Fuels and Strategy at The Decarb Hub, said: “This transition is about more than new fuels, it’s about building a resilient maritime energy system. As supply chains diversify and new trade routes emerge, ports will become the critical interface between production and global shipping demand. Our analysis helps identify the priority locations where investment and partnerships can accelerate early market formation.”
Vassia Sourtzi, Fuel Transition Lead at The Decarb Hub, said: “The biggest barrier to scaling alternative fuels is no longer identifying projects, it is enabling the full supply chain. That means aligning production, port infrastructure, shipping demand and finance. Without that coordination, projects will continue to struggle to reach final investment decision.”
The report, Building the sustainable maritime fuel supply chain, is the first publication in The Decarb Hub's “Maritime System in Transition” series, which explores decarbonisation, resilience, and the future of global shipping and is part of the Fuel Adoption Programme. This series is designed to provide decision-makers with the evidence and frameworks needed to accelerate a credible, well-sequenced maritime energy transition. Future publications will build on this foundation, examining how infrastructure, finance, fleet, and policy can come together to create a coherent and resilient system.
A copy of the report can be downloaded here.