Biofuels role in decarbonisation at PFF

For El Zein, the conversation starts and ends with data. He detailed how Glander is helping owners – from major cruise lines to smaller operators still finding their feet – decipher the growing tangle of EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime requirements. The new rules are pushing shipowners to rethink procurement, emissions accounting and even charterparty structures, he said, and many are still scrambling.

A recent case study involving a cruise operator showed just how easily compliance can become a moving target. Owners must understand their consumption patterns, voyage profiles, engine compatibility and supplier availability before they can even calculate how much biofuel they need. And then they must actually burn it within the compliance year. “Starting early” has become the most important lesson, El Zein stressed – especially for those phoning him in late November still unsure how to meet 2025 obligations.

His message on biofuels was pragmatic: despite their higher price, they can reduce both compliance costs and reliance on EU allowances when properly chosen and sourced. The real challenge is matching the right biofuel, blend ratio and certification with the right vessel at the right port. In practice, he said, the industry is still underestimating the scale of data discipline and logistical planning this requires.

If El Zein focused on the mechanics, Fahrnholz zoomed out to the long game. Carnival Maritime operates 95 ships across eight brands and is already approaching 20% LNG-fuelled capacity – but even with itinerary optimisation, operational improvements and a widespread roll-out of shore power, the company still faces a substantial emissions gap.

Biofuels, he argued, will play a role – but not a singular or dominant one. Their contribution depends heavily on how regulators define sustainability, and those definitions shift sharply between regions. Crop-based feedstocks may be acceptable in some parts of the world yet barred under FuelEU Maritime. Even the economics vary wildly: in some cases e-methanol appears more cost-effective than biomethanol, multipliers included. Supply also matters. Studies show that sufficient biomass may exist to meet global demand across multiple sectors, but affordability is the real constraint.

Fahrnholz was clear that Carnival cannot rely solely on biofuels, nor can the wider industry. But equally, shipping does not have the luxury of excluding them. The path to 2050, he said, will require a mosaic of solutions – LNG and its renewable derivatives, biodiesel and other drop-ins, e-fuels, carbon capture and continued efficiency gains. Above all, fleet flexibility is Carnival’s guiding philosophy: ships must be capable of adapting as fuel economics and regulations shift over the next 20 to 30 years.

Together, the two speakers painted a picture of a sector where biofuels are neither silver bullet nor sideshow. They are a necessary piece of the transition puzzle – valuable, complicated and, for now, unavoidable.