The Propulsion & Future Fuels 2026 Conference Programme

Powering shipping’s next phase of decarbonisation

Join global maritime leaders in Hamburg for two days of insight, innovation, and discussion focused on the technologies and strategies shaping the future of sustainable shipping.

This year’s conference will explore the latest developments across alternative fuels and propulsion systems, covering methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, fuel cells, LNG, and drop-in fuels. Sessions will address bunkering and infrastructure challenges, propulsion integration, wind-assisted technologies, and the evolving role of safety, efficiency, and regulation, including emerging perspectives on nuclear propulsion for commercial shipping.

Day One - Tuesday 8th of December 2026

08:30	Coffee & Registration
09:00	Chairman’s welcome Lars Robert Pederson, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO
09:10	Gold sponsor welcome Speaker to be confirmed, Lloyds Register
09:25	Keynote Address: IMO Development Update & Mid Term Measures Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO
09:40	Keynote Panel: Regulatory Update Panel Moderator: Markus Munz, Managing Director, VDMA Large Engines Lars Robert Pederson, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO Wolfram Gunterman, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Hapag-Lloyd AG Additional speakers to be confirmed, Q&A
10:35	Coffee & Networking

Plenary Room - Presentations	Session 1.1: Ammonia at Sea: Designing for Safety and Scaling Real-World Use With ammonia emerging as a zero-carbon fuel contender, its adoption brings complex design and safety considerations. This session examines how vessels are being engineered for ammonia use, the evolving role of classification societies, and the critical safety frameworks required for handling and operation
Moderator	To be confirmed,
11:05	Deltamarin
11:20	DNV Maritime
11:35	Additional speakers to be confirmed,
11:50
12:05	Q&A

Breakout Room - Presentations	Session 1.2: Drop-in Fuels & Biofuels: Performance Without Compromise? As the industry looks for immediate, scalable decarbonisation solutions, drop-in fuels and biofuels offer a compelling pathway, but not without questions. This session explores their real-world impact on machinery, fuel compatibility across existing fleets, and the true emissions outcomes being achieved.
Moderator	To be confirmed
11:05	Speaker: Joe Bettles, Climate Policy Manager, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping
11:20	Speaker: Dr. Nicholas Ball, CEO, XFuel
11:35	Additional speakers to be confirmed
11:50
12:05	Q&A

12:20 - 13:25	LUNCH
Plenary Room	The Motorship Award Pitches
13:25	Nominee’s to be confirmed
13:35
13:45
13:55

Plenary Room - Panel	Session 2.1: Bunkering in Transition: Infrastructure Gaps and Cost Realities As alternative fuels scale, bunkering is facing increasing pressure to evolve. This session explores the key supply chain challenges, infrastructure readiness, and cost barriers impacting fuel availability and adoption.
Moderator	Phillip Simmank, Technical Advisor, VDR – German Shipowners Association
14:05	Pannellist: Andreas Hambücker, Head of Innovation & Development, TGE Gas Engineering
	Panellist: Dr Edmund Hues, Representative to the IMO, IBIA
	Additional panellists to be confirmed

15:05	Q&A
15:20	Coffee & Networking

Breakout Room - Presentations	Session 3.1: Power in Sync: Optimising Propulsion from Hull to Drivetrain Through Electrification and Energy Integration Maximising vessel efficiency requires an integrated approach to propulsion and energy management. This session explores how hull design, lubrication, drivetrain optimisation, electrification, and battery integration work together to improve performance, increase flexibility, and reduce fuel consumption and emissions across conventional and future-fuel vessel architectures.
Moderator	Markus Munz, Managing Director, VDMA Large Engines
15:50	Additional speakers to be confirmed,
16:05
16:20
16:35
16:50	Q&A

Breakout Room - Presentations	Session 2.2: Breaking Barriers: Expanding the Future Fuel Mix Beyond Conventional Pathways As shipping’s fuel landscape evolves, this session explores the potential of lesser-known fuels including ethanol, ethane and LPG. Industry experts will examine adoption challenges, operational considerations and how breaking barriers can enable a more diverse and resilient path to decarbonisation.
Moderator	To be confirmed
14:05	Additional speakers to be confirmed
14:20
14:35
14:50
15:05	Q&A
15:20	Coffee & Networking

Breakout Room - Presentations	Session 3.2: From Installation to Impact: Lessons Learned in Wind-Assisted Propulsion Wind-assisted propulsion is transitioning from pilot projects into operational deployment across commercial fleets, bringing both measurable efficiency gains and practical engineering challenges. This session takes a technical deep dive into installation considerations, system integration with existing propulsion architectures, and the operational factors influencing real-world performance.
Moderator	Gavin Allwright, Secretary General, International Windship Association
15:50	Speaker: Will Hopes, Simulation & Performance Engineer, BAR Technologies
16:05	Speaker: Jimmy Lirvat, Head of Performance, GT Wings
16:20	Additional Speakers to be confirmed,
16:35
16:50	Q&A

17:05 Plenary Room	Conference Close Lars Robert Pederson, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO Markus Munz, Managing Director, VDMA Large Engines
	Welcome Drinks Reception and Announcement of Motorship Award Winner - Details to be confirmed
	The venue for the 2026 conference dinner will be announced shortly. At the 2025 conference, in Hamburg from 25-27 November, one of the key meeting points was the conference dinner. Taking place at BLOCKBRÄU, Hamburg’s iconic waterfront brewery. Located in the heart of the port, BLOCKBRÄU combines authentic hanseatic charm with the warmth of a traditional brewery. Freshly tapped Hamburg beer, brewed on-site, will flowing alongside a menu of hearty and refined dishes.

17:05

Plenary Room

Conference Close

Lars Robert Pederson, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO

Markus Munz, Managing Director, VDMA Large Engines

Welcome Drinks Reception and Announcement of Motorship Award Winner - Details to be confirmed

The venue for the 2026 conference dinner will be announced shortly.

At the 2025 conference, in Hamburg from 25-27 November, one of the key meeting points was the conference dinner. Taking place at BLOCKBRÄU, Hamburg’s iconic waterfront brewery. Located in the heart of the port, BLOCKBRÄU combines authentic hanseatic charm with the warmth of a traditional brewery. Freshly tapped Hamburg beer, brewed on-site, will flowing alongside a menu of hearty and refined dishes.

Day Two - Wednesday 9th of December 2026

Plenary Room

08:30	Coffee & Registration
09:00	Recap of day one by Chairmen Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO

Plenary Room - Keynote	Session 4: LNG Operations Uncovered: The Methane Challenge in FuelEU Maritime LNG continues to be a key transitional fuel, but methane slip is an increasing operational and regulatory focus. This session covers methane slip measurement, emissions monitoring, and practical implementation of EU ETS and FuelEU Maritime requirements for LNG-fuelled vessels.
Moderator	To be confirmed,
09:10	Fabian Kock, Head of Environmental Technologies, DNV
09:30	Q&A

Plenary Room - Panel	Session 5: Nuclear at Sea: Powering the Future of Commercial Shipping? Nuclear propulsion is re-emerging as a potential long-term solution for zero-emission shipping, but significant challenges remain. This session explores reactor design considerations, the evolving regulatory landscape, and the operational realities of deploying nuclear-powered commercial vessels.
Moderator	Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO
09:45	Opening Keynote & Panellist: Jez Simms, Principal Technology, Lloyds Register
	Panellist: Thomas Beard, Clean Shipping Service Lead, BMT
	Panellist: Derek Munro, Project Lead, NOXFREE
	Panellist: Geir Terje Nevoy, Senior Project Manager, Newbuilding and Technology, Wallenius Wilhelmsen
10:45	Q&A
11:00	Coffee & Networking

Plenary Room - Panel	Session 6: Charting the Fuel Transition: Shipowners’ Perspectives on Choice, Risk and Reality With multiple fuel pathways emerging and uncertainty still shaping investment decisions, this panel brings together shipowners and operators to discuss the realities behind fuel choice. From infrastructure and regulation to operational risk and long-term confidence, hear firsthand perspectives on today’s challenges and what will influence tomorrow’s decisions.
Moderator	To be confirmed,
11:30	Additional speakers to be confirmed,



12:30	Q&A
12:45	LUNCH

Plenary Room - Presentations	Session 7: Methanol in Practice: Operational Insights from Ship to Shore As methanol gains traction as a viable alternative fuel, real-world experience is becoming critical. This session explores operational lessons learned across vessel performance, maintenance requirements, and efficiency outcomes, alongside the practical realities of methanol bunkering.
Moderator	To be confirmed,
13:50	Speaker: Kristian Mogensen, Technical Advisor & Lubrication Oil Strategy, Everllence
14:05	Speaker: Dave Lee, Executive Director, e1 Marine
14:20	Additional speakers to be confirmed,
14:35
14:50	Q&A
15:05	Coffee & Networking

Plenary Room - Presentations	Session 8: Retrofit: Turning Existing Fleets into Future-Ready Assets Retrofit and conversion is emerging as one of shipping’s most practical routes to decarbonisation. This session explores how operators can upgrade existing vessels to improve efficiency, enable fuel flexibility, extend asset life, and meet evolving regulatory requirements. Industry leaders will share insights and lessons from real-world retrofit projects and implementation strategies.
Moderator	To be confirmed,
15:35	Speaker: Bram van Puijenbroek, Regional Business Manager, Alfa Laval
15:50	Additional speakers to be confirmed,
16:05
16:20
16:35	Q&A

16:50 Plenary Room	Day Two Conference Wrap up
Moderators	Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO Dr. Markus Munz, Managing Director, VDMA Large Engines Gavin Allwright, Secretary General, IWSA Philipp Simmank, Technical Advisor, VDR – German Shipowners‘ Association
17:00	Conference Close

16:50

Plenary Room

Day Two Conference Wrap up

Moderators

Lars Robert Pedersen, Deputy Secretary General, BIMCO

Dr. Markus Munz, Managing Director, VDMA Large Engines

Gavin Allwright, Secretary General, IWSA

Philipp Simmank, Technical Advisor, VDR – German Shipowners‘ Association

17:00

Conference Close

Day Three - Thursday 10th of December - Technical Tour Visit

The details for the 2026 technical tour will be announced shortly. Last year, the Propulsion and Future Fuels delegates were invited to visit the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services (CML) for an exclusive technical tour. The programme offered valuable insights into cutting-edge maritime research and innovation.

Download the Full Programme Here

2026 Conference Fees

Costs per delegate

Premium rate €2,870.00

Conference Attendance with lunch and refreshments on both days.
Full documentation in electronic format
Place at conference dinner (8th of December 2026)
Place at technical visit (10th of December 2026)

Standard rate €2,760.00

Conference attendance on both days.
Lunch and refreshments on both days.
Documentation in electronic format - Conference Handbook only.

Group booking discounts available

Special rates available for recognised educational establishments & ship operators.

Please Contact us for details.

BOOKING ONLINE

Book online here

Alternatively, you can call us on +44 1329 825335
On receipt of your registration, you will be sent confirmation of your delegate place.

CONTACT US

For further information on exhibiting, sponsoring, or attending the conference, contact the Events team on: +44 1329 825335 or email conferences@propulsionconference.com.