Alternative Energy Sources for Cargo Ships: Turkish Shipping Sector

Several alternative marine fuels are an important strategy for maritime decarbonization. These alternative marine fuels include liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied biogas (LBG), hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, ethanol, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), nuclear power and electricity. Wind and solar power are other energy sources for ships, but these are not alternative fuels; they are supporting energy sources, such as hybrid ships. In the maritime sector, wind and solar power are currently in the research phase. There are fewer wind or solar hybrid ships at sea. Shipping companies are focusing more on alternative fuels such as LNG, methanol, and ethanol. The Turkish merchant fleet consists of 475 vessels, of which 250 (4.5 million DWT) were imported and 225 (1.3 million DWT) were built in Türkiye. The 475 ships are broken down by type: 23.8% dry cargo ships, 12.2% chemical tankers, 10.3% service ships, 9.9% container ships, 7.0% bulk carriers and 36.8% other types. The number of alternative fuel ships in the Turkish fleet is very small.