The maritime industry has been undergoing a rapid technological transformation, especially with green and decarbonization applications as the key driving force behind it.、

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Major green and clean measures such as ship hull optimization, scrubber, BWTS, vessel efficiency, propulsion improvement, alternative fuels, air lubrication systems, onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS), wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS), energy-saving devices, electrification, equipment intelligence are being employed , even nuclear energy technology is seriously planning in the maritime decarbonization portfolio.

In April 2025, the 83rd session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organization () proposed a set of measures to drive the decarbonisation of global maritime industry , which will definitely shape the maritime development in the journey all the way towards net-emission and net carbon.

Based on recent popular conferences, R&D, industry readiness, studies and papers, Shanghai based International Ship & Offshore Media China outlook the five major maritime green technology application area in 2026 and beyond.

1. Onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS)

Technology group Wärtsilä recently predicted that globally 45% world ship fleet will still be running on fossil fuel by the year of 2050. This means there be a huge opportunity for adopting onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) system.

Some shipowners and shipyards had successfully tested the installed OCCS) system. According to Wärtsilä’s tests, the new ‘Wärtsilä Carbon capture solution’ is proven to reduce vessel CO2 emissions by up to 70 percent, providing ship owners with an immediate solution to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations. The ability to capture CO2 from ship exhaust systems will have a major impact on the industry’s efforts to reduce GHG emissions, taking into account the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2050 reduction target.

International Ship & Offshore Media China estimated that the installation wave of onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) system will be like the scenario of installing scrubber for SOx scrubbing, which appealing to ship owners for achieving the balance between the marine time regulation meets and economic operation.

Most OCCS’s can be applied to the exhaust from any carbon-based fuel – such as HFO, methanol, LNG and MGO – and is designed to work alongside other emission reduction technologies, including SOx scrubbers, NOx reduction systems, and particulate matter filters.

According to the data shown in the DNV chart below, the scrubber installation peak was in 2019, the number reached 3142 ships who burns HFO. This year the scrubber installation will reach 6523 vessels.

International Ship & Offshore Media China predicts that OCCS installation will outnumber the scrubber’ installation, may reach over 10,000 ships. This will be a great good news for the marine suppliers and shipyards who will pump in the revenue for the ship new buildings and retrofits.

Wärtsilä estimates its CCS would have a carbon capture cost of Eur50-Eur70/mtCO2 ($54-$76/mtCO2), inclusive of capital and operating costs, other suppliers will be nearly same.

MEPC 83 introduces a two-tier compliance system proposed by Singapore:

Direct compliance – strict and which essentially introduces a minor levy.

Base target – roughly in line with FuelEU Maritime.

It is expected to enter into force in 2027, with compliance kicking in from 2028. A few procedural technicalities remain but the direction is clear.

The system includes the following financial penalties applicable until 2030:

$100 per tonne of CO₂e if you miss the direct compliance target. An additional $380 per tonne of CO₂e if also miss the base target. The measure is well-to-wake, not just tank-to-wake. If outperform, surplus compliance units can be transferred across your fleet, sold at market prices or banked for later use (up to a maximum of two years).

2. Wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS)

Wind-assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) such as rotor-,suction-, wing- and soft sails, as well as kites, are gaining renewed attention as the shipping industry is facing increasingly stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emission regulations to support net-zero emissions by 2050.

DNV in a report stated that there has been a rapid uptake of WAPS in the global fleet since 2021, with 52 seagoing ships now in operation and 97 newbuilds with WAPS in the orderbook (as of January 2025).

China Merchant Energy Shipping Co., Ltd (CMES) built a very large crude carrier (VLCC) fitted with fuel-saving and emissions-reducing wing sails in 2022. Being equipped with two pairs of new generation rigid wing sails made of carbon fiber composite, which will provide auxiliary propulsion power to help reduce the vessel's fuel consumptions and emissions. The raised sail has a height of 40 meters, and total area of a single sail surface is about 1,200 square meters. The sails will help allow the vessel to burn about 9.8% less fuel on average, which corresponds to CO2 emissions reduction over 2,900 tons on a Middle East to Far East route.

3. Alternative fuels

350 million tonnes of fuel oil currently burned by ships each year, the global shipping industry requires significant investment in technology and alternative fuels to achieve a net-zero transformation and drive sector-wide change. In response to the International Maritime Organization a set of measures to drive the decarbonisation of global shipping, during the first half of 2025, 183 orders for new alternative fuel capable vessels were reported, accounting for 55% of the capacity of contracted vessels.

DNV reported that a total of 28 new orders for alternative-fueled vessels were placed in July 2025, AFI’s latest report has revealed.

LNG remains the dominant fuel choice, accounting for 22 of the 28 orders. The majority of these orders were concentrated in the container segment with 19 on record, with the two remaining being tankers and one a research vessel.

Methanol followed with three new orders, including two bulk carriers and one offshore vessel.

July also saw two ammonia-fueled gas carriers ordered, and for the first time, one ammonia bunker vessel was added to the orderbook.

4. Electrification and electric solutions ( hybrid, shore power, shaft generators )

Electric solutions are a growing part of maritime decarbonization today, virtually every segment of the commercial maritime industry is exploring hybrid and electric options, Applications span from ferries and tug vessels to containerships and defense area.

Electrification is not only applied mainly in inland, nearshore shipping as before. Hybrid systems, which combine traditional diesel engines with electric motors and battery storage, are now common across a range of vessels. Even larger oceangoing ships—historically considered too energy-intensive—are integrating power take-in (PTI) and power take-off (PTO) systems, making space for energy storage solutions and incremental decarbonization.

5. Equipment intelligence

Due to technological development and ship’s intelligence application, growing automation of components and systems onboard is bringing about a rise in equipment intelligence.

Major equipment as engine /power system, bridge control, piping system, deck machines, scrubber, BWTS, vessel efficiency, propulsion improvement, alternative fuels supply, air lubrication systems, onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS), wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS), energy-saving devices, electrification and others have been enabled growing intelligence elements and become more advanced and efficient .

In order to support more complex and challenging operation in shipping, particularly, with the maritime industry accelerating its shift to further decarbonization and digitalization, more advanced intelligent equipment will be introduced and employed.

It is expected that by more intelligent equipment application, in near future开yun体育网, many ships will be intelligent enough to operate and manage on-line all the time, both in vessel-based and land-based scenarios. .