A suite of tools to bunker new fuels, develop new clean fuel cargo hubs and accelerate onshore power adoption is launched to support the maritime industry’s decarbonisation efforts
At the 2026 World Ports Conference (#IAPH2026) today in London, IAPH released a suite of tools to add vital momentum to the port industry’s ambitions to decarbonise – these assessment frameworks cover port readiness for bunkering, storage, loading, discharging and transshipment of low-carbon fuels, as well as the provision of onshore power supply.
Developed by the working groups of the IAPH Climate and Energy Committee following months of work by member ports in collaboration with shipping, offshore, governmental and classification society partners, the tools were unveiled during special sessions at the conference, which has attracted an audience of 700 supply chain professionals from 70 countries.
During the ‘Future fuel mix for shipping’ and ‘Onshore power for ships – cost-efficient innovations and solutions’ sessions earlier today, Port Readiness Level working group chair Françoise van den Brink, Clean Marine Fuels working group chair Peter Alkema and Onshore Power Supply working group chair Jarl Schoemaker presented three specific guidance tools for ports.
These tools will allow ports to self-assess: their readiness to become bunkering hubs for new low- and zero-carbon fuels; their suitability as operating hubs for the export, import or transshipment of clean fuel cargo in liquid bulk for subsequent regasification into energy grids; and their options for adoption of onshore power infrastructure, which takes into account technical, financial and legislative capacity.
Extensive work throughout 2026 by the IAPH working group chairs and their member port colleagues from around the world has resulted in a common, nine-step approach for ports to assess:
- the barriers they need to overcome in order to progress methodically and logically up the maturity scale, to a point where they can serve ships coming to their ports with a demand to bunker new fuels;
- which factors need to be taken into account from a governance, safety, infrastructure and market perspective when preparing to become a candidate clean fuel cargo hub for new e-fuels, such as bio-LNG, methanol, ethanol, ammonia and liquid hydrogen, which are produced and traded for use in energy grids;
- the best practices that can be adopted by ports in their mission to adopt onshore power supply infrastructure over time to attract actual use by shipowner operators torn between energy self-supply, huge retrofitting costs and regulatory uncertainty over which alternative fuels will emerge as dominant
The first tool is an upgrade of an existing IAPH product for ports: Port Readiness Level assessment tool for Bunkering Clean Marine Fuels (PRL Bunkering). An upgrade on the version released in 2023, it has benefited from the use of IAPH member ports and feedback on actual use. It is fuel-agnostic, covering all the alternative and new fuels entering the market, and can be used by any port. It can be accessed at fuelreadyports.org
The second is the Port Readiness Level assessment tool for Clean Fuel Cargo (PRL Cargo). It has been put together by IAPH’s PRL Working Group to complement the CEM-HUBs report by ICS and IAPH ahead of the upcoming full Ministerial Call for action report in the New Year. It can also be accessed at fuelreadyports.org
Put together by ports, shipping, classification society (LR), government (Transport Canada), the offshore safety sector (OCIMF) and assessed by Argus, it is aimed at ports to prepare themselves for the export, import and transshipment of clean fuels as liquid bulk cargo. It covers governance, safety, infrastructure and market domains across nine levels of development, and has been kept to an absolute minimum in size to enable all stakeholders to understand and implement the recommended actions as ports scale up.
The third is the OPS Implementation Levels: Methodology and Guidance tool, which adopts a similar readiness level methodology to help ports self-assess their readiness to adopt onshore power. This 9-step methodology provides a consistent terminology to communicate the planning and progress of shore power infrastructure projects. It also aims to facilitate the development of an accurate and up-to-date overview of OPS infrastructure and facilities worldwide. It can be accessed here.
IAPH Managing Director Patrick Verhoeven commented: “IAPH aims to support its membership in their journey to decarbonise, irrespective of size, location or governance; we do not expect all ports to become hubs for bunkering, clean fuel cargo or onshore power. However, our survey of members has confirmed the ambitions of many to seek the expertise of their industry pioneering colleagues in finding a way forward to create a structured approach in creating a business case for adoption.”
About IAPH
Founded in 1955, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has developed into a global alliance of 216 port authorities as well as 186 port-related businesses. Comprised of over 97 different nationalities across the world’s continents, member ports handle over one third of the world’s sea-borne trade and well over 60% of the world container traffic. Since 1967, the Association has represented port authorities and operators as the official UN-recognized consultative NGO of the International Maritime Organization, fostering industry collaboration and excellence. IAPH leads global port industry initiatives on decarbonisation and energy transition, risk and resilience management, and accelerating digitalisation in the maritime transport chain. The IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program has grown into the reference database of best practices of ports applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals and integrating them into their businesses – iaphworldports.org.