{"id":3072,"date":"2026-02-02T16:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:59:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharos390.com\/?p=3072"},"modified":"2026-02-05T12:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T11:27:07","slug":"towards-green-shipping-routes-in-the-mediterranean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharos390.com\/en\/towards-green-shipping-routes-in-the-mediterranean\/","title":{"rendered":"Towards green shipping routes in the Mediterranean"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Formulating green shipping pathways for a clean energy transition in the Mediterranean: framework and insights<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, developed within the framework of the European GreenMED<\/strong> project, sets out a roadmap for advancing the decarbonization <\/strong>of maritime transport<\/strong> in the Mediterranean<\/strong>, based on an analysis of the fleet <\/strong>and the main port hubs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an increasingly demanding regulatory environment, the maritime industry <\/strong>faces the challenge of advancing its energy transition<\/strong><\/a> towards low-carbon<\/strong> fuels<\/strong> in order to reduce<\/strong> the sector’s emissions<\/strong>. In this regard, the sector needs tools to assess the technical<\/strong> and economic<\/strong> viability<\/strong> of different fuels<\/strong> for decarbonization<\/strong>, facilitating the gradual adoption of cleaner options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within this framework, this study takes a step forward in the development of a tool that allows for the evaluation of the applicability of different decarbonization routes in a given region based on the calculation of the energy demand of the fleet operating in the area. This methodology makes it possible to determine the current energy demand per ship<\/strong>, route<\/strong> and port hub<\/strong>, helping to construct different energy transition<\/strong> roadmaps and assessing the use of various low-carbon<\/strong> fuels<\/strong>. In particular, this study provides a basis for the Mediterranean region within the framework of the European GreenMED project<\/strong>.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Initially, the methodology requires the delimitation of important variables such as the space<\/strong>, the fleet<\/strong> and the fuels<\/strong> under study. In particular, the Mediterranean basin<\/strong> is considered as the space to be analysed, including ships with a significant presence and a gross tonnage of more than 500 GT for the reference year (2022). This ensures a better estimate of energy demand<\/strong> by considering all established vessel types, in accordance with the methodology established by the International Maritime Organisation <\/strong><\/a>(IMO, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With regard to fuels<\/strong>, consideration is given to conventional marine fuels<\/strong> (HFO, MDO, LSFO), transitional<\/strong> fuels (with LNG as the main representative) and alternative fuels<\/strong> that enable savings of more than 70% in life-cycle emissions compared to the reference value established in European Union (EU) Regulation 2023\/1805.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach assumes that different combinations of alternative fuels<\/strong> will not dominate the fleet’s energy demand<\/strong> due to their limited<\/strong> technological maturity<\/strong> and deployment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The methodology quantifies and locates the current energy demand<\/strong> of ships in the region studied and, in parallel, characterises the fuel supply chains<\/strong> (current and planned). To do this, five main steps are followed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n