Industry leaders gathered during Hong Kong Maritime Week for an IMO Future Fuels and Technology Project seminar (18 November) focused on accelerating the energy transition in global shipping.
The event brought together representatives from the shipping, port and energy sectors, alongside government officials and environmental NGOs, to explore how cross-sector collaboration can drive meaningful progress.
Central to the discussions was the role of Hong Kong, China in fostering sustainable and innovative global shipping, showcasing initiatives designed to advance the energy transition of shipping and highlighting the role of terminal operators at the port of Hong Kong.
Speakers emphasized the importance of regulation to make the transition a reality and discussed approaches to developing viable business cases for alternative fuels and the industry's drive to accelerate innovation. Speakers also highlighted the critical role of financial institutions in driving production to narrow the cost gap between emerging alternatives and conventional marine fuels and scaling up cleaner fuel solutions.
Keynote remarks were delivered by Mr. Liu Chun San, JP, Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics; H.E. Mr. Even Tronstad Sagebakken, State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries; Mr. Angad Banga, Chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association; and Mr. Roel Hoenders, Head of Climate Action and Clean Air at IMO.
Mr. Sveinung Oftedal, Chair of the IMO Working Group on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, delivered a presentation outlining IMO's global actions to advance zero and near-zero emission fuels and technologies.
The project's next technical seminar on biofuels will take place on 12 February 2026.
