As shipowners, managers, and engine suppliers turn more and more to new fuels, the need for adequate crew training to work on such vessels varies very widely across different fuel types. Experts tell Splash Extra that very few seafarers have undertaken training in the handling of alternative fuels with LNG as the exception to the rule as it has been used as a maritime fuel since the early 2000s. LNG has the benefit of long-established standards for training competencies, curriculums, and readily available training courses that have yet to manifest with other fuels. The use of LNG as a fuel is corroborated by the latest numbers from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform which shows that LNG broke the 1,000-vessel barrier last year, not counting LNG carriers. DNV also reported that a total of 298 ships with alternative fuel propulsion were ordered in 2023 – an 8% increase year-on-year, with orders for methanol-powered vessels taking top spot with 138. We must align on common standards relating to new fuels The one fuel which is the simplest alternative is probably biofuel since it is bunkered in a similar way as diesel and is blended up to 30% with fuel oil. According to Chris Chatterton, COO of the Methanol Institute, a key factor when comparing fuels is that methanol is a universal product, unlike LNG which is mainly a power plant fuel while ammonia’s main use is as a fertiliser and has little reference as a fuel. So, methanol has the advantage of having decades of references across numerous applications for both petrochemical uses and as a fuel or fuel blending component. Training of the crew for work on these ships is coming along pretty much as the orderbook is. Training crew to work on LNG-powered vessels is the most developed with methanol slowly gaining momentum due to its rise in popularity. But Jennifer Bewley Harrison, a senior director of learning at ABS, tells Splash Extra that widespread offerings for ammonia and hydrogen training are barely present on the market. “Though training demand is certainly lower than we find with LNG and methanol, owners and operators in need may find themselves carrying this training burden until training institutions have readily available courses,” she says. Harrison notes that ABS’ first widely available ammonia training courses will be on the market in February, with plans for hydrogen also coming in 2024. Last year’s orderbook for those types of vessels is on the thin side with 11 orders for ammonia-fuelled vessels and just five orders for hydrogen. Another important thing to point out is the fact that there are several new fuels on the rise, not just one. The recent study performed by DNV stated that 800,000 seafarers will need some form of retraining to achieve the Paris climate targets, conditioned with the use of new fuels. All new fuels have some additional technology component to consider and the overhead in terms of skills development could be larger than most anticipate. In the opinion of Raal Harris, the chief creative officer of Ocean Technologies Group, maritime education and training institutes will be competing for talent with others in and outside of the maritime sector with the education sector very likely outbid for talent. “We are very used to a model in which the mariner of yesterday trains the mariner of tomorrow. We have already seen that model come under strain with LNG as a fuel, where there have been insufficient numbers of educators with the requisite experience. T