Ardmore Shipping: Decarbonization through the details

The regulatory requirements governing environmental performance continue to ratchet up, with the EU Emissions Trading System in place for large ships entering EU ports since January 2024, FuelEU Maritime in effect since January 2025 and the IMO’s Carbon Intensity Indicator tightening. At the same time, negotiations continue over the IMO’s Net Zero Framework. For us, however, efficiency is a long-term operating discipline, not a reaction to each new rule.

At year-end 2025, we had 26 product and chemical tankers in operation and our latest Sustainability Report identifies 13 diverse energy efficiency technologies in use on our vessels, from Mewis Ducts and propeller boss cap fins to variable speed drives and low-load boiler optimization, as well as DeepSea’s AI-enabled voyage optimization, and weather-routing services from WetterWelt, all of which combine to support more fuel-efficient operations across the fleet.

In 2025, we also purchased and used biofuel blends of up to B30 to achieve full FuelEU Maritime compliance. Our technical teams and onboard crews made that possible, managing fuel handling, storage and combustion while safeguarding vessel performance throughout the voyages. Their work showed that biofuels can be operationally viable at scale.

This progress is borne out in the data. Fleet emissions decreased from 422,083 metric tons of CO2 in 2024 to 361,656 in 2025, a 14% reduction. Trade patterns, waiting time in port, drydocking days and fleet utilization also influence year-on-year emissions, so the decrease cannot be attributed to any single measure. Our focus instead is on sustained improvements in vessel efficiency and fuel consumption.

This story was originally published by Hellenic Shipping News. Read the full story at Hellenic Shipping News →