John Cooper is the CEO of BAR Technologies. Image Credit: BAR

Shipowners are increasingly investing in dual-fuel ships for greater fuel flexibility, but burning less fuel offers a real hedge against future uncertainty, according to UK-based wind propulsion firm BAR Technologies.

Owners should not focus only on which fuel their ships will burn, but also on how much fuel they will need as the industry faces uncertainty over future fuel costs and availability, John Cooper, CEO of BAR Technologies, said in an emailed article yesterday.

“The fuel can change," he said.

“The value of needing less of it does not.”

His argument comes as uncertainty remains over which alternative marine fuels will scale, what they will cost and where they will be available.

Sector specialist Alphaliner reported that dual-fuel ships accounted for 72% of container capacity ordered in the first 10 months of 2025, down from 81% in 2024 and 83% in 2023.

Methanol’s share of orders also fell to 12% from 18% in 2024.

Cooper said the figures show why choosing a fuel remains difficult for ships that could operate for 25 or 30 years.

Efficiency Offers a Hedge Beyond Fuel Choice

“You can buy the ability to burn two fuels,” he said.

“You cannot buy certainty about what either of those fuels will cost in 10 or 20 years, or whether they will be readily available wherever your vessel trades.”

His suggestion is to pair fuel flexibility with technologies that reduce bunker fuel consumption.

“If your vessel runs on LNG, reduce the amount of LNG it needs.”

“If it runs on methanol, reduce the methanol,” Cooper said.

“If another fuel emerges and becomes the preferred option, reduce that too.”

That is where he sees a role for wind-assisted propulsion.

BAR Technologies’ WindWings use wind to contribute directly to a vessel’s propulsion, reducing the load on the main engine and, in turn, fuel consumption.

Cooper said the benefit is not limited to cutting emissions.

“Every tonne of fuel you do not burn is a tonne you do not have to buy,” he said.

He added that the value of those savings could increase if future low-carbon marine fuels prove more expensive or difficult to secure.

Cooper stressed that this is not an argument against dual-fuel ships.

“Quite the opposite. I think the two approaches make sense together,” he said.

In his view, they address different sides of the same risk.

“Fuel flexibility protects you against choosing the wrong fuel. Fuel efficiency protects you against the cost and availability of all fuels,” Cooper said.

Shipowners may therefore not need to predict which fuel will dominate shipping in the long term.

“Whatever that fuel is, whatever it costs and wherever it comes from, a shipowner will be better off needing less of it,” Cooper said.