EmissionLink Sees 2026 to Be the Year of Compliance Trade-Offs for Shipping

Philippos Ioulianou, managing director at EmissionLink. Image Credit: EmissionLink

As the shipping industry heads into 2026, expectations of a rapid shift to alternative marine fuels are giving way to a more cautious, compliance-driven reality, according to compliance solution provider EmissionLink.

Despite years of decarbonisation pledges, owners and charterers are entering the new year facing unresolved regulatory fragmentation and inconsistent enforcement, the firm said in an email statement on Tuesday.

Fuel supply chains also remain ill-equipped for the large-scale adoption of alternative fuels.

"Shipping has not failed on ambition," Philippos Ioulianou, Managing Director of EmissionLink, said.

"What we are seeing is regulation running ahead of infrastructure and fuel availability."

"That gap is what owners are being forced to manage."

As a result, he expects 2026 to be shaped by interim compliance strategies and commercial trade-offs, with owners prioritising flexibility over long-term fuel commitments.

Pooling, selective biofuel use, and LNG (including bio-LNG where permitted) are likely to feature prominently as operators look to manage FuelEU and ETS exposure while controlling costs.

"FuelEU is no longer something the industry is preparing for – it is something it is actively managing," he said, noting that pooling has gained traction as a practical way to reduce cost and complexity at a time of volatile fuel pricing and uncertain availability.

Alternative fuels such as ammonia and methanol are unlikely to define 2026, he added, as newbuild orders slow and confidence in large-scale uptake weakens.

"2026 will be a year of pragmatic, compliance-safe decisions," Ioulianou concluded, "as owners and charterers manage today's rules while policymakers continue to debate how shipping's energy transition can realistically be delivered."