May 20th | Online
The FLEETfor55 project made its mark on the international maritime research stage this spring, with a featured presentation at the inaugural Marine & Fisheries Science and Technology Innovation Forum 2026, organised by the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST).
The forum brought together 841 participants — among Korea’s leading scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs — for a day of forward-looking dialogue on ocean technology, sustainable shipping, and the future of Arctic navigation.
The FLEETfor55 presentation was delivered by Injun Yang, a researcher at the University of Strathclyde, one of the project’s key academic partners. Yang’s presentation focused on a topic increasingly central to maritime decarbonisation: safety trends for alternative-fuel ships and their implications for Arctic operations. As the industry moves away from conventional fossil fuels toward ammonia, liquid hydrogen, and other low-emission alternatives, ensuring the safety of crews, vessels, and ecosystems becomes a defining challenge — particularly in the harsh and remote conditions of the Arctic.
The presentation drew on findings and methodologies from four interconnected EU-funded research projects:
- NH3CRAFT — investigating the safe use of ammonia as a marine fuel
- LH2CRAFT — advancing liquid hydrogen propulsion systems for shipping
- SAFeCRAFT — developing comprehensive safety assessment frameworks for vessels using alternative fuels
- FLEETfor55 — charting decarbonisation pathways for the European fleet in line with the EU’s Fit for 55 climate targets
Together, these projects represent a coordinated European effort to ensure that the green shipping transition is not only ambitious, but rigorously safe.
Arctic Shipping: A Unique Challenge
A key theme of the forum was the growing strategic and commercial importance of Arctic sea routes. As polar ice continues to recede, interest in trans-Arctic shipping corridors is intensifying — but so is awareness of the technical, environmental, and safety complexities involved. Yang’s contribution highlighted how quantitative risk assessment (QRA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools are being applied to understand how alternative fuels behave in extreme cold environments, informing both vessel design and operational protocols.
An International Conversation
The forum underscored the truly global nature of maritime decarbonisation. Korean and European researchers face shared challenges — and increasingly, shared solutions. Events like this one serve as vital bridges between research communities, helping to align safety standards, share best practices, and accelerate the responsible deployment of clean maritime technologies.
FLEETfor55 congratulates Injun Yang on an excellent representation of the project, and looks forward to continuing this international dialogue as the research progresses.
📺 Watch the full presentation at: https://lnkd.in/eDMcUUV5
