To achieve industry wide decarbonization, international shipping must embrace widespread adoption of zero or near-zero emission fuels (ZEFs). To meet the sector’s 2050 net-zero goals, planning and investment in ZEF supply chains and infrastructure must accelerate significantly this decade. In Washington, the state’s ports, government agencies, and maritime stakeholders are demonstrating a strong ambition to lead on advancing shipping decarbonization through the deployment of more sustainable fuels.

This roadmap provides insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and other relevant partners into feasible pathways for catalyzing deployment of zero emission shipping fuels by 2030 and fully decarbonizing shipping fuel for ocean going vessels at Washington ports by 2050. This study examines the feasibility of several low-carbon fuels derived from green electrolytic hydrogen (e-fuels) or sustainable biomass feedstocks (biofuels), by assessing fuels on the basis of emissions reductions, delivered cost, scalability, and technological readiness.