Leakage, Dispersion, Explosion & Fire
The cross-cutting safety theme for new fuels. It reframes the question from “how do we disperse gas?” to “how do we detect a leak early enough to act?”, and designs for realistic leakage rather than the fiction of zero leakage.
Research scope
- ◆Ammonia as a toxicity hazard, not only a fire and explosion hazard
- ◆Early leak detection as the research objective, not just dispersion
- ◆Dynamic, maritime-specific testing: ship motion, wind and ventilation
- ◆International benchmarking of consequence-modelling codes
Library
Reports and guidance relevant to this theme.
Onboard Carbon Capture and Storage (oCCS) Framework — Safety Discussions Underway
MEPC 83 approved a work plan for an IMO onboard carbon capture and storage regulatory framework targeted for 2028. The Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC) begins safety-focused technical discussions in September 2026, with interim non-mandatory guidelines projected for MSC 116 in 2029. This addresses decarbonisation pathways for vessels unable to switch to zero-emission fuels.
Open source ↗IMO Research and Development (R&D) Forum: Marine pollution preparedness for alternative fuels
The IMO convenes global experts on preparedness and response to spills involving alternative marine fuels including LNG, LPG, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen and bio/e-fuels. The forum translates high-level policy into practical implementation tools and operates in partnership with Singapore and China to advance science-based response protocols.
Open source ↗Safety of ammonia as a fuel in shipping: new reports
EMSA published parts three, four, and five of its multi-year study on ammonia fuel safety in shipping. The work assesses ammonia's unique hazards including toxicity and corrosiveness, identifies critical equipment failure modes, and develops reliability models adapted from LPG experience.
Open source ↗New reports on the safety of ammonia and hydrogen as fuels in shipping
EMSA launched two final reports investigating the safety of hydrogen as a fuel in shipping and the safety of ammonia as a fuel in shipping. Both study series were developed to assist national administrations, industry, and maritime stakeholders in the sustainable transition of shipping. The ammonia report includes hazard analysis, reliability assessment, and operability studies of generic fuel supply systems and specific ship types.
Open source ↗MSC.1/Circ.1621 — Interim guidelines for the safety of ships using methyl/ethyl alcohol as fuel
IMO interim safety guidelines for methanol and ethanol as a marine fuel, covering ship arrangement, fuel containment, bunkering and fire safety. Human-factor implication: the technical provisions have to be carried into seafarer competence through fuel-specific familiarisation, hazard awareness, safe handling and emergency response.
Open source ↗MSC.1/Circ.1666 — Interim guidelines for the safety of ships using LPG fuels
IMO interim safety guidelines for liquefied petroleum gas as a marine fuel, covering fuel containment, gas supply, and hazardous area classification, with the familiarisation and emergency response that follow from them.
Open source ↗Study investigating the safety of ammonia as fuel on ships (NH3SAFE)
A five-part study on ammonia properties, regulations, component reliability and risk assessment of ship designs.
Open source ↗MSC.1/Circ.1679 — Interim guidelines for use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cargo as fuel
IMO interim safety guidelines for gas carriers burning their own LPG cargo as fuel, where the cargo system and the fuel system are the same installation and the crew competence has to span both.
Open source ↗Study investigating the safety of hydrogen as fuel on ships (HSAFE)
Mapping of safety risks, hazard identification and risk analysis for hydrogen fuel systems and specific ship types.
Open source ↗MSC.1/Circ.1687 — Interim guidelines for the safety of ships using ammonia as fuel
IMO interim safety guidelines for ammonia as a marine fuel, approved at MSC 109 and issued 26 February 2025. Goal- and function-based, covering design, equipment, operations, bunkering, toxicity mitigation and crew protection. Toxicity makes the human-factor demands sharper here than for any other alternative fuel: personal protective equipment, exposure control and emergency response are competence questions, not equipment questions.
Open source ↗MSC.1/Circ.1701 — Interim guidelines for the safety of ships using hydrogen as fuel
IMO interim safety guidelines for hydrogen as a marine fuel, approved at MSC 111. Cryogenic storage, wide flammability range and detection difficulty put the emphasis on familiarisation and emergency response.
Open source ↗Analysis of the Hydrogen Incident and Accident Database (HIAD 2.0)
Statistics, lessons learned and recommendations from analysis of hundreds of recorded hydrogen incidents.
Open source ↗MSC.1/Circ.1702 — Interim guidelines for use of ammonia cargo as fuel
IMO interim safety guidelines for gas carriers using their own ammonia cargo as fuel, approved at MSC 111, extending the ammonia-as-fuel provisions to ships where cargo and fuel systems coincide.
Open source ↗Events
Conferences and workshops relevant to this theme.
ELVHYS Final Conference: Liquid Hydrogen Safety
The ELVHYS project concludes with a two-day dissemination conference in Brussels, held in a hybrid format, with options to attend in person or online. The agenda covers liquid hydrogen transfer infrastructure, material resistance at cryogenic temperatures, jet fire modelling, component performance in fire, consequence assessment for LH2 incidents, hazard identification and risk analysis for transfer operations, BLEVE phenomena, and training and guidelines that feed into regulation and standards development. ELVHYS is a Horizon Europe project supported by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, with UKRI funding for the UK participants, and by the Lloyd's Register Foundation.
📍 Brussels, Belgium, and online
GMC 26: Global Maritime Congress 2026
GMC’26 is jointly organised by the Chamber of Marine Engineers, the Maritime Faculty of Dokuz Eylul University, and the University of Strathclyde. Under the main theme “Transformation in Maritime Industry”, the congress will address key issues shaping the maritime sector, including sustainability in maritime transport, green and smart shipping, marine technologies, alternative fuels, energy efficiency, decarbonisation, port and logistics systems, the maritime economy, safety, governance, human factors, and digitalisation. Bringing together representatives from academia, public authorities, and the private sector, GMC 26 aims to foster knowledge sharing, collaboration, and a common vision for the future of the maritime industry. We look forward to welcoming you to İzmir and to your valuable participation.
📍 İzmir, at Dokuz Eylul University Rectorate, Continuing Education Centre
Safe Decarbonisation Conference 2027
The network's flagship conference bringing partners and stakeholders together.
📍 London, UK