At the TradeWinds Shipowners Forum on 21 April 2026 during Singapore Maritime Week, AET President & CEO Nick Potter shared how we are approaching decarbonisation in the absence of a fully aligned global framework.
“We’re in a business with long asset lifecycles. We can’t put decisions on hold; we have to keep moving and future-proof the fleet.” - Nick Potter
While shipping has always operated with uncertainty, what is different today is the number of variables moving all at once, including regulation, fuel pathways, geopolitics and digitalisation.
Nick’s point was simple: for AET, inaction is the greater risk. Without regulatory clarity, we therefore focus on what makes economic sense.
For us, that starts with efficiency, improving performance across the fleet through hull and propulsion upgrades, voyage optimisation and better use of onboard data. These continue to deliver the most immediate impact on fuel consumption and emissions.
At the same time, we are building resilience and flexibility into the fleet so it can adapt as technologies, fuels and infrastructure develop. LNG dual-fuel vessels are already in operation, with ammonia dual-fuel newbuilds supported by long-term charters. We are also developing ethanol and hybrid-electric solutions as fuel pathways evolve.
Our thanks to Craig Eason for moderating, and to fellow panellists Nick Contopoulos (Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer ANEMOI Marine Technologies) , Prof. Lynn Loo (CEO, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation), Dhritiman Hui (Managing Director, EPS Ventures) and Søren Andersen (CEO, ZeroNorth) for the discussion.
