Decarbonization of the inland waterway transport (IWT) sector is essential and can be achieved by switching to low or zero carbon fuels. Economic, technical, social and regulatory aspects need to be considered to tackle the challenge of the energy transition towards zero emissions. This article analyzes promising fuels for IWT considering upcoming regulations, including conventional heavy fuel oil (HFO) as a reference case, a “blue” alternative fuel produced from natural gas and “green” fuels produced from biomass and solar energy. Fuels are compared in terms of quantifiable parameters including life cycle energy intensity (Well to Wake—WTW), WTW costs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and non-greenhouse gas emissions. Biofuels offer a good compromise in terms of cost, availability and technology readiness level (TRL). This analysis rigorously compares different options and is useful for stakeholders involved in the decarbonization of shipping.
Jurkovič et al. (2026) studied this question.