By Stefano D.M. Sommadossi, CEO, NatPower Marine
Shipping's energy transition will not happen everywhere at once. It will be won route by route, through cooperation between shipowners, ports, energy providers and governments.
The problem is that we continue treating these challenges separately. Shipowners consider future fuels, ports examine shore power and governments set targets. Yet vessels operate between specific ports, to fixed schedules and under commercial constraints.
A shipowner cannot electrify half a voyage. Operators need confidence that clean electricity will be available at both ends, with sufficient capacity and commercially viable pricing.
Around 80 per cent of short-sea routes worldwide could potentially be electrified using existing technology. Fixed routes, regular port calls and manageable distances make this practical. What we need now is the infrastructure and commercial framework to deliver it.
Ports are becoming energy hubs
Shore power is not simply a plug on the quayside. A large container vessel can require 5–10MW while berthed, while cruise vessels can draw 15–20MW or more.
Ports are becoming energy hubs, connecting shipping with renewable generation, battery storage and wider industrial demand. But we cannot expect port operators to become energy utilities overnight.
Battery storage is essential to managing this demand and operations in California demonstrates what is possible. By early 2026, it had installed nearly 17GW of grid-scale battery storage, with batteries supplying more than 12GW to the grid on one evening in March.
For shipping, the lesson is clear. Battery-backed infrastructure can make renewable electricity more reliable, support vessel charging and reduce pressure on local grids. It must, of course, be developed safely, with proper monitoring and community engagement.
The economics must work
Technology alone will not deliver the transition. Clean electricity must also be commercially competitive.
Shore power faces challenges around electricity prices, standing charges, network costs and taxation. Ports need substantial electrical capacity, yet demand varies according to vessel schedules.
VAT deserves particular attention. Although businesses can normally recover VAT on shore power, its treatment differs from certain conventional marine fuels. We need to understand where the current arrangements create real costs, cash-flow pressures or administrative burdens.
Port taxation and grid access also need attention. Private capital is available, but investors need certainty. We should be asking what needs to change to make clean electricity commercially sensible for shipping.
London International Shipping Week: bringing the industry together
As a supporter of London International Shipping Week, NatPower Marine sees an opportunity to bring shipowners, ports, energy providers, financiers, industry associations, and policymakers together to address these challenges.
We need more than general commitments to decarbonisation. We need shared approaches to shore-power costs, taxation, grid connections and investment certainty.
I would like to see greater collaboration on practical proposals that the industry can take forward with Government and regulators. We should also identify the shipping corridors where electrification makes commercial sense today and agree how the necessary infrastructure can be delivered.
Our work with Peel Ports on the proposed Irish Sea green shipping corridors reinforces this point: operators need certainty across the whole route, not isolated connections.
LISW cannot change policy itself, but it can help build common ground and relationships that lead to action.
For NatPower Marine, supporting LISW means sharing our experience of privately financed charging infrastructure, listening to industry partners and helping develop practical solutions.
Shipping has always been a network industry. Its decarbonisation will be the same. Progress will come from building credible routes, proving the commercial model and giving others the confidence to follow.
The future of clean shipping will be built corridor by corridor.