The International Maritime Organization’s Net Zero Framework (NZF) gives ammonia dual-fuel ships a mid-2030s edge—but the near-term race is still wide open and riddled with uncertainty, a new report has highlighted.

According to a study done by the UK’s UCL Energy Institute Shipping, UMAS and Oceans Research Group titled “ IMO’s new Net Zero Framework: implications for the competitiveness of different fuel/energy options “, IMO’s vision is a ‘huge’ step in the right direction concerning the challenge of identifying risks and opportunities across the entire shipping value chain. However, it has left some ‘key’ elements exposed, such as how its reward mechanism will be specified.