Alternative Maritime Fuels Adoption in Southeast Asian Shipping: Barriers, Opportunities, and Regulatory Framework Analysis

This research investigates stakeholder perspectives on alternative maritime fuel adoption barriers, opportunities, and regulatory frameworks within Southeast Asian shipping contexts. Employing qualitative-dominant mixed methods, the study gathered insights through Focus Group Discussions, interviews, and surveys with thirty-eight participants comprising maritime students, lecturers, and veteran practitioners at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Pelayaran Jakarta. Thematic analysis revealed substantial adoption barriers dominated by infrastructure inadequacy (28%) and economic competitiveness challenges (26%), with significant regulatory gaps particularly in financial incentive mechanisms (gap score: 2.9/5.0). Comparative fuel pathway assessment identified liquefied natural gas as most viable near-term alternative (overall score: 3.9/5.0) despite limitations as transitional fuel, while zero-carbon alternatives including ammonia (2.7/5.0) and hydrogen (2.5/5.0) face substantial technical, infrastructural, and economic challenges. Overall regulatory adequacy (2.49/5.0) falls substantially below stakeholder-perceived importance (4.55/5.0), producing a regulatory gap of 2.06 points. Findings emphasize need for integrated strategies combining coordinated infrastructure development, substantial financial support mechanisms, regulatory harmonization, and systematic workforce development accelerating fuel transitions toward decarbonization objectives.