Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) notes that it participated in two recent energy industry events in Tokyo, where the company discussed ammonia's potential as a marine fuel and challenges in carbon dioxide transportation.

Daisuke Fujihashi, General Manager of MOL's Carbon Solution Development Unit, joined panel discussions at Connecting Hydrogen Japan 2025 (CHJ 2025) and the Japan CCUS Summit. The events focused on hydrogen supply chains and carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) infrastructure respectively.

At CHJ 2025, Fujihashi participated in a panel titled 'International Supply Chains: Leveraging Hydrogen and Ammonia for a Sustainable Future.' He emphasised ammonia's potential as a next-generation marine fuel for decarbonising shipping.

Speaking prior to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) decision to delay its Net-Zero Framework vote by one year, the executive stated that new IMO regulations are expected to drive ammonia adoption across international shipping. He also stressed the need for developing ammonia supply chains, particularly bunkering infrastructure at major ports and ensuring safety protocols for ammonia use.

During the Japan CCUS Summit panel 'Enhancing Midstream Infrastructure: Meeting Transportation and Storage Needs of CO2,' Fujihashi outlined technical challenges in CO2 transportation by ship and explained that managing impurities and preventing corrosion are critical issues for maritime CO2 transport.

Fujihashi also highlighted the need for collaboration between carbon emitters, transport companies, and storage operators for CCUS projects to advance.

The tagline for CHJ 2025 — one of the notable hydrogen events in the Asia Pacific region — was 'Making the Global Hydrogen Ecosystem a Reality', whilst the strapline for this year's Japan CCUS Summit was 'Commercializing CCUS: From Vision to Reality through Innovation, Investment, and Global Collaboration.' Both events took place on October 15-16.