2026 in container shipping: alternative fuels, shore power, AI and weakening demand

Upcoming trends for the container shipping sector highlight a mix of old and new. The sector is still focusing on alternative fuels to decarbonise, seeing a continued move towards methanol and LNG. However, a newer move towards ammonia is developing at pace, as is an increased push by ports to provide shore power for berthed vessels.

On the economic front, as ever, the sector has a heavy focus on efficiency within the supply chain, and that focus is being boosted by the innovative use of AI, but supply and demand challenges remain a central question mark for the trade in 2026.

And with geopolitics dominating news cycles everywhere, including in maritime, signs indicate that the Suez Canal may again become an option for trade.

LNG still a driving force

As of the end of August 2025, 534 container ships were on order, which will be able to use alternative fuels upon delivery. These represent an impressive 53% of ships on order and a large 77% of the TEU. LNG remains the most popular alternative fuel, with LNG-fuelled ships now accounting for two-thirds of all alternatively fuelled ships on order. Big container ship LNG newbuilding deals include CMA CGM, which has reportedly signed a significant newbuilding deal with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for 12 very large LNG dual-fuel container vessels. Elsewhere, Maersk has completed agreements with three shipyards for 20 container ships, all ready for conventional and LNG fuels, that will be delivered between 2028 and 2030. LNG, and crucially, its ability to be transformed to bio and e-LNG, will continue to be a stand-out way for the container shipping sector to decarbonise.

Shore power electrifies container terminals

The use of shore power in container ports has rapidly gained momentum, with more ports providing shore power and new solutions launched into the container ship market. But there are still challenges to overcome, including global standardisation and investment. While the IEC 80005 standard, established in 2012, is key, there is a need for more globally standardised practices to enable compatibility across ports and vessels. However, leading ports are working on this. The container terminal segment, which is lagging behind the passenger terminal segment in terms of shore power, is accelerating, and we see major projects being finalised, executed and under preparation throughout Europe. For example, the news has just broken that Rotterdam Shore Power is to construct the world’s largest shore power system, which will serve three container terminals at Europe’s largest port from the second half of 2028.

Arise, smart port

A major focus of container ports is to be more effective, efficient and smart, and this trend is rapidly gaining traction. One aspect is the growing trend of AI. This is only set to flourish as we enter 2026. A good example of container terminals’ focus on being efficient and smart can be seen in what DP World has been doing. The leader in container ports has driven efficiency by connecting physical infrastructure with smart technology to simplify and speed up trade. At Rotterdam World Gateway and Antwerp Gateway, its AI-driven terminal operating systems optimise yard planning and crane sequencing, reducing berth-to-yard turnaround by 15%. Automated stacking cranes further accelerate moves, while hybrid-electric handling equipment cuts fuel consumption and emissions. On the waterside processes, its AI-powered berth-planning and vessel-sequencing tools use machine learning to predict dwell times and allocate resources, dynamically cutting waiting times by up to 20%. This drive is being mirrored by other container terminals. There has also been a growing focus on just-in-time arrivals, with new suites of technology being launched for ports to help manage vessel scheduling and reduce idle times. This is where AI plays a role too.

Demand uncertainties; Red Sea return

A slightly reduced demand has been predicted for the container shipping sector in 2026. “Overall, the container shipping market is navigating through a complex landscape of trade policies, economic conditions and geopolitical tensions. Significant demand uncertainties still exist. As an example, we estimate a return to normal routeings through the Red Sea and Suez Canal would lower ship demand by 10%. In our base case, we expect a weakening of the supply and demand balance during the second half of 2025 and expect freight rates to retreat accordingly. In 2026, we anticipate a further, albeit less pronounced, weakening of freight rates and the supply and demand balance,” said BIMCO chief shipping analyst Niels Rasmussen.

In terms of the Red Sea and Suez Canal, a step taken by Maersk could signal that sailing could cautiously start again in 2026. At the end of 2025, Maersk said it was considering a ‘stepwise’ approach towards restarting navigation in the East-West corridor via the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. It completed an initial successful transit of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea in December 2025. Another positive signal is that it has extended its strategic partnership agreement with the Suez Canal Authority, announced on 25 November 2025.

Hydrogen, e-fuels on the up

The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) is a growing and powerful force when it comes to the take-up of alternative fuels within the container shipping sector, not least because its co-founders include some of the world’s biggest shippers, such as Amazon and IKEA. At the end of last year, it moved forward with e-fuels after it announced that Hapag-Lloyd and North Sea Container Line have won its second tender, enabling its members to abate ocean transport emissions by deploying hydrogen-derived e-fuels. Through these deployments, Hapag-Lloyd will deploy e-methanol on large methanol dual-fuel container ships on a trans-oceanic lane, and North Sea Container Line will deploy the world’s first e-ammonia-powered container ship, serving a northern European trade lane. Both fuels will be made with low-carbon hydrogen produced with renewable energy. This is just the beginning, and we can expect this scheme to aid expansion within the sector, as ZEMBA’s initiative is expected to kickstart a new market for scalable, low-carbon, hydrogen-derived e-fuels to achieve an economically viable clean-energy transition.

Ammonia: the next frontier

Ammonia has made inroads into the container ship sector, with AIPs, designs and some ammonia-ready orders, such as Hapag-Lloyd’s order for 24 ammonia-ready ships. An important AIP, unveiled at the end of last year, is DNV’s AiP to the consortium of MSC, Zhoushan Changhong International and CIMC ORIC, for a 21,700-TEU ammonia dual-fuel ultra-large container ship design. The proposed 21,700-TEU container ship integrates the latest-generation of ammonia dual-fuel main engines alongside oversized C-type ammonia tanks. The award of the AiP lays the groundwork for more detailed engineering studies, and potentially commercial construction to DNV class rules, no doubt helping other box ship lines and consortia to move along similar paths themselves. Highlighting the importance, DNV senior vice president and maritime regional manager for Greater China, Norbert Kray said, “Ammonia dual-fuel options are firmly in the decarbonisation race, we have gone from concept to orders, and soon will see the first deliveries…The AiP demonstrates the design is in line with the industry’s leading safety and design standards, reinforcing confidence in ammonia as a viable fuel for large container vessels.”

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