IMO Research and Development (R&D) Forum: Marine pollution preparedness for alternative fuels
From fossil to future: Marine pollution preparedness in the age of alternative fuels
The transition to alternative marine fuels is essential to achieving IMO’s decarbonisation goals, but it also introduces new and complex pollution response risks. Strengthening global preparedness through research, innovation and cooperation is therefore a critical priority.
The IMO Research and Development (R&D) Forum will address the critical knowledge and capability gaps in responding to spills involving alternative marine fuels (liquefied natural gas, liquefied propane gas, methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, bio/e-fuels).
Scheduled the same week as World Maritime Day 2026, the forum directly supports the World Maritime Day theme 2026-2027, "From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence", by translating high-level environmental policy into practical implementation tools.
Date: 21-22 September 2026
Location: Suntec Singapore
The forum, in partnership with Singapore and China, will convene global experts, including representatives from least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), to advance science-based preparedness and response to alternative fuel spills.
The event will be held in collaboration with the SpillAsia Conference taking place in Singapore on 23-25 September 2026.
Registration
Registration for in-person attendance at the IMO R&D Forum on 21 - 22 September 2026 is now open.
To register, please complete this form: IMO R&D Forum - Registration for in-person attendance – Fill in form
Places at the IMO R&D Forum are limited. We kindly ask that you only complete the form if you are certain you will attend, rather than registering on a "just-in-case" basis.
There is no fee to participate in the event. However, attendees will be responsible for covering their own travel costs, unless otherwise agreed with IMO.
Unfortunately, remote participation will not be available for this event. All presentations will be delivered in English.
Register before 17 July to secure your place. Spaces are limited!
Event Programme
The Forum will include the following thematic sessions:
Introduction and Scene Setting;
Spill Fate and Behaviour;
Atmospheric and water column Modelling;
Risk Assessment and Preparedness;
Emergency Response;
Post-spill Actions;
Cooperation and coordination mechanisms; and
Each theme will include expert presentations, case studies, panel discussions and interactive working sessions.
Objectives
The Forum aims to:
Improve technical knowledge exchange, information sharing and collaboration between stakeholders;
Strengthen existing and create new, international cooperation frameworks;
Generate a global research and development roadmap;
Create of a centralised knowledge repository, freely accessible by all stakeholders;
Develop a capacity building framework for response to incidents involving alternative fuels; and
Initiation of national and regional post-event follow-up activities.
A full report summarising the outcomes of the discussions, and highlighting opportunities for future collaboration, will be produced after the event.
Participation
The Forum is expected to convene representatives from:
IMO Member States
Maritime authorities and coastguard services
Spill response organisations and contractors
Research institutions and universities
International and regional organisations
Industry associations and fuel suppliers
Environmental non-governmental organisations
Insurance and classification societies
Special emphasis will be placed on participation from least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS).
With presentations from IMO, Singapore Maritime Port Authority (MPA), DNV, Class NK, Global Centre for Green Fuels, Cedre, EMSA, The Methanol Institute, A*STAR Institute of High-Performance Computing, Tropical Marine Science Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation, Fuel LNG, Shell, Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre (Asia), Ambipar, Maritime Disaster Prevention Center, BlueTack, IPIECA, GI SEA, SMIT Salvage, Methanol Institute, IOPC Funds, ITOPF and IG P&I. More speakers to be confirmed in due course.
Contact
If you have any enquiries, please contact oprc@imo.org.
More information
The International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation (OPRC 1990) and the Protocol on Preparedness, Response and Co-operation to pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000 (OPRC-HNS Protocol) call on governments to actively promote research and development to improve pollution preparedness and response, including by encouraging and sharing information.
Read more on marine pollution preparedness and response under the OPRC Convention and OPRC-HNS Protocol.