The shipping industry is facing more and more rules to lower greenhouse gas emissions. For many companies, including Anthony Veder which transports petrochemical gases, it is difficult to see which investments are best to meet future requirements.

To support this, a decision support tool was developed to help find the most cost-effective way to comply. The tool looks at four main criteria: regulations, costs, technical options, and safety. A Python script runs in the background and the results are shown clearly in an Excel file to give useful insights.

A case study was done for small gas carriers that sail in European waters. For older ships, the cheapest way to comply is by using fuel-saving methods like Just-In-Time arrival or extra hull cleaning. For newer ships, the cost from FuelEU rules will go up a lot after 2035. That means it makes sense to choose a solution that avoids these extra costs. Based on the case, the advice is to use the alternative fuel LPG combined with a fuel-saving measure. However, this will only start saving money after 2032. A good approach could be to first use the cheaper options and then look at switching to alternative fuels after 2032.