This thesis investigates how alternative fuels and energy reduction technologies influence the technical and economic viability of research vessels under market uncertainties and varying operational profiles. The study addresses the growing need for decarbonisation in the maritime sector, where research vessels face particular possibilities due to limited regulatory requirements and constraints due to their demanding mission requirements.

Research vessels, which are exempt from many regulatory emission frameworks, operate under highly variable mission profiles that challenge conventional decarbonisation approaches. The review identifies a significant gap in existing studies, which typically overlook the unique operational demands of these vessels.

The literature analysis evaluates a wide array of fuels - including fossil based fuels with lower carbon intensity such as LNG and LPG, renewable, diesel like fuels as HVO, hydrogen carriers as ammonia, hydrogen, and sodium borohydride, alcohol fuels as methanol, as well as metal-based fuels like iron powder -, wind assisted propulsion systems, and energy reduction methods as exhaust heat recovery and solar systems. Assessment is done on physical and chemical properties, emissions, safety, technological readiness and availability, and costs.

To handle the complex and uncertain decision environment, the study proposes the Many Objective Robust Decision Making Framework combined with an Epoch-Era Analysis that models the most important uncertainty, namely the various operational profiles. This methodological foundation allows for evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of many different propulsive combinations across a wide range of plausible futures.

The subsequent analysis shows that no single configuration is universally optimal across all conditions. Fossil and diesel-like fuels such as LNG and HVO remain technically feasible but offer only slight emission reductions. Methanol-ICE configurations emerge as the most robust low-carbon option, offering technical feasibility across all scenarios and significant emission reduction potential. Ammonia-ICE solutions perform well under lower requirements and can approach carbon neutrality if sustainably produced. The integration of energy reduction technologies such as exhaust heat recovery and wind-assisted propulsion improves performance, but effects remain context-specific and do not fundamentally alter the main trade-off’s between cost and emissions. The analysis further shows that blended fuels (e.g., grey/green methanol or ammonia) can serve as transitional pathways, enhancing economic viability while preparing vessels for a green fuel future. A design-oriented iteration of the MORDM indicate that hull form adjustments can improve robustness, however, more detailed calculations need to be done.

In conclusion, the findings underline that future-proof research vessels will need to adopt technically feasible, robust fuel strategies that enable compliance with long-term climate goals. Methanol, and to a slightly lesser extent ammonia, currently offer the most promising pathways, while fossil and diesel-like fuels cannot ensure sustainability under future conditions.