Brazilian authorities and suppliers are preparing to adopt the cruise industry’s latest fuels and green technologies.

The topic was discussed by interested parties at an industry event recently held in the country’s capital city, Brasília.

According to Rafaela Gomes de Souza e Silva, general coordinator of Sustainability at the Ministry of Ports and Airports, the government is currently partnering with international institutions to gain insights into the field.

“We can draw from this knowledge, working with countries that have good practices to serve as benchmarks,” she explained.

As new fuels  such as LNG emerge, the government’s role includes defining rules and regulating bunkering processes, she added.

“We have the power to encourage, and we’re talking about asector industry that already does a lot on its own. Our role is to guide and promote,” Souza e Silva stated.

According to Commander Flavio Mathuiy of the IMO’s Sustainability Coordinating Committee in the Brazilian Navy, one of the current challenges in keeping up with the industry’s trends is determining which green fuels will be most important in the future.

“We have observed that cruise companies are investing in LNG, with an eye on bio-LNG, while others are considering methanol and even hydrogen,” he explained.

Mathuiy added that the choice of fuel depends on distinct strategies, noting that the sector currently lacks a silver bullet.

“Not all ports will have all fuel options available. Each company, based on its strategy and operational characteristics, is selecting a specific fuel,” he said.

Hans Fuchslocha, bunker manager at Petrobras, Brazil’s largest fuel provider, stated that it is unlikely the industry will converge on a single fuel in the future.

“The solutions will be varied, and likely regional. In the short term, there are two fuels emerging as transition fuels: LNG and a blend with renewable sources, which is biodiesel,” he explained.

“For cruise ships, Petrobras’s main challenge is always to supply,” he added, highlighting the good results of the past two cruise seasons in Brazil.