Multi-Criteria Safety and Performance Assessment of Alternative Marine Fuels for Marine Applications

The transition to alternative marine fuels introduces complex safety, environmental, and operational challenges that must be addressed to ensure reliable marine engine performance. This study applies a structured multi-criteria decision-making framework to evaluate candidate marine fuels, integrating stakeholder insights and technical data to inform risk-aware prioritization. Primary data was collected via structured questionnaires and analyzed using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Evidential Reasoning (ER) methods, enabling systematic comparison of alternative fuels across safety, environmental, economic, and operational criteria. There is a focus on several alternative marine fuels, such as LNG, Liquid Hydrogen, Methanol, Ammonia, Biofuels and Hydrogen fuel Cells. Similarly, the analysis also assesses the various "colors" of Hydrogen against availability of technology, cost of production and emissions produced. The resulting prioritization provides a transparent, evidence-based basis for decision-making, highlighting fuels that minimize risk while maximizing reliability and performance. This work demonstrates the applicability of decision-theory methods to complex, safety-critical maritime systems, offering a framework to support strategic fuel transition while maintaining operational reliability and mitigating potential hazards.

Keywords: Alternative marine fuels, multi-criteria decision analysis, Risk assessment, Safety, Reliability, Analytical Hierarchy Process, Evidential Reasoning, Maritime systems.