lomarlabs, the technology development and venture catalyst arm of Lomar Shipping Ltd (Lomar), a leading ship owner and ship management group, and a maritime subsidiary of Libra Group, has announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Blaze Energy Technologies Corporation (Blaze Energy) to pilot a third-generation, compact, engine-integrated fuel reformer designed to accelerate the practical adoption of alternative fuels in commercial shipping.
The collaboration will culminate in a pilot installation onboard a Lomar vessel, enabling Blaze Energy to validate its multi-fuel reforming system under real marine operating conditions.
The Flex-Fuel Reformer converts ammonia, methanol, or methane (LNG/bioLNG) into hydrogen directly onboard the ship, allowing propulsion and power generation machinery and equipment to efficiently operate on full or partial hydrogen blends to reduce associated emissions without compromising operational flexibility.
The installed system will first be proven through ammonia.
Addressing a critical barrier to alternative fuels
Against the backdrop of tightening regulation – including the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and FuelEU Maritime – shipowners face increasing uncertainty around future fuel pathways, fuel availability, and long-term compliance strategies.
With vessels representing multi-decade investments, the risk of premature lock-in to a single fuel or propulsion solution has become a central strategic concern.
Blaze Energy addresses this challenge by enabling existing engines to operate efficiently with multiple alternative fuels through compact, engine-integrated fuel reforming.
By converting ammonia, methanol, or LNG into hydrogen directly at the engine, the system supports hydrogen-assisted combustion without the need for large standalone equipment or dedicated hydrogen supply chains.
Injecting small quantities of hydrogen accelerates combustion of slow-burning fuels such as ammonia, reducing ammonia slip, improving combustion efficiency, and mitigating methane slip in LNG engines.
This allows owners to achieve measurable emissions and efficiency benefits while preserving operational and commercial optionality across fuels.
The energy transition in shipping will be non-linear and multi-fuel for longer than we may want or expect. Technologies that create optionality, rather than betting on a single outcome, will be strategically important. Blaze Energy works to bring to market a technology that delivers optionality to owners and resolves engineering bottlenecks. Our collaboration is about giving new technology the space and support it needs to iterate, learn, and prove itself in the real world, said Stylianos Papageorgiou, Managing Director of lomarlabs.
From laboratory validation to marine pilot
Building on successful laboratory validation, Blaze Energy is preparing for its first marine pilot as the next step toward real-world deployment.
The pilot will be installed onboard a Lomar vessel and tested under real marine operating conditions, a key validation step towards the first commercial retrofit and newbuild deployments.
The pilot is designed as a capital-efficient first-ship deployment, generating the technical and operational evidence required to progress towards full classification society approval and enable follow-on installations with additional owners and engine OEM partners who seek early engagement in AiP-driven fuel-flexible deployment pathways.
This pilot marks a deliberate shift from proving technology to proving operability. By integrating the Blaze Flex-fuel System with a trading vessel, we are addressing one of the key bottlenecks in adopting alternative fuels: practical, safe, and flexible use in existing vessels. Collaborating with an owner of this caliber allows us to validate the system under class-relevant conditions and build a credible pathway toward broader deployment with owners, OEMs, and class societies, said Rok Sitar, CEO and co-founder of Blaze Energy.
A shared commitment to fuel flexibility
The collaboration reflects a shared view between lomarlabs and Blaze Energy that fuel flexibility, rather than reliance on a single future fuel, will be central to maritime decarbonisation.
By enabling vessels to bunker locally all available fuels – subject to storage tank availability – and convert them onboard, compact reforming technology offers a pragmatic pathway through uncertain fuel availability, infrastructure readiness, and regulatory evolution, for owners and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to manage fuel uncertainty and transition risk without premature commitment to a single future fuel propulsion solution.
For shipowners, the defining challenge is navigating regulatory uncertainty, uneven fuel availability, and long asset lifecycles at the same time. Technologies that preserve fuel optionality while working within existing engines and class frameworks are critical to de-risk compliance and long-term investment decisions, said Sven Schwarz, Strategic Advisor to Blaze Energy and former CEO of two leading European chemical tanker operators.
Looking ahead
The pilot is scheduled for installation in early 2027, following land-based testing and engagement with classification societies.
Both parties view the collaboration as a step toward developing engine-compatible, operationally credible pathways for alternative fuels—grounded in real-world testing rather than assumptions.
There are many pathways to improve and develop fuel use, but one common and essential direction: decarbonisation. This collaboration has the potential to help us transform the practical adoption of alternative fuels in commercial shipping, which would be of great value to owners of vessels in the water, especially those with diesel engines, said Nicholas Georgiou, CEO of Lomar.
