Awareness increases acceptance and willingness to pay for low-carbon fuels amongst marine passengers

Abstract

One of the main applications discussed in decarbonising the marine sector is via alternative fuels, such as methanol and ammonia, produced from renewable hydrogen. These alternative, low-carbon fuels often come with increased prices and operational expenses for the vessel operators, which are ultimately reflected in the passengers' costs. Therefore, it is important to assess passengers' familiarity with expressions linked to decarbonisation and their willingness to pay this ‘green premium’ for alternative fuels. To assess these, we ran a survey-based study and collected close to 2000 answers through different channels from marine passengers, specifically from those travelling in the Northern European region on roll-on/roll-off passenger (RoPax) vessels. We found that most of the passengers prioritise environmental friendliness in marine fuels and are concerned about environmental issues. However, there seems to be a lack of knowledge about fuels and fuel technologies. Familiarity with certain alternative fuel-related expressions results in a more positive view of them. The observed willingness to pay is affected by the level of education, income, and place of residence, in addition to the level of concern about environmental issues, frequency of travel and spending on trips. Close to 80% of passengers are willing to increase their spending if the vessel is powered by a low-carbon, alternative fuel. As the results indicate that the more passengers know about alternative fuels and their benefits, the more willing they are to pay for them, it is recommended that RoPax operators invest in educating them.