Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
What if the fastest way to cut shipping emissions isn’t new fuels, but the waste ships already create?
And what if it’s cheaper than fossil fuel?
Shipping moves around 90% of global trade, yet it remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. High energy density, brutal cost sensitivity, and endless debate about hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol have left the industry stuck. In this episode, I sit down with Nicholas Ball, CEO and founder of XFuel, to talk about a different approach that actually works with today’s ships.
XFuel is developing drop-in, low-carbon fuels made from difficult waste streams, including oily residues and sludges generated on ships themselves. These fuels work in existing engines, use existing infrastructure, and can deliver up to 85% lifecycle emissions reductions, verified under EU regulations. No retrofits. No waiting for ports to rebuild. No fantasy timelines.
In this conversation, we dig into why economics, not ideology, decides climate outcomes in shipping. You’ll hear why shipping is one of the most price-sensitive industries on Earth, why infrastructure uncertainty is paralysing fuel decisions, and why many “clean fuel” proposals quietly fail once real costs show up. We also unpack how recycled carbon fuels are assessed, how lifecycle emissions are calculated, and why adoption today matters more than perfect solutions tomorrow.
We don’t dodge the hard topics either. Hydrogen gets a proper reality check. Electrification is defended where it makes sense and rejected where it doesn’t. And we talk honestly about what success looks like by 2035 for hard-to-abate sectors trying to reach net zero without blowing up global trade.
If you care about climate tech that scales, real emissions reduction, and solutions that shipowners can actually use right now, this episode is for you.
👉 What’s your take? Let me know below 👇
🎧 Listen to the full podcast:
climateconfidentpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe for more climate tech conversations:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
⏱️ Timestamps:
See chapters below
Guest:
Nicholas Ball, CEO & Founder, XFuel
xfuel.com
2️⃣ 💡 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why shipping is so hard to decarbonise
02:10 – The fuel cost problem no one likes to talk about
04:45 – Why infrastructure uncertainty is paralysing ports
07:20 – What “drop-in fuel” actually means in practice
10:05 – Turning ship waste into low-carbon fuel
13:40 – How lifecycle emissions are calculated and verified
17:30 – Why XFuel targets shipping and aviation, not cars
20:55 – Hydrogen, electrification, and energy inefficiency
25:40 – Scaling from pilots to commercial fuel production
29:10 – What real success looks like by 2035
32:45 – Advice for climate tech founders building in reality
What if the fastest way to cut shipping emissions isn’t new fuels, but the waste ships already create?
And what if it’s cheaper than fossil fuel?
Shipping moves around 90% of global trade, yet it remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. High energy density, brutal cost sensitivity, and endless debate about hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol have left the industry stuck. In this episode, I sit down with Nicholas Ball, CEO and founder of XFuel, to talk about a different approach that actually works with today’s ships.
XFuel is developing drop-in, low-carbon fuels made from difficult waste streams, including oily residues and sludges generated on ships themselves. These fuels work in existing engines, use existing infrastructure, and can deliver up to 85% lifecycle emissions reductions, verified under EU regulations. No retrofits. No waiting for ports to rebuild. No fantasy timelines.
In this conversation, we dig into why economics, not ideology, decides climate outcomes in shipping. You’ll hear why shipping is one of the most price-sensitive industries on Earth, why infrastructure uncertainty is paralysing fuel decisions, and why many “clean fuel” proposals quietly fail once real costs show up. We also unpack how recycled carbon fuels are assessed, how lifecycle emissions are calculated, and why adoption today matters more than perfect solutions tomorrow.
We don’t dodge the hard topics either. Hydrogen gets a proper reality check. Electrification is defended where it makes sense and rejected where it doesn’t. And we talk honestly about what success looks like by 2035 for hard-to-abate sectors trying to reach net zero without blowing up global trade.
If you care about climate tech that scales, real emissions reduction, and solutions that shipowners can actually use right now, this episode is for you.
👉 What’s your take? Let me know below 👇
🎧 Listen to the full podcast:
climateconfidentpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe for more climate tech conversations:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube
⏱️ Timestamps:
See chapters below
Guest:
Nicholas Ball, CEO & Founder, XFuel
xfuel.com
2️⃣ 💡 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why shipping is so hard to decarbonise
02:10 – The fuel cost problem no one likes to talk about
04:45 – Why infrastructure uncertainty is paralysing ports
07:20 – What “drop-in fuel” actually means in practice
10:05 – Turning ship waste into low-carbon fuel
13:40 – How lifecycle emissions are calculated and verified
17:30 – Why XFuel targets shipping and aviation, not cars
20:55 – Hydrogen, electrification, and energy inefficiency
25:40 – Scaling from pilots to commercial fuel production
29:10 – What real success looks like by 2035
32:45 – Advice for climate tech founders building in reality
