< Overview
First-of-a-Kind Project Support
Helping early decarbonization efforts move forward when there is no playbook.
What this is
First-of-a-kind decarbonization projects sit at the edge of what the maritime system already knows how to do.
The technology may be plausible. The ambition may be real. But safety, class, insurance, operations, regulation, and commercial incentives have not yet lined up.
This work focuses on supporting teams through that early, fragile phase—when uncertainty is high, scrutiny is intense, and momentum is hardest to maintain.
Why this phase is uniquely difficult
Early decarbonization efforts tend to stall for reasons that are not purely technical:
Safety and operational assumptions are still forming
Institutions evaluate risk through different lenses
Responsibilities and interfaces are not yet clearly owned
No one wants to be the first visible failure
In this phase, progress often slows not because the idea is wrong, but because the system cannot yet accept it.
How I engage
I work in an embedded role, focused on helping first-of-a-kind efforts navigate uncertainty and move toward credible execution.
My role is not to replace engineering, project management, or institutional authority.
It is to work across boundaries, helping teams surface assumptions, align stakeholders, and make progress before every answer is known.
Engagements may be short and focused, or longer and more deeply embedded, depending on the phase and ambition of the effort. What matters is not duration, but mode.
What I typically help with
While every project is different, this work often includes:
Framing early safety and operational concepts in ways that can stand up to scrutiny
Preparing early concepts for external scrutiny and structured review
Identifying gaps between design intent, operational reality, and institutional expectations
Helping align shipowners, ports, fuel providers, and technology partners around shared assumptions
Supporting decision-making under uncertainty without pretending that uncertainty doesn’t exist
The focus is always on helping teams move forward responsibly, rather than waiting for perfect clarity.
What this is not
To be clear, this role is not:
EPC delivery or detailed engineering
Acting as class, flag, or regulatory authority
Arm’s-length advisory or validation
A substitute for long-term operational ownership
My contribution sits between these functions, helping them connect and work together during the most uncertain phase.
What success looks like
Success in first-of-a-kind work is often quiet:
Assumptions are explicit rather than implicit
Risk is understood and bounded, not ignored
Institutions stay engaged rather than disengaging
Teams regain momentum and clarity about next steps
Sometimes this leads directly to deployment. Other times it leads to a clearer understanding of what must change before deployment is viable. Both outcomes are valuable.
When this is a good fit
This type of support is most useful when:
You are attempting something genuinely new in shipping decarbonization
The path forward is not yet fully defined
Multiple institutions or stakeholders need to be aligned
You want someone embedded with the team, helping drive real decisions and action
It is less useful when the work is already routine, or when engagement is intentionally kept at arm’s length from decision-making.
Interested in exploring a first-of-a-kind effort?
If you are working on an early-stage decarbonization project and think this kind of embedded support could be helpful, I’m happy to have an initial conversation.