The maritime industry is entering a new phase – one defined by tightening decarbonisation deadlines, limited yard capacity, and mounting commercial pressure to keep fleets trading. Yet many of the technical service models that the industry still relies on were designed for a different era: one of planned yard periods, predictable schedules, and relatively static systems.
Today, that model no longer fits. Regulatory frameworks like FuelEU Maritime, the EU ETS, and the IMO’s decarbonisation strategy are reshaping priorities across global fleets.
The outcome of the IMO’s recent MEPC ES.2 session, held from 14 to 17 October 2025, highlights how fluid the regulatory landscape remains. With adoption of the IMO’s Net-Zero Framework delayed, shipowners still lack clarity on future fuel standards and carbon-pricing timelines, while regional regimes gain time to diverge from IMO policy. This uncertainty reinforces the need for adaptable retrofit strategies that meet varying regional requirements and for partners capable of engineering agility. Now is the time for owners to plan pathways, prepare fleets, and build flexibility into upgrade schedules so they’re ready to move when regulation catches up.
At the same time, the rapid evolution of clean and alternative fuel technologies (from air lubrication and advanced wastewater treatment to methanol and hybrid-readiness retrofits) is driving unprecedented demand for engineering precision and project agility.
Beyond the shipyard
Industry data paints a clear picture of the challenge. Lloyd’s Register estimates that the world’s shipyards can collectively manage around 465 retrofits a year, while demand is projected to exceed 1,000 vessels needing upgrades annually. Meanwhile, modelling by ABS and Maritime Strategies International indicate that capacity shortfalls will emerge before 2030, with Drewry forecasting a sharp rise in repair yard days as retrofit activity accelerates.
For owners of high-demand assets such as cruise ships, cable layers, and offshore support vessels, lengthy drydock stays are both costly as well as increasingly incompatible with vessel schedules that are seeking to maximise the number of in-operation days. This imbalance is forcing shipowners to rethink their approach to retrofit execution and explore models that enable upgrades on-voyage or during time-limited port calls.
Traditional yard-based retrofit models simply don’t align with the realities of modern operations. The future lies in lifecycle-led, engineering-driven delivery that complements the yard rather than competing with it.
From static interventions to continuous strategy
Retrofitting can no longer be viewed as a periodic, one-off intervention. It has become part of a continuous operational strategy that preserves uptime, reduces compliance risk, and maintains commercial flexibility. Achieving this requires technical partners who can operate within a vessel’s schedule rather than forcing it to adapt, and who combine engineering precision, global reach, and operational discipline.
Bluestone’s approach is built on that philosophy. With over 1,000 retrofit projects completed globally, we have developed proven methodologies for executing complex upgrades at sea, on voyage, or during short yard stays – without compromising safety or quality.
Projects have included the installation of 45-tonne HVAC chillers on cruise vessels in under 72 hours, integration of air lubrication systems across multiple regions, and advanced wastewater treatment retrofits within confined, operational engine rooms. Each project demonstrates that with the right preparation, major upgrades can be completed at sea, at speed, and at scale.
Engineering for consistency and lifecycle value
What differentiates leading retrofit partners today is not just technical ability, but the capacity to deliver consistency across fleets and regions. At Bluestone, we achieve this through centralised front-end engineering, a vetted global supply chain, and multidisciplinary teams led by dedicated project managers.
This ensures the same technical standards, safety culture, and reporting quality – whether a vessel is in Europe, Asia, or the Americas. It also allows owners to align retrofit execution with lifecycle milestones, integrating technical upgrades around operational schedules rather than during extended downtime.
Evolving standards
The next wave of retrofits for methanol, ammonia, and to enable greater degrees of onboard hybridisation will demand even greater integration across electrical, structural, and automation systems. Digital tools will play an increasingly vital role in simulation, prefabrication, and real-time reporting, but execution capability and hands-on experience will remain the defining differentiators.
As decarbonisation accelerates and regulatory timelines tighten, one principle is becoming clear: the future of maritime technical services will belong to those who can deliver continuous improvement without interrupting operational continuity – leaving ships free to do what they do best; deliver economic returns for their owners and operators.