Canada, UAE Join Project Seeking to Boost Zero-Carbon Bunker Production

The project will aim to bring together public and private senior-level stakeholders from across the energy-maritime value chain to advance the production, export and import of zero-carbon fuels. File Image / Pixabay

The governments of Canada and the UAE are set to participate in a new project seeking to boost the production of zero-carbon bunker fuels.

Industry bodies the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Association of Ports and Harbors, in partnership with the Clean Energy Maritime Taskforce, announced the Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative at a conference in Pittsburgh on Friday.

Canada and the UAE were announced as early participants in the public-private platform between the energy and maritime sectors to de-risk investments in future fuels, ICS said in a statement on its website.

The project will aim to bring together public and private senior-level stakeholders from across the energy-maritime value chain to advance the production, export and import of zero-carbon fuels.

"Currently, the expansion of the UAE's hydrogen economy is in process with mega projects involving several of our leading ports," Nawal Al-Hanaee, director of the future energy department at the UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, said in the statement.

"The two-gigawatt green ammonia project by Taqa, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, and Abu Dhabi Ports is one such project that will produce green hydrogen and process it into liquid ammonia, to be used in ships as bunker fuel and for export.

"This coupled with other endeavours by our ports will reinforce the UAE's position as a key competitive maritime hub.

"Therefore, we are looking forward to our collaboration with all international governments, such as Canada, to reinforce the adoption of hydrogen technologies and fuels."