Buyers Alliance ZEMBA Awards Second E-Fuel Tender to Hapag-Lloyd and NCL

The tender will see e-methanol and e-ammonia power Hapag-Lloyd and NCL ships to support ZEMBA members' low-emission cargo transport. Image Credit: Hapag-Lloyd

The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) has selected shipping firms Hapag-Lloyd and North Sea Container Line (NCL) as winners of its second e-fuel freight tender.

Hapag-Lloyd will utilise e-methanol to power its dual-fuel container ships operating on a trans-oceanic route, while NCL will introduce an e-ammonia-fuelled container ship on a Northern European trade route, ZEMBA said in a statement on its website on Wednesday.

ZEMBA is a first-of-its-kind buyers' group that brings together cargo owners to help cut emissions from ocean freight. Major global companies, including Amazon, IKEA, Nike, Philips, and Meta, are part of the alliance.

Based on current commitments, ZEMBA members expect the initiative to cover approximately 20 billion tonne-nautical miles of their ocean cargo transport over three to five years. The alliance estimates this will abate at least 120,000 mt of GHG emissions from 2027.

Earlier this year, ZEMBA issued a tender invitation to container shipping firms that can offer e-fuel-powered shipping services for a duration of three to five years, beginning around 2027, to serve member cargo volumes.

Uptake of e-fuels in shipping has so far remained limited, largely due to high costs and a lack of long-term demand visibility.

The tender is expected to help support early deployments and encourage further investment in ships capable of operating on e-fuels by providing multi-year freight commitments.

Hapag-Lloyd's boxship had bunkered bio-methane under the ZEMBA initiative in May.