Major ports to focus on facilitating bunkering and adoption of cleaner bunker fuels

The World Port Climate Action Program (WPCAP), a cooperation of leading international ports, recently said one of its main focus in the coming years is to facilitate the bunkering and adoption of cleaner bunker fuels.

WPCAP said the ports have worked with the International Association of Ports and Harbours’ Clean Marine Fuels working group to create a Port Readiness Framework, a self-assessment and communications tool that allows various stakeholders to understand the different levels of research, development and deployment of new fuels at ports around the world.

“Given the urgency of the climate crisis and shipping’s commitments to reducing emissions in line with international regulations, we must take action now. It took almost nine years shipping to adopt LNG as a marine fuel. We cannot wait that long for the deployment of ammonia, methanol, hydrogen and other clean fuels,” said Namrata Nadkarni, chair of the working group on sustainable marine fuels and founder of maritime consultancy Intent Communications. 

“Our Port Readiness Level is an ideal way for ports to assess their ability to host vessel calls or bunker individual fuels, communicate this with stakeholders and identify areas where more resources are needed to meet their alternative fuel and technology ambitions. ”

The tool is expected to be ready for voluntary use by ports towards the end of the year.

Where the fuel readiness framework will set the standard for the bunkering of new fuels, green corridor initiatives are seen as key to facilitate the deployment of fuels in practice, particularly on longer international shipping routes.

“There has been a lot of talk about the need to shift to new fuels in the industry and multiple green corridor initiatives have been announced to address this”, says Heather Tomley, Managing Director of Planning and Environmental Affairs for the Port of Long Beach, California. 

“Now it is time to put this into action and work together as ports to bring fuel suppliers and shippers on board so that we see the first sustainable vessels on these international routes within the next few years.”

WPCAP member ports are already part of five green corridor initiatives, spanning routes around the globe from Singapore and Shanghai to LA, Vancouver and Rotterdam, and WPCAP members agreed to set an example and enable the deployment of more low- and zero carbon vessels along these routes in the coming years.

CEO of the Global Maritime Forum Johannah Christensen also emphasised the importance of green corridors to stimulate the use of new fuels, alongside regulation: 

“We need to reach the level of uptake of new fuels that lead to a tipping point, where the new technology takes off by itself. Green Corridors are about taking that first step that allows users to test fuels and technologies on a less complex scale and an opportunity for mutually reinforcing actions,” said Christensen.

WPCAP members are the ports of Antwerp – Bruges, Barcelona, Gothenburg, Hamburg, HAROPA PORT (Le Havre – Rouen – Paris), Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York / New Jersey, Rotterdam, Valencia, Vancouver and Yokohama.

Photo credit: World Port Climate Action Program
Published: 1 June, 2023