Hapag-Lloyd highlights bio-methane bunkering milestones under ZEMBA initiative

German liner Hapag-Lloyd on Monday (19 May) announced its key bunkering milestones under the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) initiative.

At the end of March, its container ship Hanoi Express bunkered 1,800 metric tonnes (mt) of bio-methane in Rotterdam – generating the first Sustainable Marine Fuel Certificates (SMFc) under the ZEMBA initiative.

A few weeks later, another container ship Rotterdam Express bunkered 3,000 mt of bio-methane in Wilhelmshaven. 

“This marked another game-changing moment: the first time ever this renewable fuel has been supplied at that terminal! A powerful next step on the industry’s path to decarbonisation – and towards our net-zero fleet operations goals by 2045,” it said in a social media post. 

Both vessels are among the company’s new class of 12 dual-fuel ships, designed to run on LNG and ready to operate on alternative fuels like bio-methane and e-methane.

“This is just the start – more vessels are set to join the ZEMBA initiative in 2025, helping to reduce emissions along key trade routes such as Asia–Europe,” Hapag-Lloyd added. 

The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) is a non-profit buyer’s group––currently comprised of over 40 major multinational companies––working to accelerate the most sustainable, scalable and economically viable solutions for the maritime sector.

In April 2024, Hapag-Lloyd won ZEMBA’s first tender and is supporting members to collectively abate at least 82,000 mt of CO2e in 2025 and 2026 through Hapag-Lloyd’s independently certified and exclusively waste-based bio-methane service. 

ZEMBA and Hapag-Lloyd utilise a book and claim system to facilitate verification and credible and appropriate allocation of the environmental attributes of Hapag-Lloyd’s waste-based biomethane shipping service.

Related: Gasum to supply Hapag-Lloyd with waste-based bio-LNG bunker fuel

Photo credit: Hapag-Lloyd
Published: 20 May, 2025