The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) on Wednesday (17 December) announced global container line Hapag-Lloyd and regional feeder North Sea Container Line (NCL) have won ZEMBA’s second tender, enabling ZEMBA’s members to abate ocean transport emissions by deploying two hydrogen-derived e-fuels.

ZEMBA said this was a key milestone in the clean energy transition of the maritime shipping industry as it bolsters two fuel pathways to future-proof this critical sector, supports new economic opportunities around the world, and mitigates the sector’s significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Based on commitments to date, this ground-breaking effort will enable participating member companies, including cofounders Amazon, Patagonia and Tchibo, and members including Beiersdorf, Brooks Running, Green Worldwide Shipping, IKEA, Nike, Poly Medicure Ltd., and Sport-Thieme to deploy e-fuels on an initial 20 billion tonne nautical miles of transport activity over three years, with some members extending to five years. 

This results in at least approximately a combined 120,000 metric tonnes (mt) of GHG emissions abated, starting in 2027.  Contracting remains ongoing, and ZEMBA welcomes additional freight buyers to reach out through ZEMBA’s website if interested in joining this deal. 

Through these deployments, the two winning shipping lines, Hapag-Lloyd and NCL, are redefining what’s possible in this industry:  

• Hapag-Lloyd will deploy e-methanol on large methanol dual-fuel containerships, on a trans-oceanic lane.  
• NCL will deploy the world’s first e-ammonia-powered containership, serving a northern European trade lane.  

Both fuels will be made with low-carbon hydrogen produced with renewable energy and will deliver a carbon intensity reduction of at least 90% on a lifecycle basis relative to conventional high-emission fuel.  

“We applaud Hapag-Lloyd and North Sea Container Line’s leadership, collaboration, and innovation, as well as the quality of their offerings in response to ZEMBA’s pioneering market signal,” said Ingrid Irigoyen, President and CEO of ZEMBA. “This voluntary private sector initiative remains on track to invest in rapid on-the-water deployment of vastly scalable, next-generation maritime fuels.”  

“At a time when sourcing scalable e-fuels remains a major challenge for the entire industry, winning the second ZEMBA tender is a significant milestone for us. Deploying e-methanol is an essential step in our journey to reach net-zero fleet operations by 2045. We are very grateful for the trust that all ZEMBA members have placed in our capabilities, and we remain fully committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing to a greener future for global shipping,” said Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd. 

“We are proud to be awarded together with Hapag-Lloyd the ZEMBA tender, reaffirming NCL’s commitment to shaping the future of sustainable logistics,” said Bente Hetland, CEO of NCL. “With a dedicated product for ZEMBA’s members who are ready to drive real change, NCL will continue to push the transition towards next generation maritime fuels. We are truly grateful for the strong support from the business community as we work together to deliver efficient and forward-thinking transport solutions.” 

Following ZEMBA’s novel inaugural tender in 2024, ZEMBA’s second procurement focused on kickstarting a new market for scalable, low-carbon hydrogen-derived e-fuels that will be essential to achieve an economically viable whole-of-sector maritime clean energy transition. 

Just as global renewable energy costs have declined significantly in recent years as the market has matured, e-methanol and e-ammonia that are produced with clean energy offer great potential for economies of scale. With this announcement, ZEMBA’s first-mover members are demonstrating support for scalable, strategic, and holistic supply chain sustainability solutions that can enable them to meet long-term goals.  

This latest announcement also reinforces the importance of credible, third-party verified, and transparent book and claim chain of custody systems to activate early voluntary corporate demand and create markets for new technology solutions. 

For highly distributed global sectors like ocean transportation, these systems enable demand from buyers around the world to flow to first-mover suppliers that are ready for deployment, irrespective of geographic availability constraints that would otherwise render such commercial arrangements impossible. 

Photo credit: Hapag-Lloyd
Published: 19 December, 2025