Shipping players issued a joint letter to the European Commission urging to promote the use of green hydrogen and ammonia by ships as part of its upcoming maritime fuel law.
In fact, CMB, DFDS, Torvald Klaveness, Viking Cruises; the association of hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuel producers Hydrogen Europe; maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register; and commodities trader Trafigura, called on the European Commission to use the FuelEU Maritime initiative to stimulate the deployment of green hydrogen and ammonia for shipping.
As the letter states:
“In order to deliver a sustainable, scalable and cost-effective green transition for maritime transport, the signatories call on the European Commission to stimulate within the framework of the FuelEU Maritime initiative the deployment of green hydrogen and ammonia for shipping. There are many potential alternative fuels for shipping, but not all are equally promising. Crop-based biofuels are more damaging than fossil fuels”.
In addition, partners noted that biofuels do not offer a sustainable alternative for shipping, as crop-based biofuels emit more than the fossil fuels they replace and there will not be enough advanced biofuels.
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Instead, lawmakers must send a clear signal to potential investors to focus on renewable electricity-based hydrogen and ammonia when the EU proposes its maritime fuel policy next month, the letter notes.
In light of the situation, Faïg Abbasov, shipping programme director at T&E, said:
“Green hydrogen and ammonia offer a clean future for the shipping and fuels industry. The EU must give them the investment certainty they need to flourish by requiring all ships carrying European trade to progressively make the switch.”
Globally, €1.4 trillion in capital investments will be required to produce green hydrogen and ammonia for the shipping industry. The European Commission should seize this opportunity to create new jobs and support sustainable economic growth – in line with the EU Green Deal, the groups say.
As Faïg Abbasov continued:
“Unlike advanced biofuels, green hydrogen and ammonia can be scaled to meet the energy demand of the global industry. And even the largest ships can be powered by these fuels. It is high time that European Commission changes the focus from ‘quick and dirty’ biofuels to truly sustainable alternatives.”
Concluding, the European Commission will propose its FuelEU Maritime Initiative in April. Shipping accounts for about 13% of greenhouse gas emissions from European transport.
