One of the key enablers to achieve this will be the use of future fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol. These fuels are beginning to emerge in demonstrations and initial use cases, but ultimately there is a long way to go before they are established in the maritime sector.
To drive this change, the Clydebank Declaration was signed by 24 countries at COP26. Led by Department for Transport (DfT), the signatories have committed to establishing green shipping corridors, with the aim to have six in operation globally by the mid-2020s.
Clean Tyne Shipping Corridor
The Clean Tyne Shipping Corridor project brought together the Port of Tyne, Connected Places Catapult, EDF R&D UK, Lloyds Register, Newcastle University, Arup and the North East LEP to jointly assess the feasibility of a green shipping corridor from the Port of Tyne to the Port of Rotterdam.
The consortium has created a ‘Clean Tyne Shipping Corridor Roadmap’, creating a blueprint for establishing a green shipping corridor powered by renewable methanol along the Tyne-Rotterdam route. This path identifies a series of milestones and activities that must be delivered by the Port of Tyne, the port’s customers, and the green methanol supply chain. In particular, the roadmap covers:
- Methanol production/supply
- Vessel decarbonisation pathway
- Port and bunkering infrastructure
- Other partners/enablers.
This roadmap is intended to stimulate regional stakeholders to work together on their strategies to decarbonise the maritime sector in the northeast. Whilst not a prescriptive plan, it highlights the key milestones and activities which would enable the supply of a green methanol bunkering hub at the Port of Tyne, and the development of the Clean Tyne Shipping Corridor.
