The Future of Sustainable Shipping: ZEMBA’s Second Tender for E-Fuel-Powered Services
The buyers’ alliance established in 2023 to spur demand for decarbonization in shipping officially opened its second, larger tender for shipping services, this time requiring the use of e-fuel. The concept behind the initiative known as ZEMBA (Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance) and facilitated by the Aspen Institute builds demand by aggregating the shipping needs of members ranging from Ikea and Nike to Levi Straus and Electrolux.
Over forty major manufacturing and consumer brands are currently members of the alliance. The group launched its first tender in 2024, aiming to accelerate the commercial deployment of clean energy-powered shipping. By aggregating demand, they are enabling economies of scale and building lead-edge demand to encourage the shipping and fuel industries to pursue their initiatives.
Under the first tender, well-known brands including Amazon, Patagonia, Bauhaus, New Balance, Nike, REI, and others agreed to purchase over one billion TEU miles on the route between Singapore and Rotterdam in 2025 and 2026. Hapag-Lloyd won the tender and will provide an independently certified and exclusive waste-based biomethane service.
ZEMBA’s Shift to E-Fuels
The second tender, launched recently, shifts focus to e-fuels. ZEMBA reported in October 2024 that there is sufficient predicted supply of e-methanol and e-methanol-capable vessels in the container segment to support their focus on e-fuel deployment. However, many producers are still at the pre-FID stage, casting doubt on the projected timelines for production and the actual use of e-fuels.
With the second tender, ZEMBA aims to aggregate approximately 86 billion tonne nautical miles of demand for the emissions abatement associated with e-fuel-powered shipping to be deployed starting in 2027. This will enable companies to abate approximately 500,000 metric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, subject to final commercial details.
Next Steps for ZEMBA
“Getting e-fuel-powered shipping on the water for the first time through this collaborative forward procurement will be a huge technical and commercial innovation milestone for the sector,” said Ingrid Irigoyen, President and CEO of ZEMBA.
A qualifying bid for ZEMBA’s tender will be a proposal from a containership carrier or consortium for e-fuel-powered shipping for three to five years, starting around 2027. All bids must demonstrate at least a 90 percent lifecycle emission reduction for the primary propulsion of the vessels compared to a high-emission fuel baseline.
ZEMBA will select the best proposal(s), and after vetting and commercial negotiation, members will enter bilateral contracts with the winner(s). Results of the second tender are expected to be announced by the end of 2025.