Hapag-Lloyd has signed an agreement with Goldwind, a clean energy company based in Beijing, for the supply of 250,000 tons of green methanol per year.
“With our Strategy 2030, we are fully committed to the 1.5-degree target of the Paris Agreement and thus also to sustainable investments,” emphasised Hapag-Lloyd CEO Rolf Habben Jansen. “With this agreement, we are securing a significant part of our demand for green fuels. This brings us a significant step closer to our goal of achieving net-zero fleet operations by 2045. It is and remains our clear ambition to play a leading role in the transformation of liner shipping.”
By 2030, the container shipping company aims to reduce the fleet’s absolute greenhouse gas emissions by around a third compared to 2022. Compared to conventional fuels, the ordered quantity of green methanol in fleet operations can save up to 400,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
Methanol from a mix of bioethanol and e-methanol
The green methanol will consist of a mix of bio- and e-methanol, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 70% and comply with all current sustainability certifications. Goldwind plans to build a new methanol plant next to its existing project in the Chinese province of Hinggan. In the meantime, Goldwind will additionally provide early delivery of green methanol in 2026.
“We are honoured to enter into this agreement with Hapag-Lloyd. This cooperation proves once again that Goldwind is gaining the trust of one of the most important shipping companies,” said Wu Gang, Chairman of Goldwind. This is closely in line with Goldwind’s corporate vision.
“The planned new plant will share technology, utilities, facilities and infrastructure with the neighbouring sister plant, thereby increasing production efficiency,” added Liu Rixin, Head of Goldwind Green Methanol. The decision on the financial investment has yet to be made by the Goldwind Board of Directors. The company expects to complete a megaton green methanol plant in Hinggan Province by the end of 2027.
Green methanol is an important part of Hapag-Lloyd’s multi-fuel strategy
“Green methanol is an important part of Hapag-Lloyd’s multi-fuel strategy and underlines our commitment to more sustainable shipping solutions,” said Jan Christensen, Senior Director Global Fuel Purchasing at Hapag-Lloyd. “This initiative is made possible by strong partnerships and we greatly value our collaboration with Goldwind, whose expertise and shared vision will help us make important progress towards decarbonisation.”
The green methanol will be used to power, among others, the five 10,100 TEU charter vessels that Hapag-Lloyd and Seaspan are converting to methanol dual-fuel propulsion in 2026. In addition to the recent investment decision for 24 new container vessels with low-emission dual-fuel liquid gas engines announced on November 6th, the investment in green methanol is an additional step to prepare the shipping company for a multi-fuel future and to further decarbonise the liner shipping industry.
