Port of Antwerp-Bruges becomes part of green shipping corridor

Port of Gothenburg, North Sea Port, and DFDS have welcomed the Port of Antwerp-Bruges to the green shipping corridor, bolstering green ambitions of the project.

By 2030, two DFDS ammonia-fueled roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels are expected to operate on the routes between Sweden and Belgium, and the ports will step up efforts on electrification and ammonia bunkering, potentially making it the world’s first green ammonia shipping corridor for freight vessels.

2,500 kilometers is the distance from the northernmost to the southernmost point of the green shipping corridor between Sweden and Belgium that the four partners want to establish to promote near-zero emission transport.

The corridor potentially connects 11 European countries through sea, land, and rail routes from Norway in Northern Europe to Spain in the South. In this corridor, the ports of Gothenburg, North Sea Port and Antwerp-Bruges work as transportation hubs as well as important origin and destination zones of industrial activity.

The aim is to have at least two DFDS ammonia-fueled vessels in operation on the corridor from 2030, a part of DFDS’s ambition to have six low- and near-zero-emission vessels in operation by 2030.

The ammonia-powered vessels will be complemented by electric trucks and rail transport on land and onshore power supply for the vessels.

Efforts are being intensified by the ports to facilitate electric terminal operations and enable safe ammonia bunkering. Furthermore, the partners are planning to start producing significant amounts of renewable electricity.

The three original partners signed an MoU in 2022 to work together to decarbonize the shipping corridor between Sweden and Belgium and to create a scalable solution.

The addition of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges to this coalition strengthens this commitment, according to the partners.

DFDS has applied for funding for a total of four ammonia-fueled vessels and, if the funding is granted, the project including electrification in the ports is expected to reduce 328,000 t CO2e emissions per year corresponding to around 11% of DFDS’s scope 1 GHG emissions compared to 2023.