ZEMBA in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, is excited to announce the launch of a report titled: Availability of E-Fuels and E-Fuel-Capable Vessels from 2027-2030: Key Findings from a Request for Information for the Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance. ZEMBA’s press release announcing the publication of the report is available here.

The report summarizes findings from a request for information (RFI) that both organizations ran earlier in 2024 to assess the market readiness for the commercial deployment of e-fuels in the maritime shipping sector. The aim of the RFI was to help inform the design and scope of ZEMBA forthcoming e-fuel-focused tender, which will be launched in early 2025.

View Report Here

In April 2024, ZEMBA announced that it successfully completed its first collective tender for zero-emission shipping solutions. Over a dozen companies have committed to purchase the environmental attributes associated with over 1 billion twenty-foot equivalent container unit (TEU)/miles of zero-emission shipping on a route from Singapore to Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2025-2026.

Global container line Hapag-Lloyd won ZEMBA's first tender. Their certified, exclusively waste-based biomethane service will provide members with an over 90% emissions reduction on a lifecycle basis on their volume committed through the ZEMBA tender.

Climate-leading cargo owner members have demonstrated willingness to pay for zero-emission shipping solutions above and beyond what current regulation requires. Looking ahead, ZEMBA will focus subsequent tenders on further developing the e-fuels market. The next tender is expected to launch in 2024. Revisit the first tender's timeline and learn more about ZEMBA's first tender at the links below:

View Press Release

ZEMBA Tender FAQ's

ZEMBA’s Biomethane Value Chain

ZEMBA membership is open to any company that purchases ocean-going, container freight services. Together, members will:

• Gain access to to purchase cost-competitive environmental attributes associated ZE shipping services through a tested, low-risk mechanism
• Lower their Scope 3 emissions
• Catalyze ZE investments across the maritime sector
• Effectively demonstrate climate leadership

When considering ZEMBA membership for our Round 2 Tender, please remember:

• There is no membership fee
• Contracting is bilateral with no impact to your current logistics or procurement practices
• By acting ahead of regulation, your company can show demonstrable climate leadership and avoid the costs of delayed action
• There is no obligation to participate in future tenders

To join ZEMBA as a member, please email zemba@aspeninstitute.org.

Download Zemba One Pager

The tender was the first major buyer-led initiative to accelerate the transition to zero-emission maritime fuels, helping ZEMBA members considerably reduce GHG emissions in the near term while sending a demand signal for the further development of ZE fuels and technologies.

For the tender, ZEMBA developed a multifaceted ZE fuels criteria and in depth lifecycle analysis (LCA) guidelines which helped guide bidders in their submission of bids.

For the first tender, ZEMBA was seeking bids that met the following criteria:

• Sufficient capacity to move 1.15 bn TEU-nm/year on a transoceanic route over three years.
• Fuels/technologies that achieve at least 90% GHG emission reductions compared to low-sulfur fuel oil on a lifecycle basis.
• Transparent fuel lifecycle emissions and certification to validate emission reduction claims.

ZEMBA’s ZE fuels definition and LCA guidelines used in the first-round tender can be found below. ZEMBA plans to update the ZE fuel definition and LCA guidelines for subsequent tenders.

For potential bidders interested in gaining more information specifically about ZEMBA's next tender focused on e-fuels, please email rfp.zemba@aspeninstitute.org.

Round 1 Ze Fuels Definition

Round 1 LCA Guidelines