Consortium outlines future plans for LA/LB-Shanghai green corridor

The Los Angeles/Long Beach-Shanghai green corridor partnership will establish standards for the use of low- and zero-emission fuels within the corridor by the end of this year.

PHOTO: Aerial view of Port of Shanghai in China. Getty Images

Last September, the consortium announced that shipping partners, including CMA CGM, Cosco, A.P. Moller-Maersk, and Ocean Network Express, would start deploying alternative fuel-capable ships in the corridor by 2025.

Now, the consortium has outlined plans to improve bunkering infrastructure in Shanghai by the end of 2024 to facilitate deployment by next year, according to its latest annual progress report. But the partners have not yet specified which fuels will be prioritised in the corridor.

A working group from the green corridor committee plans to establish a fuel production and supply schedule to match the corridor's fuel demand by the end of this year.

The shipping companies will also assess the feasibility of deploying a container ship capable of running on zero-emission fuel by 2030. This is likely to be an ammonia-capable container ship, as green ammonia produced from green hydrogen is the closest to a zero-emission fuel that could potentially power ocean-going container ships.

The consortium has emphasised that the quantity, quality, and price of green fuels, along with cost-mitigation strategies, remain significant challenges for the green shipping corridor moving forward. It also highlighted the necessity of addressing issues related to the absence of “clear and globally consistent” regulations.

By Konica Bhatt

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