Germany’s Port of Kiel has set the goal of reducing all of its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to zero by 2030.

The path to climate neutrality has been described in a newly released three-step plan that puts the port’s BLUE PORT concept into concrete terms.

The plan was unveiled with the first presentation of the environmental report on 24 November.

“We support the climate protection goals of the State Capital City of Kiel and are taking a pioneering role in terms of CO2 reduction. The port will be climate-neutral by the end of this decade,” Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel, stressed.

Specifically, the port’s three-step plan envisages covering 60 per cent of the energy requirements of ships calling at Kiel with green electricity as early as next year.

By 2025, this figure is expected to reach 80 to 90 percent, before climate neutrality is achieved for all activities of the Port of Kiel in 2030 through the interaction of a wide range of measures.

Emissions of nitrogen oxides and particles will also be further reduced with the help of the new measures. However, these are already being dissipated in the background pollution today and are well below the applicable limit values, the port said.

According to the environmental report, the Port of Kiel already avoided more than 6,200 tonnes of CO2 in 2020, while almost 18,800 tonnes were still emitted.

“With the presentation of the environmental report, emissions are quantified and thus transparent for the first time. It shows that the BLUE PORT strategy initiated in 2018 is having an effect. We will also assess further progress on this basis,” Dirk Scheelje, chairman of the Port of Kiel supervisory board and member of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen council faction, said.

Measures to supply all port facilities with 100 per cent climate-neutral green electricity have already been implemented. In addition, the energy demand at the terminals has been sustainably reduced by switching to economical LED technology and increasing energy efficiency, while at the same time photovoltaic systems provide around 290,000 kilowatt hours of solar energy every year.

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Port of Kiel lays out 3-step plan to reach net zero

The UK Competition & Market Authority of the United Kingdom (CMA) has provisionally found that the proposed merger of Finnish engineering majors Cargotec and Konecranes raises competition concerns in the supply of container handling equipment.

Following an in-depth investigation, the authority concluded that the merger “would lead to a significant reduction in competition in the supply of a range of container handling equipment products”.

As explained, the evidence gathered by the CMA consistently shows that Cargotec and Konecranes are both major suppliers of container handling equipment, competing closely for business in the UK, and that UK customers would have few remaining alternative suppliers after the merger.

While Cargotec and Konecranes have suggested that there would be an increased competitive threat from Chinese suppliers in future, the independent inquiry group found that this would not be sufficient to prevent the significant loss of competition that the merger of two key established suppliers would bring about.

“Container handling equipment plays a key role in the smooth running of UK ports, moving millions of containers each year to make sure that goods arrive safely on our shelves and British businesses are able to supply their customers overseas,” Martin Coleman, Chair of the CMA inquiry group, said.

“We are currently concerned that this merger could lead to a reduced quality of service or higher prices for port terminals and other customers of container handling equipment. Our competition concerns need to be addressed to ensure that these customers are not worse off as a result of the deal, and there is no negative impact on UK consumers and businesses.”

The CMA plans to issue its final report on the merger by 1 April 2022.

To remind, Cargotec and Konecranes unveiled plans to combine through a merger in autumn 2020. The duo recently unveiled their post-merger operating model. Both companies remain confident that the merger will be completed by the end of H1/2022.

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UK regulator says no to Konecranes, Cargotec merger

Swedish power-to-fuel developer Liquid Wind has received €15 million ($16.9 million) for its FlagshipONE eMethanol fuel-producing facility from Swedish Climate Leap.

The Swedish agency for environmental protection works on behalf of the Swedish government on the country’s environmental work. The goal of their initiative Climate Leap is to support local and regional investments that reduce CO2 emissions.

Swedish Climate Leap Klimatklivet has invested this significant sum in Sweden’s first eMethanol production facility. The facility is to supply the shipping industry with carbon-neutral methanol.

The FlagshipONE facility will be located in Örnsköldsvik, in the north of Sweden.

Its construction process will start in the spring of 2022. Once operational, the facility will produce 50,000 tonnes of eMethanol starting in 2024.

The facility will upcycle CO2 emissions and combine this with green hydrogen to produce eMethanol. eMethanol, when used as a marine fuel, reduces carbon emissions by 94 per cent compared to current fossil fuels.

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Liquid Wind secures $16.9M for eMethanol facility

Amsterdam-based sustainable investment management company Prow Capital has launched a €420 million (about $474 million) green shipping fund.

As informed, the fund provides shipowner loans for new and existing vessels or retrofits that comply with Prow Capital’s ESG criteria and lower their emissions in order to meet the IMO’s 2030 and 2050 goals and the EU Green Deal.

With an average investment of €15-€50 million, the fund provides senior secured debt financing to short- and deep-sea vessel owners and operators located in Europe.

The criteria for new or retrofitted green ships with measurable emission reduction include:

• Fuelled by low emission fuels including LNG, LPG, methanol and hydrogen;
• Full electric ships;
• Hybrid Eco ships, electric propulsion combined with MGO or low emission fuels;
• Fuelled by 100% alternative fuels, if measurable and enforceable.

The green shipping fund is the first fund of the 2020-established investment management company.

According to Prow Capital, the fund supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and specifically focuses on Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7) and Climate Action (SDG 13).

Tighter lending requirements have made traditional sources of ship finance increasingly difficult to access, and shipping needs significant investment to accelerate its transition to a zero-emissions industry and fund the growing fleet capacity required to transport the world’s goods. The strategy of Prow Capital is to support shipping companies in decarbonizing their fleets through senior secured debt finance against realistic terms and conditions.

“Prow’s ambition is to make zero-emissions shipping a reality and become a viable long-term alternative to the traditional banks in the maritime sector,” according to the company.

Prow Capital is a member of the Getting to Zero Coalition, an industry-led alliance working towards decarbonising the international maritime shipping sector.

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€420M green shipping fund launched in the Netherlands

Singapore’s conglomerate Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) has won contract for the conversion of an LNG carrier into a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).

In addition, Keppel’s wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Shipyard will work on the integration of floating production storage and offloading vessel (FPSO).

Keppel Shipyard signed a limited notice to proceed (LNTP) with a global provider of LNG shipping services to start early works for the conversion of an LNGC into an FSRU. This is the first out of two projects.

The scope of the LNTP includes engineering work starting in late 2021. Also, the full notice to proceed (FNTP) will take place at the beginning of 2022. This is when the project will reach the final investment decision.

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Keppel scores LNGC to FSRU conversion gig