Since the Clydebank Declaration was signed last December, the prospect of ammonia-fueled, green maritime corridors has been steadily rising. The Global Maritime Forum has just released a valuable discussion paper on potential definitions and approaches for green corridors. Recent announcements in Europe, Singapore, Australia and the Nordic countries demonstrate growing momentum. For maritime stakeholders to capture early learnings and best manage the complex task of alternative maritime fuel scale-up, the opportune time is right now.

In three green maritime corridor announcements this week:

• Chile’s Ministry of Energy and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping will develop a network of transport corridors in and out of the country.
• The Global Maritime Forum will lead an Australian consortium seeking to establish ammonia-powered iron ore transport routes between Australia and southeast Asia.
• and the US State Department has outlined its official approach to green corridors, describing them as a “key means of spurring the early adoption of zero-emission fuels” like ammonia.

Rio Tinto and AngloEastern have announced they will develop Newcastlemax class, ammonia-powered bulk carriers. The dry cargo vessels will be the maximum size allowed to dock in the Port of Newcastle, Australia: an important coal & iron ore port in global maritime trade. Both AngloEastern and Rio Tinto are members of an Itochu-led maritime fuel study investigating the use of ammonia. In Japan, a "greener ships" consortium has produced its first-ever ammonia-powered design: a Panamax-class bulk carrier. And the China State Shipbuilding Corporation will develop two 93,000 m3 ammonia-powered ammonia carrier vessels, with Bureau Veritas granting AiP for the vessel design.