Retailer coalition Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (Zemba) opened a tender for procurement of synthetic marine fuels (e-fuels) on Tuesday.
The tender launch comes a bit later than the January start envisaged in November when Zemba announced the plans. "Bids are due in spring 2025," the group said, without giving a more precise deadline. Interested bidders have been requested to "pre-qualify" as soon as possible by contacting Zemba via email.
The supply could be secured from multiple tender winners, Zemba said. These are expected to be announced by the end of this year, it said.
The group will accept bids for hydrogen-based fuels that provide emissions reductions of at least 90pc compared with conventional supply and award offtake contracts for 3-5 years, starting in 2027.
Zemba aims to "aggregate approximately 86bn tonne nautical miles of demand" through the tender. This could equate to over 250,000 t/yr of e-methanol or over 300,000 t/yr of ammonia, based on the group's previous estimates.
Zemba's members include large global retail companies such as Amazon, Ikea and Nike, among others.
Its tender launch follows a market survey for e-fuels last year. German container shipping firm Hapag-Lloyd last year won a first tender conducted by Zemba that was not aimed specifically at e-fuels by offering emissions reductions through its "waste-based biomethane service".
