Port of Tyne pioneers efforts to decarbonise North Sea shipping lanes

The new corridor - one of the world’s first aiming for zero emissions - marks the start of efforts globally to increase environmentally friendly travel in busy shipping lanes and is backed by millions of pounds in Government investment.

It brings together the Port of Tyne with partners on either side of the North Sea, including the Port of IJmuiden in Amsterdam, the shipping company DFDS Ferries, environmental and engineering consultants Ricardo and maritime and logistics experts KVSA.

Together, the organisations officially launched the ‘Green North Sea Shipping Corridor Project’, which will help make smarter, cleaner shipping a reality and focus on decarbonising the route currently served by ageing vessels.

At the heart of the initiative will be DFDS’s intention to significantly reduce CO2 emissions by transitioning to methanol-fuelled RoRo/RoPax vessels.

The DFDS ferry - such a familiar sight on the North Sea to hundreds of thousands of people along the North East coast - will eventually become an advert for the sustainability of green travel.

The Green Shipping Corridor (GSC) between the Ports of Tyne (UK) and IJmuiden (Netherlands), will also work on landside infrastructure at the two ports for fuelling and electrification, analysing the fuel supply chain and evaluating the economic and environmental benefits.

The ships currently on the route mainly transport passengers and their vehicles, as well as freight units and HGVs carrying vital goods and finished products to and from the continent.

Matt Beeton, CEO of the Port of Tyne, said: “This initiative represents a huge step forward for the Port in our sustainability journey, and it was fantastic to gather with our partners to forge ahead with our plans.

“The route is a key connection for the region and wider UK, supporting important tourism and trade.

“By establishing this green corridor between the Port of Tyne and the Port of IJmuiden, we aim to significantly reduce carbon emissions between the North East of England and Europe, with the aim of saving up to 850,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

“The success of this project will bring more green jobs to the region and drive the development of port infrastructure for electrification and the refuelling of state-of-the-art clean powered vessels.”

The move is a win for the 2050 Maritime Innovation Hub at the Port of Tyne which continues to drive sustainable innovation and acts as a focal point for a growing European decarbonised distribution network for green trade and passenger journeys.

Declan Walsh, director of business development and strategy at DFDS, said, "DFDS is committed to becoming a carbon-neutral transport and logistics company by 2050, and the decarbonisation of our passenger business is key.

“Transforming our current Amsterdam-Newcastle route to a RoPAX Green Corridor is a massive undertaking. We are fortunate to have such great partners to help us make this happen".

Tim Scarbrough, director of maritime innovation at Ricardo, said: “Green corridors represent a crucial milestone on the path to maritime decarbonisation.

“By focusing on predictable routes and consistent operational profiles, they lower barriers to adoption and create momentum for sustainable change.”

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Peter van de Meerakker, managing director of Zeehaven IJmuiden N.V. - Port of IJmuiden, said: "This project is very important for us, as we need to accelerate the reduction of our shipping emissions. With the ‘zero emission’ new tonnage of DFDS, we are taking an important step forward since a lot needs still to be done on both sides of the North Sea, and this project helps enormously speed up and achieve our goals."

Green corridors are zero-emission maritime routes between two or more ports.

As part of a total of £9million funding, a green shipping corridor between the Port of Holyhead and the Port of Dublin, as well as from the UK to Norway and Denmark will also be explored.

The Government's Maritime Minister Mike Kane, said: “Shipping is a big contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, so these new green corridors could be a real game changer for the industry.

“The drive and determination of the Port of Tyne and Port of IJmuiden to build a more sustainable future is exactly the direction we need to be going in to achieve our mission of becoming a clean energy superpower.

“These new corridors could turbocharge the use of sustainable fuels, secure more green jobs of the future and advance environmentally friendly travel to major European capitals.”