Hong Kong Government Issued Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering
The Hong Kong government issued the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering on November 15 to set out targets, strategies and actions to promote the development of Hong Kong into a high-quality green maritime fuel bunkering center.
Aligning with the IMO’s emission reduction target to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from international shipping by or around 2050, the Action Plan outlines several key targets:
·     Reduce carbon emissions from Hong Kong-registered ships by at least 11% by 2026, compared to 2019 levels.
·     55% of diesel-fuelled vessels of the HK government fleet will switch to green maritime fuels by 2026.
·     Reduce carbon emissions from the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals by 30% by 2026.
·     By 2030, 7% of Hong Kong-registered ships should use green maritime fuels.
HK government said it will prioritize to establish offtake agreement with green fuel suppliers mainly from China mainland and shipping companies.
Green LNG and green methanol have the leading role in the Action Plan
The Action plan also specified short-term target for each kind of green fuels, including LNG, green methanol, bio-diesel, hydrogen and green ammonia. According to the document, LNG will have the most leading role, followed by green methanol. Hong Kong will also support the first LNG ship-to-ship bunkering demonstration, expected by mid-2025. Additionally, a Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering Incentive Scheme will encourage early businesses to start operations in Hong Kong.
By 2030, the HK government expects Hong Kong to provide over 60 bunkering services per year to ocean-going vessels using green maritime fuels, such as LNG or green methanol. This will involve over 200,000 tonnes of green maritime fuels annually. However, I see this target substantially underestimate the potential of Hong Kong in deployment of green maritime fuel. With the rapid capacity building of green LNG and green methanol production capacity in mainland China, HK could soon secure stable and affordable green fuel supply after 2025.
The presentation slides of the Action Plan:
https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202411/15/P2024111500574_477802_1_1731672585258.pdf
The Five Strategies and 10 Actions set out in the Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering:
https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202411/15/P2024111500574_477801_1_1731672585247.pdf