A newly formed maritime consortium including global ports, fuel developers, and major shipowners is developing an e-fuel green shipping corridor between the Port of Açu in Brazil and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium. Facilitated by the Global Maritime Forum and RMI, the initiative leverages Brazil’s low-cost renewable energy to produce and bunker e-ammonia and e-methanol for deep-sea vessels. By integrating the entire value chain, the group aims to overcome the industry’s economic “feasibility wall” and deliver a comprehensive commercial roadmap by the end of 2026.
Copenhagen | June 4, 2026 – A high-powered coalition of global shipping majors, project developers, and ports has officially formed a new consortium to build an e-fuel green maritime corridor connecting the Port of Açu in Brazil with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium.
Facilitated by the Global Maritime Forum (GMF) and RMI, the newly formalized alliance aims to address one of the most critical bottlenecks in maritime decarbonization: commercial scalability. By integrating upstream renewable fuel production directly with downstream bunkering infrastructure and vessel operations, the group intends to design a blueprint for net-zero intercontinental trade.
The consortium brings together key stakeholders across the entire maritime value chain:
- Port Authorities: Port of Açu and Port of Antwerp-Bruges
- E-Fuel Developers: HIF Global and Fuella
- Shipowners & Operators: NYK Line, Höegh Autoliners, and Wallenius Wilhelmsen
Rather than relying on transitional fossil-based fuels, the consortium is planning a self-sustaining ecosystem. The vessels transporting the cargo across the Atlantic will be propelled by the exact same zero- or near-zero-emission e-fuels, such as e-ammonia or e-methanol, produced at the Brazilian hub.
| Origin: Port of Açu (Brazil) | The Green Corridor (The Transit) | Destination: Port of Antwerp-Bruges (Belgium) |
|---|---|---|
| • Upstream E-Fuel Production Hub: Dedicated production of synthetic marine fuels. | • Net-Zero Transatlantic Transit: Dedicated trade route for sustainable shipping. | • Downstream Offtake Hub: Major European gateway for industrial supply. |
| • Resource Advantage: Abundant wind/solar power paired with a low-cost, highly renewable grid. | • Propulsion Infrastructure: Cargo transported via advanced e-fuel ready vessels. | • Bunkering Infrastructure: Strategic hub to meet accelerating European e-fuel demand. |
| • Project Pipeline: Active development of major e-methanol and green ammonia facilities. | • Fuel Ecosystem: Vessels are powered directly by the e-methanol or e-ammonia they transport. | • Regulatory Alignment: Positioned to comply with strict FuelEU Maritime and EU ETS mandates. |
The Upstream Advantage: Why Port of Açu?
The formation of this consortium follows a comprehensive pre-feasibility study published by RMI and the GMF in November 2025, which built upon their foundational 2024 Oceans of Opportunity report. Those findings consistently highlighted the Port of Açu as an ideal export gateway for synthetic fuels.
Brazil’s structural advantages give it a distinct edge in the global e-fuel race:
- Highly Renewable Grid: The country’s electricity grid is already heavily dominated by hydro, wind, and solar power, minimizing the carbon intensity of water electrolysis.
- Favorable Regulatory Framework: Brazil’s National Hydrogen Program (PNH₂) provides a supportive policy background specifically geared toward green hydrogen production.
- Low Cost of Capital & Land: Private industrial complexes like Açu offer massive contiguous acreage, deep-water logistics, and accessible financing structures.
The commercial landscape at Açu is already taking shape. HIF Global is developing an e-fuels facility at the port designed to utilize biogenic and industrial CO2 alongside renewable energy to produce up to 700,000 tons of e-methanol per year, backed by a 1.1 GW electrolyzer capacity. Concurrently, Norwegian developer Fuella AS has secured an area reservation contract at Açu’s low-carbon hydrogen hub to advance a 520 MW green ammonia plant capable of yielding 400,000 tons annually.
Downstream Pull: Antwerp-Bruges and the “Feasibility Wall”
On the European side, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges represents a critical energy import gateway. As Europe intensifies its regulatory push through FuelEU Maritime and the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), the demand for scalable e-fuel bunkering options is accelerating.
However, the international maritime community faces a strict timeline. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a target for zero- or near-zero-emission fuels to account for at least 5% (striving for 10%) of all marine energy by 2030. While green corridors have expanded rapidly as a conceptual tool to hit these metrics, actually deploying them has proven difficult.
The GMF’s recent Annual Progress Report on Green Shipping Corridors warned that many global initiatives are currently stalling against a “feasibility wall.”
The Feasibility Wall: The widening cost gap between cheap, conventional residual fuel oils and high-premium, first-generation synthetic e-fuels. Without integrated supply chains, shipowners cannot justify the capital expenditure for dual-fuel vessels, and fuel producers cannot secure the bankable offtake agreements needed to reach Final Investment Decision (FID).
By bringing massive car carrier and dry bulk operators like Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Höegh Autoliners, and NYK Line into the exact same room as Fuella and HIF Global, this consortium aims to dismantle that wall. The group will simultaneously assess port infrastructure, vessel design requirements, and joint business models to share the financial premium of early-stage alternative fuels.
What’s Next: Moving Toward a Definitive Blueprint
“We’re thrilled to be working with these partners to take these important steps towards Brazil’s e-fuel production and bunkering opportunity, whilst supporting the growing demand for e-fuels in Europe,” said Eleanor Wells, Senior Project Manager at the Global Maritime Forum.
With the pre-feasibility phase complete, the consortium is moving forward with a rigorous, data-driven feasibility analysis. This next phase will define the precise infrastructure modifications needed at both port terminals, outline bunker barge requirements, and model the exact levelized cost of fuel (LCOF) for the trade route.
The final feasibility analysis is scheduled for public release by the end of 2026. In the interim, the consortium will maintain a regular schedule of working groups to align technical standards and commercial frameworks, positioning the Brazil-Belgium lane to be one of the world’s first fully operational, deep-sea e-fuel corridors.
About the Global Maritime Forum
The Global Maritime Forum is an international, independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to shaping the future of global seaborne trade. Operating with the core mission of driving sustainable long-term economic development and human well-being, the Forum serves as a high-level platform for dialogue and multi-stakeholder collaboration within the maritime industry.
The organization focuses on addressing complex, systemic challenges that fall beyond the capacity of individual stakeholders to solve alone. Central to its mandate is accelerating the decarbonization of the global shipping sector, alongside advancing industry-wide initiatives to make life at sea more inclusive, safe, and appealing for maritime professionals of all backgrounds. By convening forward-thinking leaders, experts, and policymakers, the Global Maritime Forum facilitates the collective action, research, and public-private partnerships, such as green shipping corridors, needed to transform vision into measurable industry progress.
Source: Global Maritime Forum