Bolloré Logistics, Hapag-Lloyd sign agreement to promote marine biofuel

Bolloré Logistics announced Sept. 8 that it has recently signed an agreement with strategic partner Hapag-Lloyd to promote the use of marine biofuel and contribute to the reduction of their greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions related to maritime transport.

This commitment, starting Sept. 1 for a weekly allocation of 100 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) transported with biofuel, will allow a reduction of around 1,500 tons of CO2 emissions in well-to-wake by the end of the year.

Bolloré Logistics stated it has been working closely with shipping companies for years to help its customers reduce their carbon footprint. Today, advanced biofuels for maritime transport are recognized as the most decarbonized solution available on the market. They are made from sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil and other wastes or residual lipids and can reduce CO2 emissions by more than 85 percent compared to fossil fuels.

“Bolloré Logistics is a leader in global maritime transport. Decarbonising the maritime transport sector is essential,” said Irwin Lefebvre, Bolloré Logistics’ director of ocean procurement. “This is why we have committed on the purchase of advanced biofuels, encouraging the sector to divert from fossil fuels and enabling our customers to reduce the environmental impact of their transport. This partnership reflects our determination to head in this direction for the long term and drive the switch to more sustainable transport solutions.”

Danny Smolders, managing director global sales at Hapag-Lloyd, added, “Sustainability is an integral part of Hapag-Lloyd’s corporate values and at the heart of our Strategy 2023. By doing that, Hapag-Lloyd is contributing to lead shipping towards a green future. This agreement brings us one step closer to our target: being net-zero carbon by 2045.”

Furthermore, this partnership reinforces longstanding agreements between the two strategic partners and the commitments undertaken in Bolloré Logistics’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) program “Powering Sustainable Logistics,” including a reduction of its scope 3 CO2 emissions generated by transport operations by 30 percent by 2030. This ambitious goal, well below the 2-degree Celsius trajectory, implies placing a sustainable offer at the heart of its operations.

More recently, in 2021, Bolloré Logistics announced the launch of SEAalternative, an offer based on the use of alternative fuels to provide its customers with the best eco-responsible approach to maritime transport in order to reduce carbon emissions. This solution, offered at cost price, relates to one-off or regular shipments made by several carriers on specific geographical routes.

With a fleet of 253 modern container ships and a total transport capacity of 1.8 million TEUs, Hapag-Lloyd is one of the world’s leading liner-shipping companies. The company has around 14,300 employees and more than 400 offices in 137 countries. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of 3 million TEUs—including one of the largest and most modern fleets of reefer containers. In total, 126 liner services worldwide ensure fast and reliable connections between more than 600 ports on all the continents. Hapag-Lloyd is one of the leading operators in the Transatlantic, Middle East, Latin America and Intra-America trades.