Inside Kazakhstan's Green Energy Transformation

By Felicity Bradstock - May 11, 2025

• Kazakhstan is committed to shifting from coal dependence to a renewable energy mix, with ambitious goals for 2050 and significant investment opportunities.

• Recent agreements, including a 1 GW wind power project with the UAE, signal growing international cooperation and investment in Kazakhstan's green energy sector.

• Green hydrogen is a focal point of Kazakhstan's long-term energy strategy, with aspirations to become a leading supplier to Europe via strategic trade corridors.

The Central Asian state of Kazakhstan – the world’s largest landlocked country – has major renewable energy ambitions that include wind, solar, and hydropower, as well as green hydrogen, as part of the government’s aims for a green transition. The government plans to support a shift away from a reliance on fossil fuels to a lower-carbon power sector. At present, coal continues to be Kazakhstan’s main energy source, providing around 64.7 percent of?the total projected generation?and 74 percent of thermal generation in 2019. However, the government hopes to attract higher levels of foreign investment over the coming decades to increase Kazakhstan’s renewable energy capacity and reduce its dependence on coal. 

The government’s National Green Growth Plan introduced several ambitious objectives for a green transition. These include an energy mix of 49 percent coal, 21 percent gas, 10 percent hydropower, 8 percent nuclear power and a wide variety of renewable resources by the end of the decade. However, energy experts believe that Kazakhstan’s coal dependence is unlikely to fall this rapidly and expect coal to continue contributing around 64.9 percent of total electricity generation by 2028. 

The government plans to launch a domestic nuclear energy programme to support the country’s shift to green, as well as significant public and private investment in non-hydro renewables. There has been a greater openness to foreign investment in recent years and the government aims to attract high levels of private financing for renewable energy projects in the coming years. However, investor uncertainty and a complicated business environment are hindering the achievement of this goal. Nevertheless, President Nazarbayev has stated the aim to reach 50 percent of renewable energy sources in the total energy mix by 2050. 

Kazakhstan is home to abundant renewable energy sources, and with greater funding, it could significantly increase its green energy capacity over the next few decades. The Ministry of Energy launched a competitive auction scheme for renewable energy projects in 2018 and has since issued annual project schedules. In February, the ministry approved its 2025 renewable energy auction schedule, with a total of 1,810 MW of renewable energy capacity to be allocated through the auction of 13 projects across multiple sectors, including four wind power projects (one with energy storage), four solar projects, four hydropower projects, and one biomass project.

In late April, the government approved a major renewable energy deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to build a 1 GW wind power plant. The facility will be developed in the Zhambyl region and will include a 300 MW energy storage system. Kazakh Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov said the agreement marks a major milestone in renewable energy cooperation and expects the project to boost Kazakhstan’s renewable energy share by around 3 percent. 

The deal supports the development of two 500 MW wind farms, capable of generating 3.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, as well as the construction of 425 km of new transmission lines. The project is expected to attract $1.4 billion in foreign direct investment and support the creation of around 1,000 construction jobs and up to 100 permanent roles.

Together, wind and solar projects provided around 5 percent of Kazakhstan’s electricity generation in 2023. Thanks to its vast land area, Kazakhstan has the highest onshore wind potential in the Central Asian region, with a potential annual generating capacity of around 929 TWh, which is equivalent to three times the region’s power demand. Further, the planned green energy corridors connecting Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, and the EU could help promote the power-sharing of renewable energy sources, supporting low-cost, sustainable power across borders.

In addition to conventional renewable energy projects, the government is also open to alternative energy projects, such as green hydrogen. Kazakhstan has significant potential to develop its hydrogen industry and become a regional powerhouse in clean energy. A European Bank for Reconstruction and Development assessment showed that Kazakhstan has good potential for the large-scale production of both green and blue hydrogen. In 2024, the country’s Energy Ministry approved the concept for the development of hydrogen energy until 2040, with green hydrogen expected to account for 50 percent of this production. 

However, the hydrogen industry is largely undeveloped in Kazakhstan at present, meaning that significant investment will be needed for the country to develop its hydrogen potential. If successful, Kazakhstan is ideally situated to become a major supplier of green hydrogen to the EU via routes like the Trans-Caspian International Transport Corridor. The demand for green hydrogen is expected to rise dramatically over the coming decades, as governments strive to decarbonise hard-to-abate industries using the fuel to support a green transition. 

Kazakhstan has great potential to develop its renewable energy sector and significantly increase its green energy capacity over the coming decades. Achieving this will require high levels of foreign investment and sectoral expertise to support the development of nascent industries, such as green hydrogen. However, if successful, Kazakhstan could become a regional green energy hub and an exporter of green hydrogen to Europe.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

Global Net-Zero Targets in Jeopardy as Rich Countries Lag Behind

By Felicity Bradstock - May 11, 2025


Bill Gates calls for wealthy nations to prioritize net-zero emissions, emphasizing their responsibility to combat climate change.


Despite global net-zero pledges, rich countries lag in decarbonisation, risking the goals of the Paris Agreement.


Gates highlights the need for innovation investments and stronger climate commitments from high-income nations.



Alongside environmentalists and climate scientists, Bill Gates is the latest public figure to call on high-income countries to do more to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. While reducing emissions in developing countries can be difficult, due to a lack of funding and infrastructure, meaning it could take several more years to expand the renewable energy capacity of certain regions, Western nations have no such excuse.

Rich countries and regions, such as the United States and China, have some of the highest carbon emissions in the world, and many climate experts have criticised governments for not enforcing decarbonisation initiatives fast enough. Several high-income countries continue to rely heavily on fossil fuels for their power and heating, despite the huge potential for renewable alternatives.

This week, Microsoft’s founder, Bill Gates, said that rich countries “owe it to the world” to achieve net-zero emissions, during the opening dinner of the Ecosperity sustainability event in Singapore. Gates is the chairman of the non-profit Gates Foundation, which provides funding for a wide range of causes, including climate-related projects.

Speaking with Singapore’s Ambassador for Climate Action Ravi Menon, Gates stressed that high-income countries must achieve net zero even if the entire world cannot. “The notion that the entire world is going to get [to net zero] by 2050 is at this point not realistic,” said Gates. “There are levels of emissions that are small enough that the temperature worsening actually is not a problem,” he added. However, if rich nations can reach net zero, it demonstrates to other countries the potential to tackle the effects of the climate crisis.

The United Nations defines net zero as “cutting carbon emissions to a small amount of residual emissions that can be absorbed and durably stored by nature and other carbon dioxide removal measures, leaving zero in the atmosphere.” According to the UN, “The science shows clearly that in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a liveable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Currently, the Earth is already about 1.2°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and emissions continue to rise. To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.”


Several countries around the globe have established net-zero carbon emissions pledges with various deadlines. As of June 2024, 107 countries, responsible for approximately 82 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, had adopted net-zero pledges either in law, in a policy document or a long-term strategy, or in a government announcement. Thousands of companies around the globe have made similar pledges, many aiming for around mid-century.

However, recent analyses suggest that many countries are far from achieving their climate goals. Just 13 of the 195 Paris Agreement signatories had published their new emissions-cutting plans, known as “nationally determined contributions” (NDCs), by the 10 February deadline. The missing countries represent 83 percent of global emissions and almost 80 percent of the world’s economy. Meanwhile, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said the existing NDCs were enough to reduce global emissions by 2.6 percent from 2019 to 2030, but were nowhere near the 43 percent cut required to stay on track for the heating target of 1.5 degrees.

Gates said this week that the world must be bolder with innovation investments that seek to combat climate change. “The sooner we get there, the better. [But] we need the examples,” stated Gates. He explained that one of the main barriers to innovation is securing risk capital for projects.

In addition to failing to fund innovative solutions, many have accused high-income countries of backsliding on their climate targets. In April, over 175 countries met in London at the International Maritime Organisation to discuss the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. However, several developing country leaders were not optimistic about the outcome of the event based on previous experience.

“It is difficult to understand what these countries are thinking,” said Ambassador Albon Ishoda from the Marshall Islands. “Maybe they are worried about their national sovereignty. But we are basing our argument [for decarbonisation and a levy on shipping] on scientific grounds. The most vulnerable countries are acting as the adults in the room.” Ishoda stressed that, in 2023, governments agreed on a roadmap to decarbonise shipping by 2050, although little progress has been seen.

For years, environmentalists, climate scientists, the leaders of countries at risk of climate disasters, and many others have been urging high-income countries to do more to cut emissions or face the consequences. While many developing nations cannot achieve net zero without a major influx of funding and infrastructure development, most rich countries have no excuse for their slow decarbonisation progress. However, based on the current global rate of decarbonisation, it seems unlikely we will meet the aims set out in the Paris Agreement.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

 

Egypt to Boost LNG Imports as Soaring Demand Outpaces Local Supply

By Charles Kennedy - May 12, 2025

State firm Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) has signed a 10-year agreement with Hoegh Evi to have it deploy a floating LNG import unit near Alexandria on the Mediterranean, as the North African country struggles to meet soaring gas and power demand amid dwindling domestic production.

Hoegh Evi will deploy the LNG carrier, the Hoegh Gandria, at Sumed near Alexandria in late 2026, the company told Bloomberg in a statement on Monday. The conversion of Hoegh Gandria into a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) will begin immediately.

Egypt turned from a net LNG exporter to a net LNG importer at the end of 2024 as the country imported last year the highest number of LNG cargoes in years as it looked to ease the strain on its grid and industry amid energy shortages that led to rolling blackouts last summer.

Last year, Egyptian Natural Gas Holding sought to lease a liquefied natural gas import terminal from providers of FLNG units to get ahead of the scorching summer season that routinely triggers power blackouts due to the heavier load.

Höegh LNG Holdings Ltd announced in May 2024 an agreement between Höegh LNG, Australian Industrial Energy Pty Ltd (AIE), and Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) for the deployment of the Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) Hoegh Galleon, to support energy security in Egypt. 

The new FSRU, Hoegh Gandria, will replace the Hoegh Galleon, which is currently Egypt’s only operational LNG import terminal.

Separately, Egypt has just launched a new oil and gas bid round and is inviting international companies to bid for 13 offshore and onshore blocks in a licensing round as it aims to boost domestic oil and gas production.

Companies are invited to bid on six new exploration areas and seven undeveloped discoveries. The undeveloped discoveries are in the Mediterranean, while the six exploration areas include three offshore exploration blocks in the Gulf of Suez and three onshore exploration areas in Egypt’s Western Desert.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

Halliburton, Schlumberger Brace for the Next Oil Slump

By Irina Slav - May 12, 2025

• All of the majors reported lower earnings for the first quarter.
• 
  
• Already, some energy companies active in the shale patch are cutting their drilling budgets for the year.
• 
  
• Oilfield services providers are bracing for impact as several large E&P firms are cutting back on drilling programs.

U.S. oilfield service majors had a good run after the pandemic lockdowns ended. Demand for oil rebounded strongly, drillers drilled more, and even the climate-focused energy policies of the Biden administration could not ruin that. Now, a price rout that has already prompted the E&P segment to issue warning after warning is putting the good run on an extended pause.

All of the majors reported lower earnings for the first quarter—yet more evidence that the lower prices have started to cause some real financial pain in the oilfield services sector. As producers begin to revise their production growth plans for the year—which most of them did at the release of their first-quarter results—the effects of that revision will bite oilfield service providers.

Baker Hughes posted a 27% drop in net profits for the first quarter, to $509 million, and warned about “broader macro and trade policy uncertainty,” meaning tariffs and the oft-cited risk of a global slowdown as a result of these tariffs. But now OPEC+ is also pumping more—much more than it said it would—and this additional supply is making things even worse for producers.

Schlumberger also had a word of warning at the release of its first-quarter figures, which featured a more modest net earnings decline of 4% from a year ago but a 22% decline from a quarter earlier. Schlumberger’s CEO said, “The industry may experience a potential shift of priorities driven by changes in the global economy, fluctuating commodity prices and evolving tariffs — all of which could impact upstream oil and gas investment and, in turn, affect demand for our products and services.”

Halliburton sounded the same alarm when it reported first-quarter performance, especially worried about the possibility that tariffs would lead to a surge in the price of oilfield services equipment—something that producers also worried about earlier this year when President Trump launched his trade policy offensive. Yet it seems the primary concern of the oilfield services sector is the price of crude.

“With oil prices falling out of the well-defined range that had persisted for much of the past 2+ years, producer budgets are encountering meaningful strain for the first time in several years,” analysts from Raymond James said, as quoted by Reuters recently.

Indeed, while there is a debate about the severity of price decline that U.S. shale drillers could endure without shrinking activity, Dallas Fed survey data and Baker Hughes’ weekly rig count reports suggest that West Texas Intermediate below $65 begins to affect activity and the lower it goes, the more severe the impact on drillers, and, by extension, oilfield service providers.

Already some energy companies active in the shale patch are cutting their drilling budgets for the year. Diamondback Energy and Coterra Energy are among them, while the CEO of Formentera Partners, Bryan Sheffield, told Bloomberg last month that “The industry needs to cut immediately and hunker down to let the tariff war play out,” describing the current situation in the industry as a “bloodbath”.

The situation looks worse at home for the oilfield services majors because of shale oil’s relatively high production costs, but it appears that global operations will also see some pain from the tariff war while it lasts. Schlumberger expects a decline in global oil investment, and Baker Hughes and Halliburton expect a direct impact on their share prices and earnings from the fallout from the tariff war.

On the flip side, cheap oil stimulates demand for the commodity, which would ultimately lead to higher prices as history tells us—and it would mitigate the impact of the tariffs. “Unless you export the stuff, cheaper oil should bring some tailwinds for the global economy,” ING’s Global Head of Macro, Carsten Brzeski, wrote in a recent note. “It probably won't be enough to fully offset the tariff-driven inflation surge in the US, but it could help compensate for the adverse effect on eurozone growth and will definitely add to the current disinflationary trend.”

So, it seems Bryan Sheffield was right when he advised the industry to “hunker down” and let the turbulent times play out. This is what drillers have been doing every few years as the cyclical nature of the industry manifests itself in yet another price rout. Indeed, there were warnings that the trough of the cycle was coming even before Trump began tariffing imports left and right. In January, Rystad Energy said the oilfield services sector was slowing down, and the slowdown would intensify this year.

“Market volatility, heightened geopolitical tensions and cost and capacity challenges,” were the issues Rystad Energy identified for the sector back in January, which suggests that even without a tariff war, oilfield services providers would be having a tough 2025. Yet it’s not all doom and gloom—LNG is thriving, and offshore oil and gas is set to grow, too. The industry will weather this period of depression just as it weathered all the others that came before it.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

BAN DEEP SEA MINING


TMC wins $37M strategic backing to drive deep-sea mineral development

May 12, 2025

By: Carl Surran, 

SA News Editor

MonumentalDoom/iStock via Getty Images

TMC the Metals Company (NASDAQ:TMC) +1.6% in Monday's trading after saying it secured a $37M capital injection through a registered direct offering, positioning it to advance its commercial plans for harvesting polymetallic nodules from international waters.

Under the deal terms, TMC (NASDAQ:TMC) will issue 12.3M common shares at $3.00/share, with each share accompanied by a Class C warrant to purchase one additional share at an exercise price of $4.50/share.

The financing round is anchored by Michael Hess, chief investment officer of Hess Capital, and Brian Paes-Braga, managing partner at SAF Group and head of SAF Growth; an unnamed existing investor in TMC (TMC) also participated in the deal, the company said.

"In recent weeks, both our company and the industry have made major strides," TMC (TMC) Chair and CEO Gerard Barron said, pointing to President Trump's recent executive order to accelerate seabed mining through expedited permitting, evaluation of offtake rights, and potential federal investment.

More on TMC the Metals Company

TMC the Metals Company: It's All Politics Now
TMC the Metals Company: These Are Not The Metals Trump Is Looking For
TMC the Metals Company Reduces Licensing Risk By Pursuing U.S. Regulation

US to fast-track Utah uranium mine permit

Reuters | May 12, 2025 | 

Velvet-Wood uranium project. Credit: Anfield Energy

The US Interior Department said on Monday it will fast-track environmental permitting for Anfield Energy’s proposed Velvet-Wood uranium mine project in Utah to boost President Donald Trump’s efforts to ramp up domestic energy production.


As a result, the project’s environmental review will be completed in just 14 days, the department said in a statement. Such studies typically take years because of the potential environmental effects of uranium mining.

US Interior Department to fast-track mining and energy projects

“America is facing an alarming energy emergency because of the prior administration’s climate extremist policies. President Trump and his administration are responding with speed and strength to solve this crisis,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.

“The expedited mining project review represents exactly the kind of decisive action we need to secure our energy future,” he said.

If approved, the Velvet-Wood mine project in San Juan County would produce uranium, used in both nuclear energy and nuclear weapons production, as well as vanadium, a metal than can be used in batteries or to strengthen steel and other alloys.

The Interior Department said the project would be located at the site of a previous mining operation and lead to only three acres of new surface disturbance.

Anfield also owns the Shootaring Canyon uranium mill in Utah, which it intends to restart. That mill would convert uranium ore into uranium concentrate that could be used as a nuclear fuel.

Anfield said it was pleased by the Interior Department’s announcement.

“These efforts not only bring increased investor attention to the sector but will also help boost Anfield’s production prospects as one of very few companies with a near-term path to US uranium production,” it said in a statement emailed to Reuters.

(By Nichola Groom and Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien and Nick Zieminski)

Pension fund exits Australia’s MinRes, citing governance concerns

Reuters | May 12, 2025 | 

Credit: Mineral Resources Ltd.

Australian pension fund HESTA said on Monday it had sold its remaining stake in billionaire Chris Ellison-founded Mineral Resources, citing “serious governance concerns”.


The mining services provider has been grappling with governance issues, primarily involving Ellison, with allegations including tax evasion and misuse of company resources for personal projects.

MinRes’ founder Ellison to exit after internal misconduct probe

In an email to Reuters, HESTA confirmed it had divested approximately A$14 million ($8.99 million) worth of its stake in Mineral Resources.

HESTA said concerns about the company’s governance were not addressed quickly enough, despite repeated engagement with the board.

It added that departures of directors on the ethics and governance committee were a “significant step backwards” in addressing the concerns.

A spokesperson for Mineral Resources, in an emailed response to Reuters, said that the company remains committed to strengthening corporate governance and the appointment of the new chairman is “well advanced”.

“The ethics and governance committee will be maintained going forward,” the spokesperson said.

($1 = 1.5571 Australian dollars)

(By Kumar Tanishk and Sneha Kumar; Editing by Rashmi Aich and Mrigank Dhaniwala)

China’s rare earth curbs have ‘changed psychology’ at US firms

Bloomberg News | May 12, 2025 | 

Mountain Pass in California. The only producing rare earth mine in the US. Image from Wikimedia Commons

China’s weaponization of rare earths in its trade war with the US will spark a much greater focus on American supply security for critical minerals, according to MP Materials Corp., the only US miner of the key materials used in smartphones and defense applications.


“Regardless of how trade negotiations evolve from here, the system as it existed is broken, and the rare-earth Humpty Dumpty, so to speak, is not getting put back together,” the miner’s chief executive officer, Jim Litinsky, said on an earnings call last Friday.

China, which dominates global supply, put export restrictions on seven types of rare earths last month, widely viewed as a response to President Donald Trump’s trade assault. Companies including Ford Motor Co. have warned of shortages, and US negotiators had hoped to address rare earths in their Geneva appointment with Chinese officials, according to people familiar with the matter.

China may expedite US rare earth permit approvals after trade truce: Reuters

The teams emerged from two days of talks touting “substantial progress” toward resolving trade differences, leaving markets waiting for more details due to be outlined later on Monday.

Litinsky used the company’s earnings call — before the meetings in Switzerland — to argue that China’s measures were a decisive break with the past by exposing the vulnerability of key industries. MP Materials began mining rare earths in California in 2017, started refining in 2023, and plans to sell rare-earth magnets to General Motors Co. by the end of 2025.

“This idea that there was a threat that has now been utilized has really changed psychology, I think, from everybody across the board,” Litinsky said. “My impression from conversations with the Department of Defense is that there is a full-on recognition that we can’t be reliant on Chinese magnetics for national security purposes.”

China’s previous use of rare earths as a trade weapon — against Tokyo more than a decade ago — mobilized Japanese industry to significantly reduce its reliance on Chinese supplies. The US and other western nations had already begun moves to mitigate China’s grip on critical minerals, but the curbs on rare earths and other niche commodities has prompted greater urgency.

“For years, we have warned that the global rare-earths supply chain was built on a single point of failure,” Litinsky said. “With China’s sweeping tariffs and export restrictions, that geopolitical fault line has now become a commercial reality.”

China Bolsters Export Controls on Critical Minerals

By Charles Kennedy - May 12, 2025

China is bolstering export controls on the entire supply chain of critical minerals as it seeks to keep its dominant position in the sector.

China’s relevant authorities will track the exports of critical minerals and will strictly prevent illegal exports, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Monday.

“Since the export control of strategic minerals has much to do with national security, strengthening the control of the whole export chain is the key,” the ministry’s statement read, as carried by Reuters.

Last week, the commerce ministry announced “a special operation to crack down on the smuggling and illegal export of strategic minerals.”

China aims to fight the smuggling and illegal exports of strategic minerals by targeting evasion methods such as false reporting, concealment, smuggling, and “third country” transshipments, the authorities said.

Earlier this year, China, which dominates the global rare earth and critical minerals supply chain, announced it would curb its exports of dysprosium, gadolinium, scandium, terbium, samarium, yttrium, and lutetium. These so-called “heavy” and “medium” rare earth elements are mostly used in automotive applications, including rotors, motors, and transmission in electric vehicles and hybrids, as well as in the defense industry in parts of jets, missiles, and drones.

Following Beijing’s move, Chinese exporters of these seven rare earth metals will need to apply for licenses to export, while re-export to the United States is banned. China placed 16 U.S. entities – mostly in the defense and aerospace sectors – on an export control list, limiting them from receiving dual-use goods.

Monday’s announcement of stricter controls on exports of critical minerals comes just as China and the United States announced they are backing off from 100%-plus tariffs on each other’s goods.

The U.S. and China agreed to suspend the tariffs for 90 days, except a 10% baseline rate, the countries said in a joint statement at the end of this weekend’s trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

 

HD Hyundai and Maersk Cooperate on Researching Decarbonization Technology

HD Hyundai and Maersk will expand the relationship building ships to explore new decarbonization technologies (HD Hyundai)

Published May 11, 2025 6:21 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

HD Hyundai and A.P. Moller – Maersk have agreed to expand their long-term working relationship to jointly develop future decarbonization solutions for vessels while HD Hyundai will expand its use of Maersk’s integrated logistics services across its affiliates. The companies plan to explore technology for vessel efficiency and route optimization as well as research on Solid Oxide Fuel Cell systems.

Maersk has long worked with Hyundai as a shipbuilder for its containerships. The companies starting in 2021 worked closely on the development and construction of the first methanol dual-fuel containerships. HD Hyundai’s Mipo Shipyard in South Korea built the Laura Maersk, the company’s 2,100 TEU feeder ship that was the first to use methanol. It was delivered in 2023 and was followed with the order for 18 large 16,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel containerships. The first was christened in January 2024 and the company has continued the integration of the ships into its fleet.

Discussing the new agreement, Chung Kisun, Vice Chairman & CEO of HD Hyundai said, “We will rapidly advance the world’s best shipbuilding technologies with the goal of building a sustainable maritime logistics network that ensures safety, low-emissions, and optimal efficiency.”

Initially, the two companies will conduct a six-month trial of new technologies on a Maersk container vessel built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. They will test applying Avikus’ HiNAS, an advanced navigation solution for energy-efficient vessel operations, and HD Hyundai Marine Solution's OCEANWISE route optimization to the operations of the boxship. The purpose of this trial is to validate the fuel-saving and greenhouse gas emission-reduction impacts of optimized navigation systems.

Robert Maersk Uggla, Chairman of A.P. Moller – Maersk, called the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the company on May 6 at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Seongnam, “an important milestone, reinforcing the strong relationship we have developed.” He said it would pave the way for even greater collaboration in the future.

The companies also plan to explore cooperation in the field of ship retrofitting for decarbonization, including optimizing engine efficiency, increasing container ship cargo capacity, and retrofitting dual-fuel propulsion systems, Maersk has previously worked with China’s  Zhoushan Yatai Ship Engineering and Repair Co. for the first conversion of a conventional containership to dual-fuel methanol.

Maersk and Hyundai report they will also collaborate on joint research to examine the feasibility of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) system. Testing of hydrogen-based systems is in an early phase as multiple companies look at fuel cells as a source of electric power in the future.

HD Hyundai reports it will also strengthen its global supply chain by leveraging Maersk’s integrated logistics services. This includes expanding ocean freight volumes supported by Maersk’s East-West network and utilizing Maersk’s capabilities across airfreight services and land transportation, as well as warehousing infrastructure. The initial phase of the partnership will focus on providing tailored logistics solutions for HD Hyundai’s affiliates including HD Hyundai XiteSolution, and HD Hyundai Marine Solution, and will be gradually rolled out across other affiliates.

 

ClassNK Releases Guidelines for Safety Operation for Ammonia-Fueled Vessels

Front cover - Guidelines for Safety Operation for Ammonia-Fueled Vessels

Published May 12, 2025 4:34 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

[By: ClassNK]

ClassNK has released the ‘Guidelines for Safety Operation for Ammonia-Fueled Vessels’ for considering the introduction of ammonia-fueled vessels to ensure safe operation on board ammonia-fueled vessels. By following these guidelines, safe and secure operation can be achieved for those involved in the operation of ammonia-fueled vessels.

The Guidelines give top priority to protecting the safety of seafarers, and cover matters to be kept in mind in daily operations, such as measures to be taken in the event of an ammonia leak in consideration of health, and requirements for personnel protection equipment (PPE) and emergency equipment in case of an emergency.

With the aim of decarbonizing the shipping industry, the introduction of alternative fuel vessels is approaching 40% of the total on an order basis and is expected to increase further in the future. On the other hand, although alternative fuels such as ammonia have unique risks that conventional heavy oil fuels do not, there is not enough information on the operation of such vessels. In order to provide proactive information on the operation of ammonia-fueled vessels, this guideline was prepared based on the latest information in Japan and overseas, and published as the Ammonia Fuel Operation Guidelines. The guidelines summarize specific precautions and management methods for the transportation, storage, and operation of ammonia fuel, and provide practical content that can be used in the field from the perspective of seafarers.

The guidelines will be continuously and flexibly updated according to future industry discussions, research results, and the latest knowledge. As part of the ClassNK Transition Support Services, which comprehensively supports the smooth transition of customers to zero emissions, ClassNK will continue to contribute to the safe operation and active introduction of alternative fuel vessels.

The guidelines are available to download via ‘Guidelines’ of My Page on ClassNK’s website after registration.
https://www.classnk.or.jp/account/ja/Rules_Guidance/ssl/guidelines.aspx

The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.