Tanker operator Odfjell has launched what it describes as the first operational green corridor between Brazil and Europe.
Based on certified sustainable biofuel, the initiative is considered a new benchmark for deep-sea decarbonisation, demonstrating that low-carbon solutions are available today.
Odfjell’s chemical tankers are sailing the 5,000 naut mile route between Brazil and Europe with substantially lower emissions. The corridor will operate 12-15 voyages per year, each lasting around 40 days. The company has established an offtake of B24 sustainable biofuel blend in Rio Grande to secure long-term fuel availability. The Ports of Antwerp-Bruges, Rotterdam and Rio Grande are working together with Odfjell to advance the green corridor through increased efficiency and optimised port-stay processes.
CEO Harald Fotland said: “We do this to demonstrate that certified fuel, technology, and infrastructure are already available. Through this, we show that sustainable biofuel is a viable option for deep-sea shipping today. With this corridor, we integrate greener fuel as a new pillar in our decarbonisation strategy. We activate the entire value chain to find ways to decarbonise our operations, and we are encouraged that key stakeholders are joining us in this ground-breaking initiative.”
Odfjell has taken independent action, by self-funding the project and moving ahead without subsidies.
Fotland added: “By covering the additional cost ourselves, we eliminate the financial element and move directly into operational implementation. It may not be a perfect corridor yet, but a solid start. Its success depends on collaboration across the value chain, and we are committed to developing it further together with relevant stakeholders.”
This includes collaboration with ports to increase efficiency, with customers to maximise capacity use, and with fuel providers to increase the influx of green fuels.
In Brazil, the currently available sustainable biofuel quality is the so-called certified B24—a blend of 24% renewable biodiesel derived from waste and 76% VLSFO. Introducing biofuel marks another step in Odfjell’s decade-long work to reduce emissions, having already improved carbon intensity by more than 54% compared to the 2008 benchmark, achieved through a range of technical and operational measures.
The initiative aligns with IMO’s 2030 targets and the EU’s Fit for 55 ambitions, and builds on the 2024 Norway-Brazil MoU to establish a green, transatlantic shipping corridor.
Fotland said: “We hope to inspire broader industry action and welcome continued collaboration with regulators, ports, producers, other ship operators, and customers to accelerate the transition to low-emission maritime transport.”
Knut Arild Hareide, Norwegian Shipowners’ Association, added: “That a deep-sea shipping company like Odfjell has succeeded in establishing a regular corridor between Brazil and Europe powered by certified biofuel is both highly encouraging and an important step toward our shared goal of decarbonising global shipping by 2050. Shipping accounts for roughly 3% of global, human-made greenhouse gas emissions, and meeting the ambitious climate targets the industry has set for itself will require close collaboration across the entire maritime value chain. This initiative is an excellent example of how collaboration between ports, fuel producers, and shipping companies can deliver tangible results that move us forward in the green transition.”
Image: Odfjell’s ‘Bow Leopard’, one of the green corridor chemical tankers (source: Odfjell)
