DHL Global Forwarding and French container shipping group CMA CGM have agreed to jointly deploy 8,990 mt of UCOME second-generation marine biofuel as part of a new initiative to reduce emissions from ocean freight.
The companies stated that the use of biofuel is expected to deliver an estimated 25,000 mt of CO₂e well-to-wake emissions savings for cargo moved under DHL’s GoGreen Plus service, marking a key milestone in their cooperation on lower-carbon shipping.
Under the arrangement, CMA CGM will physically bunker the biofuel across its fleet. At the same time, DHL will apply a book-and-claim approach to allocate the resulting emissions reductions to customers using GoGreen Plus. The model allows shippers to reduce the carbon intensity of their supply chains even if their cargo is not transported on vessels directly using the fuel.
“This collaboration marks another milestone in our mission towards low-carbon supply chains,” said Casper Ellerbaek, Head of Global Ocean Freight at DHL Global Forwarding. “By leveraging sustainable marine fuels, we help our customers achieve their climate goals and drive real progress toward decarbonisation.”
The initiative combines DHL’s GoGreen Plus offering with CMA CGM’s ACT+ low-carbon transport programme, which is designed to support the use of alternative fuels at scale. DHL said GoGreen Plus can enable well-to-wake greenhouse gas reductions of up to 80% compared with conventional marine fuels, depending on the fuel pathway used.
CMA CGM said the partnership supports its commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Olivier Nivoix, Executive Vice President Shipping at CMA CGM Group, said the company has already reduced the carbon intensity of its shipping activities by 57% since 2008 and continues to invest in alternative fuels and dual-fuel vessels.
Both companies said they will continue to explore opportunities to scale up the use of lower-carbon fuels and deepen collaboration on decarbonising global supply chains.
