Stena Line, DFDS, Ørsted, and Liquid Wind have partnered to establish the hub in ‘Scandinavia’s largest port’, coming as an important step towards a carbon neutral shipping industry.

The companies will work together to launch what they have called the first renewable ‘made in Sweden’ marine fuel, to encourage more companies to choose carbon neutral e-fuels.

Set to be the ‘largest e-fuels facility in the world’, the jointly owned project by Ørsted and Liquid Wind, FlagshipONE in northern Sweden, is expected to produce 50,000 tonnes of eMethanol annually from green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide.

Read more: Liquid Wind raises €15m to support eMethanol production from green hydrogen

H2 View understands, eMethanol produced at the FlagshipONE facility will supply the proposed hub at the Port of Gothenburg.

Producer of eMethanol, Liquid Wind has long backed the liquid-form hydrogen carrier. In an interview with H2 View in 2020, its CEO and founder, Claes Fredriksson said eMthanol makes hydrogen more accessible to industries and infrastructure.

Read more: Liquid Wind: Accelerating our energy transition with liquified hydrogen – eMethanol

The plans have been welcomed by Khashayar Farmanbar, Swedish Minister for Energy and Digital Development, who at a press briefing expressed his understanding of the need to support the introduction of green e-fuels into shipping, and an ambition to find ways to financially support the green transition.

Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line, commented, “Stena Line has the ambition to achieve a climate neutral operation. This partnership is yet another proof point of our dedication to reduce our carbon footprint. We cannot achieve this on our own – a strategic collaboration across the value chain will be a win-win for all stakeholders in this exciting project.”

Torben Carlsen, CEO of DFDS, added, “With eMethanol from this partnership, DFDS is adding a new e-fuel possibility to deliver on our promise to operate a green vessel latest by 2025.”

Olivia Breese, Senior Vice-President of Ørsted, said, “Ørsted is excited about the opportunity to support the Port of Gothenburg, DFDS and Stena Line in their ambition to decarbonise their marine operations by using green e-fuel to be produced at FlagshipONE in Sweden. We certainly appreciate the effort by all stakeholders to be present here today, and I’m very pleased that Ørsted can continue to lead the energy transition for the shipping sector.”

Claes Fredriksson, CEO of Liquid Wind, said, “We are honoured to have the minister present here at the Port of Gothenburg, at this pivotal moment when the 5+ years of development work that Liquid Wind has put in, meets the reality of real customers, Stena Line and DFDS, leading to the conclusion of long-term agreements that will allow FlagshipONE to establish and construct the first full-scale electrofuel facility in Europe or perhaps even the world.”