Danish Shipping counts on Denmark-Germany deal on North Sea Energy Island to support its green ships and fuels vision

As Denmark is starting negotiations with Germany on the North Sea Energy Island, the proposed artificial energy island in the North Sea, the trade and employer association Danish Shipping is optimistic the possible agreement will bring the necessary infrastructure to support the association’s investment in green ships and green fuels.

The Danish Shipping expressed disappointment that the negotiations between Denmark and Belgium on the North Sea Energy Island have broken down, meaning that the project, which is intended to supply green electricity for the production of green fuels, will be delayed.

However, the negotiations with Germany look promising to Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping, who hopes that the two countries can reach an agreement on the North Sea Energy Island.

“We need all the green electricity we can get. The first green ships have long since been launched, and many more are on the way. But they need green fuels, and that requires large amounts of green electricity,” she said.

“Germany is an important partner for Denmark, both economically and politically, and we hope that the two countries can reach a good and sustainable agreement on the North Sea Energy Island. Germany is already involved in the Bornholm Energy Island, and hopefully, this will make the negotiations around the North Sea Energy Island easier. We urge the government to do everything it can to ensure a swift and smooth process so that we can move forward with this important project for the green future.”

Danish Shipping has long been an advocate for the North Sea Energy Island, which they see as an important step towards achieving the goal of making international shipping climate-neutral by 2050. Shipping accounts for about 3% of global CO2 emissions, and the association believes that the industry has a responsibility to contribute to the green transition.

“We are ready to invest in green ships and green fuels, but we urgently need infrastructure and political will to support our vision. The North Sea Energy Island is an example of a project that can make a huge difference for both shipping and society as a whole. We hope it becomes a reality soon,” Anne concluded.

Denmark plans to build an artificial energy island in the North Sea that would as a hub in a network consisting of 10 surrounding offshore wind farms and with links to foreign countries. 

Last summer, the Danish government postponed the decision to initiate the tender for the North Sea Island project as the current concept was deemed too expensive and the government wanted to look into other concepts and investigate whether the energy island should be established on a foundation made up of several large platforms.