Ports of Halifax and Hamburg forge ties on hydrogen, green energy corridor

The Halifax Port Authority and Hamburg Port Authority have joined hands on decarbonizing the shipping corridor between Halifax, on Canada’s east coast, and Hamburg, along Germany’s northwest coast.

The two port authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Hamburg on September 29, 2022. The MoU was signed by Jens Meier, the CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority, and Captain Allan Gray, President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority.

The two ports plan to focus their cooperation on developing port infrastructure for bunkering and exporting green hydrogen and derivatives in the Port of Halifax and related infrastructure for bunkering and importing green hydrogen and derivatives in the Port of Hamburg.

The MoU also envisages fostering collaboration between value chain partners, shipping lines, and other interests to advance the use of green energy on the corridor, as well as lobbying for aligned regulatory measures, financial incentives, and safety regulations, as well as working with local communities to create favorable conditions for decarbonization.

The ports also committed to sharing knowledge and technology and establishing industry contacts to enable the acceleration of decarbonization within this route.

The ports said that the purpose of this collaboration is to:

• Advance renewable hydrogen technologies;
• Accelerate the global energy transition;
• Support cooperation between the two countries in expanding the global hydrogen economy;
• Enable Canadian companies to deploy their technologies more easily in the German market;
• Provide German companies with opportunities to invest in growing manufacturing capabilities in Canada. 

“We have a long relationship of cooperation and share a mutual drive and commitment toward sustainability and digitalization,” said Captain Gray. “It seems only natural that we continue to collaborate to decarbonise a significant trade route between our two ports.”

“The Halifax Port Authority and Hamburg Port Authority are demonstrating leadership in this sector,” said Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia. “They are not waiting for the arrival of hydrogen to begin their operational changes. They are doing the work today.”

Germany has been investing strenuous efforts in diversifying its energy ties across the globe as it works to move from a high dependence on Russian gas imports.

In that context, German Chancellor  Olaf Scholz has been touring Africa and the Middle East forging new energy partnerships with Qatar and the UAE among others.

As Offshore Energy reported earlier this week, Germany and the United Arab Emirates entered into a new Energy Security and Industry Accelerator (ESIA) Agreement that will accelerate projects of joint interest between the two countries in energy security, decarbonisation and climate action.