Hapag-Lloyd and DHL Sign Deal to Utilise Sustainable Marine Fuels

Germany’s container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd and DHL Global Forwarding have signed a three-year framework agreement to reduce scope 3 greenhouse-gas emissions from sustainable marine fuels used in Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet. 

The partnership, formalised in July 2025, marks a key step in decarbonising global shipping supply chains.

Under the deal’s first tranche, DHL placed an order equivalent to 25,000 tons of CO₂e well-to-wake emission reduction, executed in July 2025 using second-generation biofuels produced from waste and residue feedstocks. These fuels replace conventional marine fuel oil and deliver immediate lifecycle emission savings, despite currently limited global supply.

“Partnering with DHL shows how powerful collaboration can be. Together, we are creating real momentum in further decarbonising supply chains, one bold step at a time,” said Managing Director Global Sales at Hapag-Lloyd, Danny Smolders. 

“The signing of this three-year framework agreement marks a crucial step toward realizing our shared vision of a decarbonised shipping industry,” Head of Global Ocean Freight at DHL Global Forwarding, Casper Ellerbaek, added. “We are thrilled to partner with Hapag-Lloyd in driving the adoption of sustainable marine fuels and the book and claim mechanism, ultimately empowering our customers to achieve their climate goals”.

Central to the agreement is the ‘book & claim’ chain-of-custody mechanism, which decouples the customer’s emission claim from the physical fuel delivery. This approach allows shippers to credit scope 3 reductions for sustainable marine fuel volumes, even when direct bunker supply is constrained or cost-intensive.

Hapag-Lloyd offers this via its Ship Green product, launched in 2023, while DHL provides equivalent offsets through its GoGreen Plus portfolio. Both solutions give customers the power to mitigate indirect emissions across upstream and downstream transport in their value chains.

The collaboration between Hapag-Lloyd and DHL Global Forwarding aligns with their ambitious net-zero targets. Hapag-Lloyd has set an aim for net-zero fleet emissions by 2045, while DHL has targeted net-zero greenhouse-gas emissions across its operations by 2050. 

Early uptake of biofuel blends under Ship Green has been available since 2023, building on Hapag-Lloyd’s deployment of second-generation biofuels from 2020.

Combining book and claim with sustainable marine fuels accelerates early action on decarbonisation, a crucial move, given the current scarcity and premium cost of low-carbon maritime fuels. 

This framework agreement sets a blueprint for other liner and logistics providers seeking to reduce their carbon footprints.
 

Fuel and fuel cargo expertise with Brookes Bell

When things go wrong at sea, they rarely go wrong in isolation.

At Brookes Bell, we recognise that fuel cargo and fuel disputes can be complex and require the input and expertise of multiple experts from different disciplines.

That’s why we have a multidisciplinary team of experts based at strategic maritime hubs across the world.

To learn more about our services, contact our team today.

Learn more about Brookes Bell’s fuel and fuel cargoes services today

For more maritime industry insights, news and information, read the Brookes Bell News and Knowledge Hub…

MAN to Deliver World’s Largest Methanol Engine | IMO Agrees Major Revision of Safety Code for Nuclear-Powered Ships | LNG Canada Produces First Liquefied Natural Gas for Export