TotalEnergies Joins Castor Initiative's Ammonia Bunkering Coalition

The Castor Initiative has announced that global energy major TotalEnergies has become the eighth partner in the worldwide coalition committed to making zero-emission shipping a reality. The international coalition was established in January 2020, and its most recent project milestone was the April 2022 memorandum of understanding for a pair of zero-emission deep-sea tanker vessels.

"Among various decarbonized marine fuel alternatives, ammonia could rapidly become a viable solution in the maritime sector while challenges remain to be addressed, particularly on the safety aspects," Jérôme Cousin, Senior Vice President of Shipping, TotalEnergies, said. "We are therefore enthusiastic about joining the Castor initiative, one of the most comprehensive and ambitious projects dealing with ammonia as a fuel today. As a multi-energy company committed to the energy transition, TotalEnergies will strive to bring its charterer perspective to this consortium of highly reputable industry players."

To meet the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) 2050 ambitions of halving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2008 levels, zero-carbon vessels must enter the world fleet by 2030. The project has been motivated by the partners' shared belief that the maritime industry needs leadership and greater collaboration if shipping is to meet the IMO's GHG ambitions.

While ammonia is one of the fuels being considered by maritime stakeholders, the partners also recognize that the shipping industry will need to explore multiple decarbonization pathways and hope their collaboration will spur others in the maritime industry to address this global challenge.