Hapag-Lloyd, Kuehne+Nagel launch green shipping partnership
The companies plan to cut nearly 3,000 tonnes of CO₂e in 2026 using waste-based sustainable marine fuels on Asia-Europe trade routes.
Hapag-Lloyd and Kuehne+Nagel have started their first joint initiative on sustainable ocean freight, with the companies aiming to reduce around 3,000 tonnes of CO₂e emissions in 2026 through the use of sustainable marine fuels (SMF).
The agreement will see Kuehne+Nagel use Hapag-Lloyd’s Ship Green product to lower the carbon footprint of its ocean freight shipments. From April to December 2026, around 3,300 TEU of cargo moving on the East Asia to North Europe trade lane will be covered under the partnership. The companies said the initiative will use about 1,000 tonnes of RED III-compliant, waste-based sustainable marine fuels and is expected to avoid nearly 2,979 tonnes of CO₂e emissions on a well-to-wake basis.
Danny Smolders, Managing Director Global Sales at Hapag-Lloyd, said the agreement takes the long-standing partnership between the two companies to the next level. He added that Ship Green offers customers a scalable solution to reduce Scope 3 emissions and shows how partnerships can create measurable climate impact.
Paolo Montrone, Head of Trade Global Sea Logistics at Kuehne+Nagel, said decarbonising shipping requires transparency, collaboration and commercially viable solutions. He said the partnership would help customers reduce Scope 3 emissions and support the wider adoption of alternative fuels.
The agreement is based on a book-and-claim chain-of-custody mechanism, allowing customers to claim verified emission reductions regardless of where the fuel is physically used. Only emissions reductions from biofuel already used in Hapag-Lloyd’s operated fleet will be allocated to Kuehne+Nagel. The companies said this model supports scalable climate action while sustainable marine fuels remain limited in availability.
Hapag-Lloyd aims to achieve net-zero fleet operations by 2045, while Kuehne+Nagel has committed to reaching net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2050. Both companies said sustainable logistics solutions will play a key role in meeting these targets.