CAIRO, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) announced on Friday the success of fueling an international vessel with green energy methanol.
"The move is the first of its kind in Egypt," said the SCZone in a statement.
This is part of the Egyptian strategy to restore its role of providing fueling services for ships, which is a significant step to maximize the benefits of Egypt's ports on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
The first green-energy-powered ship, owned by Danish shipping conglomerate Maersk, passed through the Suez Canal in its journey from Asia to Europe. It was powered for nearly six hours by 500 tons of green methanol in the port of East Port Said on Thursday.
The statement added that the SCZone plans to turn its ports into a regional hub for fueling vessels with traditional or green energy in light of its endeavors to localize the industry of green energy and to achieve added value to its unique location.
During the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference held in Egypt's resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in November 2022, the world's largest green hydrogen producers and maritime leaders signed a joint statement committing to the rapid adoption of green hydrogen-based fuels for full decarbonization by 2050.
In 2022, Egypt inked a series of deals with energy firms based in India, Norway, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates to set up green hydrogen and green ammonia production facilities in the SCZone, with the foreign partners pledging to invest over 40 billion U.S. dollars in total by 2030. ■
