In Hamburg, the Port of Riga, together with five other European ports – Antwerp- Bruges  Tallinn Helsinki, Hamina-Kotka and Klaipeda  – signed a Memorandum of Understanding with X-Press Feeders, the world’s largest independent feeder carrier, to develop green shipping corridors and decarbonise maritime transport in Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea.

The cooperation will start with the opening of two new X-Press Feeders shipping lines, one of them will include the Port of Riga. These will be the first regular shipping routes in Europe with vessels to be powered by green methanol (an alternative fuel that produces at least 60% less emissions than conventional marine fuels). The Green Baltic X-PRESS line includes the Port of Riga and will route Rotterdam – Antwerp Bridge – Klaipeda – Riga – Rotterdam. The second line, called Green Finland X-PRESS, will include Rotterdam – Antwerp Bruges – Helsinki – Tallinn – Hamina-Kotka – Rotterdam. The lines are expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2024.

“We are delighted and honoured to be able to accommodate green methanol-powered container carriers in the Port of Riga in the second half of 2024. By joining X-Press Feeders and other European ports in promoting green shipping and creating greener shipping corridors, we are also increasing the sustainability and competitiveness of the Port of Riga. The availability of green energy not only makes the port more efficient and safer, but also meets client demands for environment-friendly transport solutions, increasing the port’s attractiveness for new freight and investment projects,” said Edgars Sūna, Deputy CEO of the Freeport of Riga, when signing the Memorandum of Understanding.

The MoU provides that X-Press Feeders and the participating ports will pool resources and expertise to undertake a range of measures to further develop green shipping corridors – build port infrastructure to provide alternative fuels, promote the development of alternative fuels supply chains, establish further training programmes for port staff and seafarers on alternative fuels and use digital platforms to streamline the vessel accommodation process at ports.

Francis Goh, COO of X-Press Feeders, addressed the MOU objectives: “The cooperation between X-Press Feeders and the six partner ports aims to effectively implement green shipping corridors and promote the sustainability of the industry. We chose the Nordic and Baltic countries as the first markets to introduce our green, methanol-powered vessels because both the ports and our clients are the most responsive to sustainability initiatives. The MoU is an important step towards sustainable shipping, because by working together with leading European ports we can jointly promote the uptake of green technologies and accelerate the decarbonisation of the industry.”

X-Press Feeders was founded in Singapore in 1972. It is the largest independent feeder carrier in the world, with operations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe. X-Press Feeders operates a fleet of more than 100 vessels calling at more than 180 ports worldwide. The company aims to achieve zero emissions and become the greenest feeder carrier by 2050.