The Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) will announce the winner of its second e-fuel tender before year-end despite regulatory uncertainty surrounding alternative fuels, reports New York's Journal of Commerce.

The announcement was originally timed to follow the International Maritime Organization's adoption of a net-zero framework in October, but US-led opposition forced a one-year postponement. The Aspen Institute, which serves as ZEMBA's secretariat, said the delay created challenges but stressed the private sector continues to lead.

The second tender calls for carriers to move the equivalent of 1.5 million TEU across the Pacific using renewable synthetic fuels, aiming to accelerate commercial deployment of e-fuels. Michellie Hess of the Aspen Institute said bids were received from multiple carriers and praised members for taking a long-term approach to clean energy transition.

ZEMBA is a non-profit alliance of more than 40 freight buyers including IKEA, Electrolux, Nike, Philips and Levi Strauss. The group's first tender in April 2024 was won by Hapag-Lloyd, which committed to 1.2 billion TEU-miles of zero-emission shipping on the Singapore-Rotterdam route in 2025 and 2026.

Arne Maibohm, Hapag-Lloyd's director of decarbonisation, said the carrier is fully on track with the first tender, securing biomethane supplies from the European gas grid. He acknowledged the IMO delay complicates global decarbonisation but reaffirmed the company's net-zero target by 2045.

Ms Maibohm added that frameworks such as FuelEU Maritime are already driving alternative fuel uptake. With the IMO process delayed, improving vessel fuel efficiency has become more critical, especially in Europe where the EU Emissions Trading System carbon tax and FuelEU Maritime regulations take effect in 2026.