Duisport and Port of Amsterdam to develop green hydrogen value chain
The CEOs have signed an MoU to underline their organisations’ commitment to these shared goals.
Port of Amsterdam and duisport will expand their long-lasting cooperation, as Markus Bangen, CEO at duisport, and Koen Overtoom, CEO at Port of Amsterdam, have announced that the ports will jointly develop the hydrogen value chain and their hinterland network.
The ports of Amsterdam and Duisburg are directly connected via the river Rhine and multiple land routes and fulfil important roles as logistical hubs for the European hinterland. Historically, these ports have been partners in facilitating important trade flows between Germany and the Netherlands. Their joint participation company, Hafen Duisburg/Amsterdam Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH reflects the existing long-term partnership and will now enter a new phase.
Both ports have strong ambitions in the energy field and want to be at the forefront of the transition toward sustainable and renewable energy sources. Port of Amsterdam and duisport will, therefore, jointly explore the potential of several hydrogen carrier technologies, aiming to establish an international supply chain for hydrogen on a commercial scale. The import, storage and distribution of green hydrogen carriers play an instrumental role in enabling the energy transition in the industrial and maritime sectors.
Port of Amsterdam is part of the H2A consortium, which aims to import one million tonnes of green hydrogen to the port of Amsterdam and includes multiple significant players in the hydrogen industry. The H2A project forms a unique platform that can now be connected to duisport, establishing an end-to-end value chain for green hydrogen carriers between both ports.
In addition to developing the green hydrogen value chain, duisport and Port of Amsterdam will set up joint commercial projects to further develop their hinterland networks. Amsterdam and Duisburg are well connected by inland shipping, land and rail corridors and are centrally located within the extensive European network. In addition to the existing daily barge connections, an Amsterdam – Duisburg rail shuttle was launched in 2019. This shuttle forms an important corridor that directly links both ports’ short sea and intermodal networks.
By actively engaging in joint commercial projects and by connecting their port community networks, duisport and Port of Amsterdam want to realise their shared ambition of expanding their hinterland networks, stimulating the modal shift and promoting sustainable multimodal transport connections via rail transport, inland shipping and short-sea connections between the ports and other European destinations.
Koen Overtoom, CEO of Port of Amsterdam, said, “This partnership strengthens our strategic initiatives, aimed at taking the lead in facilitating the energy transition, and complements our strong collaborations with our trusted partners.”
Markus Bangen, CEO of duisport, “By expanding our trusting partnership with the Port of Amsterdam, we are sending an important signal across national borders: only together will we be able to overcome global challenges such as the energy transition.”