On 28 November 2025, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the European Union (EU) officially launched a new programme called “Future-Ready Shipping in Africa”. Backed by €5 million of EU funding, the project aims to help African countries move toward a cleaner, more digital and better-regulated maritime sector. It focuses on four main areas: maritime governance, alternative fuels and green corridors, digitalisation, and training.
For readers of SeaEmploy.com, the most interesting part sits in the middle of that list: the creation of green corridor projects in selected African ports and the development of bunkering facilities for alternative fuels. That sounds abstract at first, so let’s unpack it in simple language.
Future-Ready Shipping in Africa: green corridors and chosen ports
The IMO–EU statement says the project will fund feasibility studies and “bankable” business cases for bunkering facilities for alternative fuels and for the creation of green corridor projects in selected African ports.
In practice, a green shipping corridor is more than a buzzword. Research from the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping describes green corridors as large-scale demonstration projects that link specific ports and routes, where ships, ports, fuel producers and regulators all commit to using cleaner fuels and technology along that corridor. Once such a corridor starts operating, it helps build a full supply chain for new fuels and proves that zero- or low-carbon shipping can work commercially.
So when the Future-Ready Shipping in Africa project talks about green corridors in selected African ports, it actually means:
- Choosing a few key ports and routes, not trying to change everything at once.
- Bringing in shipping lines, port authorities, cargo owners, and fuel suppliers to work on one concrete corridor.
- Designing fuel supply, bunkering, safety rules and digital tools for that corridor.
- Using that corridor as a test bed, then scaling up to more ports and more ships.
Only five Sub-Saharan African countries will take part in the first phase. IMO will select them through an open expression-of-interest process and will look at factors such as existing needs assessments, political commitment to maritime decarbonisation, and the potential to produce or trade alternative fuels.
At the same time, other studies already point to promising African corridors. For example, a Global Maritime Forum analysis shows that the South Africa–Europe iron ore route could run partly on green ammonia from 2029 and reach full decarbonisation by 2035, with Saldanha Bay as a potential bunkering hub. That kind of work aligns nicely with what Future-Ready Shipping in Africa now wants to do at the policy and infrastructure level.
What Alternative fuels are and what Africa needs on shore
When IMO talks about “alternative fuels” it means fuels that emit much less greenhouse gas over their life cycle than traditional heavy fuel oil or marine gas oil. The list usually includes:
- Green methanol
- Green ammonia
- Hydrogen (in different forms)
- Advanced biofuels
- In some cases, LNG as a transition fuel for larger deep-sea ships
The EU’s Sustainable Transport Investment Plan also stresses that shipping and aviation must move toward renewable and low-carbon fuels if they want to hit 2030 and 2050 climate targets.
For Africa, the situation is complex. An IMO-supported report on decarbonising domestic shipping in Africa and the Caribbean warns that LNG and ammonia do not make much sense for small coastal and river fleets because the vessels are small and capital costs are high. However, the same report notes that Africa’s domestic sectors could become testing grounds for zero-emission technologies like hydrogen and fuel cells.
For deep-sea corridors, the story looks different. There, green ammonia, methanol and advanced biofuels become realistic options, especially on busy export routes to Europe and Asia. That is where African ports and refining hubs can position themselves.
What kind of infrastructure do African ports and refineries need?
To support alternative fuels, ports and surrounding industrial zones need much more than a single tank:
- Reliable renewable power
Most green fuels start with renewable electricity. Countries like Namibia, South Africa, Morocco and Egypt already plan or host large solar and wind projects tied to green hydrogen and ammonia. The recent workshops in Walvis Bay, run by IMO/MTCC Africa and partners from the Namibia Green Hydrogen Programme, show how seriously some coastal states now treat this opportunity. - Fuel production plants
- For green ammonia: electrolysers for hydrogen, nitrogen separation units, and ammonia synthesis plants.
- For green methanol: hydrogen, captured CO₂ and methanol synthesis units.
- For advanced biofuels: feedstock supply chains (residues, waste oils) and processing plants.
- Storage and bunkering facilities
Ports must build tanks, pipelines, loading arms and safety systems that can handle toxic or cryogenic fuels like ammonia or hydrogen. That means new standards, trained staff and proper emergency response. - Port equipment and on-shore power
Many green corridor plans also include electric cranes, hybrid tugboats, and shore-power connections so ships can switch off their engines at berth. African Development Bank and other partners already urge African ports to start planning for this kind of equipment. - Digital systems
Future-Ready Shipping in Africa places a big emphasis on Maritime Single Window (MSW) systems. That means electronic port clearance, integrated customs and real-time data. The project will fund readiness assessments and national roadmaps to help ports digitise their formalities and track emissions more easily.
Skills and training
None of this works without people. The project therefore includes a strong Maritime Education and Training (MET) component. IMO and the EU want maritime academies in Africa to update curricula to include:
- Alternative fuels and fuel safety
- Climate and biodiversity issues
- Digital tools and data handling
They will also support targeted scholarships, with a focus on better gender balance in the sector.
For seafarers who follow SeaEmploy.com, this matters directly. As green corridors appear, shipowners will look for crew who understand new fuels, new bunkering routines, and more digital reporting. That means more training opportunities, but also higher expectations in the long term.
What this means in the next few years
Future-Ready Shipping in Africa does not change ports overnight. It acts more like a starter motor: it gives technical support, funds early studies, and helps countries write strong laws and business cases. The real build-out will depend on how African governments, private investors and international partners move after these first studies.
However, you can already see the direction:
- Africa wants a place in the green shipping economy, not just as a transit region.
- IMO and the EU see green corridors as a practical way to start, rather than trying to decarbonise everything at once.
For whole maritime industry workers this shift opens a new chapter. The more Africa invests in future-ready shipping, the more the continent will need people who can sail, maintain, regulate and manage a very different kind of fleet.
