Norwegian energy group Equinor has entered a five-year partnership with Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation to accelerate the deployment of alternative marine fuels and other emissions-cutting technologies, according to a statement from GCMD.
The agreement brings together GCMD’s experience in real-world maritime pilots with Equinor’s role as a vessel charterer, marine fuel supplier and developer of low-carbon solutions.
The partners will focus on removing technical and operational barriers to scaling alternative fuels, including biofuels, ammonia and methanol.
GCMD has been running pilots and studies aimed at generating data on safe bunkering and fuel handling, as well as improving monitoring, reporting and verification of fuel quantity, quality and greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
Equinor already charters dual-fuel LNG, LPG and methanol tankers, tests and uses biofuels and supplies methanol to the maritime sector. It is also piloting the use and supply of ammonia as a marine fuel, including work on safety, regulation and bunkering arrangements.
The five-year partnership will also cover energy-efficiency technologies and onboard carbon capture and storage.
GCMD’s Project CAPTURED has demonstrated an end-to-end value chain for capturing and liquefying CO2 onboard ships. The centre said the project generated evidence that contributed to recognition of captured CO2 under the EU Emissions Trading System and in-principle support at the International Maritime Organization for recognising carbon mineralisation as permanent storage.
Equinor brings experience in offshore CO2 storage through projects including Northern Lights in Norway, the cross-border transport and storage venture it owns with Shell and TotalEnergies. Northern Lights began storing CO2 in August 2025. Its first phase has annual capacity of 1.5m tonnes, while a NOK 7.5bn ($760m) second phase is planned to raise total injection capacity to at least 5m tonnes per year.
GCMD said the new partnership would explore ways to combine the organisations’ capabilities to support deployment and scaling of maritime decarbonisation technologies. It did not announce a specific joint onboard carbon capture vessel trial.
“The maritime energy transition requires collaboration across industries and value chains,” said Anne Mai Hatlem, Equinor’s senior vice president for marketing, midstream and processing.
Equinor’s shipping exposure gives the partnership an established operational base. In 2025, 40% of the tankers it chartered for more than three months were dual-fuel vessels, according to the company’s annual report.
Equinor is headquartered in Stavanger and is 67% owned by the Norwegian state. The company had 24,600 employees in 2025.
GCMD was launched in Singapore in August 2021 as a non-profit organisation focused on maritime decarbonisation through pilots and trials.