In the space of four years, China has gone from being a supporting actor a reference point for green maritime corridors and today almost a fifth of the world's initiatives involve a Chinese port. The notes the new report "Green shipping corridors: How China is re-energising the global movement" of the Global Maritime Forum that was presented yesterday in Shanghai, during the Global Maritime Forum Annual Summit 2026.

Specifying that the green corridors are maritime routes on which the feasibility of zero-emission navigation is supported by joint action by the public and private sectors, the report explains that in June 2026 at least 21 maritime corridor initiatives The green elections announced involved China. In 2022, when the Forum had begun to measure the phenomenon, there were only three. 2025 It was the year of the turning point, with the presentation of ten new initiatives and the launch, by the Ministry of Transport of Beijing, the "Initiative for International Cooperation on Green Shipping Corridors".

More than half of the corridors linked to China involves partners from the European Union. European ports also include three Spanish ports: Barcelona (in partnership with Shanghai), Valencia and Algeciras (both with Ningbo-Zhoushan).

In particular, of the 21 initiatives involve China - of which 12 at the start, five in exploration, three in preparation and one in construction phase - 16 concern corridors between ports, with the Shanghai Chinese Port connected with the ports of Hamburg, Los Angeles, Angeles, Long Beach, Melbourne, Antwerp-Bruges and Barcelona, with the Ningbo-Zhoushan China port connected with Hamburg, Wilhelmshaven, Valencia, Le Havre, , Algeciras, Abu Dhabi and Felixstowe, with the port of Qingdao connected with Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven, with the Tianjin County connected with Singapore and with the port of Guangzhou connected with Los Angeles.

Another initiative concerns a corridor between the province of Shandong with Singapore and four others are multiport corridors (Australia-East Asia; Singapore; Silk Alliance and Portugal).

About the seven initiatives that have already chosen the ship segment, three involve the use of container ships, two of which involve the use of ro-ro vessels, one bulk carrier and one container ship more ro-ro. With regard to the naval fuel to be used, for six initiatives the chosen fuel type and the two methanol and ammonia are more suitable.

The report indicates precisely fuels and technologies such as major strength of China and highlights that projects in development in China target up to 30 million tons of methanol and 15 million green ammonia by the early thirties. These quantities are equal to more than 60% of the global green methanol projects and about 15% of those of green ammonia. The report specifies that 80% of the capacity of green methanol already beyond the final decision of investment and more than 40% of those ammonia is located in China, and there green ammonia costs up to 20-30% less than in competing regions. It also points out that bunkering of methanol has gone from less than 540 tons in 2024 to 64,000 in 2025 and 100,000 in mid-2026, 90% carried out in Shanghai. China is also a major contributor to electric batteries next: the Greenwater 700 TEU container ship of the COSCO, which entered service in 2024, exceeds 50 MWh of capacity, against 1 MWh of the Norwegian ferry MF Ampere with a capacity of 360 passengers and 120 vehicles dating back to ten years ago.

The document also points to the propensity of Chinese partners to closing long-term supply agreements, still rare in the rest of the world. Examples include the agreements between Maersk and LONGi, Hapag-Lloyd and Goldwind, CMA CGM and Shanghai Electric. Also the models of risk sharing are innovative: CMB. TECH, for example, In addition to signing a contract for the supply of ammonia, it has invested in directly in the Chinese company of the supply chain.

The Global Maritime Forum report also focuses on the rapid strengthening of Chinese policies in this area, with green hydrogen, which, for example, has entered the of the 15th Five-Year Plan. In addition, in February 2026 a plan has been launched to make Shanghai a hub international green bunkering by 2030, with the aim of of one million tons per year of methanol and biofuels.

The document also highlights several critical elements, starting with demand. As elsewhere, in China too the owners of cargoes are not willing to pay enough for transport to zero emissions to absorb the potential supply. A survey warns that 65% of global shippers would accept a surcharge, on average about +3%. In addition, the cost gap between traditional and sustainable marine fuels remains wide: even to the Chinese prices, green methanol and ammonia cost two to three times conventional fuels.

Other obstacles are the certification of fuels according to global standards, the bunkering and charging infrastructure and possible competition of the domestic industry for green ammonia. In addition, the document notes that there is a regulatory limitation on the corridors with Europe: on non-EU maritime routes, the EU ETS and the European FuelEU Maritime regulation only applies to 50% of the energy consumed, so additional support would be needed.

To address these critical issues, the report formulates four recommendations: upgrading methanol infrastructure, ammonia and electric ships, with certification standards compatible with international ones; apply the best international governance practices and enhancing partnerships existing ones; use policy tools to close the cost gap fuels; stimulate demand, focusing on the sectors pioneers and aggregating buyers.

According to the report, China's green maritime corridors could open up access to a bunkering market worth $100 billion and ad global investments of 1-2 trillion, with the creation of up to four million green jobs. In its budget, the Global Maritime Forum calls them an advantageous opportunity for China and for the rest of the world.