An alliance of freight buyers that includes major retail brands, consumer technology companies and freight forwarders has launched a tender to move a swathe of containers on ships powered by fuels that offer emissions reductions of at least 90%.

The Zero Emissions Maritime Buyers Alliance (Zemba) launched a request for proposals asking liner operators to bid on hauling 600,000 teu of containers over three years on ships powered by zero-emission fuels, describing the tender as the first major buyer-led initiative to accelerate shipping’s green transition.