• Nick Potter, President and CEO of AET, and immediate past Chairman of OCIMF, joins Paula Vieira, Director General of Environmental Policy at Transport Canada, as co-chair of the CEM-HUBS Steering Committee.
• Nick Potter, previously a member, has also been appointed Chair of the CEM-HUBS Private Sector Group

• The Clean Energy Marine Hubs (or CEM-HUBS) is a cross-sectoral public-private platform intended to de-risk investments needed to produce low- and zero-emission fuels to be transported and used by the maritime sector.

21 July 2026, London: The Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEM-HUBS) is pleased to welcome Nick Potter, President and CEO of AET and Vice President, Petroleum & Products, MISC, as one of its two co-chairs and chair of the Private Sector Group. He is also immediate past Chairman of Oil Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF). He joins Paula Vieira, Director General of Environmental Policy at Transport Canada, as co-chair.

The Clean Energy Marine Hubs (or CEM-HUBS) is a cross-sectoral public-private platform intended to de-risk investments needed to produce low- and zero-emission fuels to be transported and used by the maritime sector. The aim of the initiative is to become the high-level platform that can catalyse and support the alignment of effort across the energy-maritime value chain.

Nick Potter, co-chair and chair of the Private Sector Group of the CEM Hubs initiative said:

“I am honoured by both appointments. The path to net-zero emissions, and to greater energy security, will only be unlocked when the energy and maritime sectors move as one, and I will work to support this. No one organisation can do this alone, but by aligning effort across public and private sectors involvement in the value chain, we can together turn ambition into action, and deliver progress.”

The CEM-HUBS initiative includes representatives from–the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Association of Ports & Harbors (IAPH) and the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM). The initiative is co-led by the governments of Canada and the UAE, with active participation from Brazil, China, Greece, Malta, Norway, Panama and Uruguay.

Thomas A. Kazakos, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Shipping added: 

“We are delighted to welcome Nick as co-chair to the CEM-HUBS Steering Committee and chair of the Private Sector Group and look forward to working together on this critical initiative. It comes as no surprise that energy security is top of the agenda for every government and currently CEM-HUBS is co-operating with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and IRENA on its global study to identify future supply and demand and define the infrastructure needed for Energy Hubs to move meaningfully forward on the decarbonisation journey. CEM-HUBS is working on a complementary Ministerial Narrative to aid this study and create a blueprint. Nick’s wealth of experience and knowledge from the energy sector will be instrumental to this and building the work of CEM-HUBS. We would also like to thank previous Chair Esben Poulsson for his invaluable contribution and support to the CEM-HUBS initiative.”

Patrick Verhoeven, Managing Director of the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH), commented:

“With a mixed fuel future, ports are seeking clarity on the “how” to prepare onshore infrastructure for Clean Energy Marine Hubs, namely: identifying offtake, ensuring the right governance is in place, defining clearly what infrastructure is needed, how it is financed, built, operated and maintained. With Nick’s incorporation as co-chair of the CEM-HUBS steering committee, his extensive experience in the downstream energy supply chain will steer this initiative to provide succinct and pragmatic guidance to meet those significant challenges ahead.”

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) support the initiative together with ABS, Lloyds Register, OCIMF, and the World Economic Forum. All collaborating to unlock the production, transportation, and use of low-carbon fuels for the world at scale.

For more information on the initiative please click here.

Notes to Editors

About CEM-HUBS

The Clean Energy Marine Hubs initiative aims to de-risk and accelerate the production of low-carbon fuels at scale, for shipping to transport and use. Shipping will be a key enabler to transport these fuels for the world, supporting the wider energy transition to the world. The initiative was proposed by the International Chamber of Shipping and the International Association of Ports & Harbors under the banner of Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM). It is a is a first-of-its-kind, cross-sectoral public-private platform jointly led by an industry task force of CEOs and energy ministers.

About ICS 

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) is the principal international trade association for merchant shipowners and operators, representing all sectors and trades and over 80% of the world’s merchant fleet – www.ics-shipping.org.

About IAPH 

Founded in 1955, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has developed into a global alliance of 206 port authorities as well as 177 port-related businesses. Comprised of over 94 different nationalities across the world’s continents, member ports handle over one third of the world’s sea-borne trade and well over 60% of the world container traffic. IAPH leads global port industry initiatives on decarbonisation and energy transition, risk and resilience management, and accelerating digitalisation in the maritime transport chain. The IAPH’s World Ports Sustainability Program has grown into the reference database of best practices of ports applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals and integrating them into their businesses – iaphworldports.org.

About the Clean Energy Ministerial 

The Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) is a high-level global forum to promote policies and programmes that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy. Initiatives are based on areas of common interest among participating governments and other stakeholders. The CEM brings together a community of the world’s largest and leading countries, companies and international experts to achieve one mission –accelerate clean energy transitions – www.cleanenergyministerial.org.