Announcements COP28

Green Shipping Challenge at COP28

Participants and Announcements
December 1, 2023 | Dubai | United Arab Emirates

Participants

Countries, ports, and companies are making more than 50 announcements under the Green Shipping Challenge at COP28. Scroll to the announcements section to learn more details.

New Announcements
  • Amazon: Amazon and other Cargo Owners announce Zero-Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA).
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The Caribbean Green Shipping Corridor Initiative identifies energy efficiency optimization and emissions reduction opportunities for Caribbean Nations.
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The Gulf of Mexico Green Shipping Corridor (GOM GSC) develops a broad Stakeholder group across the global energy value chain.
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The Antwerp-Bruges – Houston Green Shipping Corridor (AB-H GSC) connects global major energy hubs for movement of green bulk fuels and chemicals.
  • ASKO Maritime: Asko announces an all-electric Sea Route in a Green Intermodal Corridor.
  • Australia: Australia announces a Maritime Emissions Reduction National Action Plan.
  • Belgium: The Belgian fleet becomes greener on the way to zero emissions.
  • Belgium: Port of Antwerp-Bruges to become import hub for green hydrogen.
  • Blue Visby Services Ltd: Working with a consortium of thirty of the most prestigious companies and institutions in maritime trade, Blue Visby aims to reduce shipping GHG emissions by 15 percent from today’s fleet through eradicating the practice of “sail fast, then wait.”
  • Canada: Canada announces the establishment of a Green Shipping Corridors Program.
  • Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEMHubs): Momentum grows for Clean Energy Hubs as Brazil and Port CEOs of Hamburg, Açu, Halifax, and Antwerp join the Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEMHubs).
  • Danish Maritime Authority/Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs: Denmark supports implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy in developing countries.
  • Danish Maritime Authority/Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs: Denmark announces plans to support the development of Green Shipping Corridors worldwide.
  • Fortescue: Fortescue “Green Pioneer” will be world’s first ammonia capable ship.
  • France:  France announces enhancement of government support for investments in maritime shipping decarbonization.
  • Germany: Germany support implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy in developing countries through various IMO funds and programs.
  • Germany: Germany announces a National Action Plan towards Zero Emission Shipping.
  • Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA): METAVASEA: A people-centered transition for maritime decarbonization in the East Mediterranean.
  • Höegh Autoliners: Höegh Autoliners has invested $1.2 billion in building 12 new net zero ammonia-ready car carriers that will decarbonize international shipping.
  • Japan: Japan enhances efforts towards developing Green Shipping Corridors, including development and introduction of zero-emission ships and Carbon Neutral Port Initiative.
  • Klaipėda State Seaport Authority: The Klaipėda State Seaport Authority announces development of actions and measures, towards a decarbonized maritime transport.
  • Lithuania: Lithuania joins the Clydebank Declaration to support the development of green shipping corridors.
  • Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: New green corridors worldwide.
  • Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: Pre-feasibility study in Namibia.
  • Maritime Just Transition Task Force: Baseline Training Framework for Seafarers in Decarbonization.
  • Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL): Wind Challenger – MOL’s wind powered vessel “SHOFU MARU” sets sail.
  • Namibia: Namibian Green Hydrogen Program to develop Green Maritime Corridors with Maersk McKinney Moller Institute for Zero Carbon Shipping.
  • Netherlands: Supporting developing countries with implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG strategy by means of donation to GreenVoyage2050.
  • Nigeria: Nigeria announces the establishment of an emissions inventory to define their national maritime emissions baseline.
  • Norway: Norway’s Enhanced International Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping – support to developing countries.
  • Norway: Norway’s enhanced domestic Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping – tailor-made zero emission requirements for domestic shipping and establishment of a climate partnership with the maritime sector.
  • Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership: Inter-governmental Partnership (Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu).
  • Port of Helsinki Ltd and Port of Tallinn Ltd: FIN-EST Green Corridor, Ports of Tallinn and Helsinki, together with cities and shipping companies, accelerate zero emissions.
  • Republic of Korea: Supporting capacity building for SIDS and LDCs to implement the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
  • The Aspen Institute: Additional climate-leading cargo owners join freight buyer collaborations to decarbonize maritime shipping.
  • United Kingdom: U.S. – UK Green Shipping Corridors Taskforce and future engagement.
  • United Kingdom: Bilateral green shipping corridors agreements.
  • United Kingdom: UK support of developing countries to deliver the 2023 IMO GHGStrategy.
  • United States: Supporting Implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy in developing countries, in particular SIDS and LDCs.
  • Wallenius Wilhelmsen: Green energy new-builds for a net-zero end-to-end offering by 2027.
  • Wallenius Wilhelmsen: Commitment to making wind propulsion a reality again.
  • Yara International: World’s first clean ammonia powered container vessel, first decarbonized shipping route between Norway and Germany.
  • Zéphyr & Borée: Announces Canopee, the first modern sail-powered cargo ship.
Announcement Updates
  • A.P. Moller–Maersk: Maersk Signs a General Protocol for Collaboration with the Spanish Government to Explore Large-Scale Green Fuels Production in Spain.
  • Chile: The Chilean Green Corridors Network Pre-Feasibility Study has finalized; feasibility Studies are in progress.
  • DP World: DP World Chairman and Group CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem announced the company intends to invest up to $500 million to cut CO2 emissions from its operations by nearly 700,000 tons over the next five years.
  • Finland, Rauma Marine Constructions, Viking Line, and Kempower: Scalable Green Maritime Transport Corridor Based on Locally Produced Renewable Fuel
  • Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub: Silk Alliance identifies its first baseline fleet for Singapore Cluster and class for further collaborators.
  • Los Angeles – Long Beach – Shanghai Green Shipping Corridor Partnership / Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission (SMTC) and C40 Cities: Presentation of the Los Angeles – Long Beach – Shanghai GSC Implementation Plan.
  • Los Angeles – Long Beach – Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor/ Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, and C40 Cities: The unveiling of the Los Angeles – Long Beach- Singapore Green and Digitial Shipping Corridor Partnership Strategy Document.
  • Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: New green corridors in the Global South/Developing Countries.
  • Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: Launch of the Updated Blueprint for Green Shipping Corridors.
  • Netherlands: Launch customership for Sustainable Zero Emission Ships.
  • Netherlands: United Kingdom: UK joins forces with the United States, Norway, and the Netherlands to roll out end-to-end Green Shipping Corridors.
  • Northwest Seaport Alliance: U.S.-Korea Green Corridor Project & associated decarbonization initiatives.
  • Norway: Norway’s Enhanced Domestic Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping.
  • Norway: Norway’s Enhanced International Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping.
  • Port of Seattle: Fueling progress in the Pacific Northwest.
  • United Kingdom: International Green Corridor Fund with the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark.
  • United Kingdom: Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors: Clydebank family grows at COP28.
  • United States: Facilitating Green Shipping Corridors in the United States and worldwide.

Announcements

At COP28, countries, ports, and companies will make announcements under the Green Shipping Challenge on issues such as innovations for ships, expansion in low- or zero-emission fuels, development and advancement of green shipping corridors, and policies to help promote the uptake of next-generation vessels. Descriptions of these announcements are below.

  • Amazon: Amazon and other Cargo Owners announce Zero-Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA).
    • At Amazon we have been clear that we are committed to accelerating the adoption of new solutions that are going to help us decarbonize our ocean shipping. We have signaled our demand for zero-carbon services and fuels to the value chain through founding partnerships such the First Movers Coalition and Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV). We continue to purchase bio-based fuel service to help reduce carbon emissions now. We have also invested in technologies that are needed for longer-term, zero-emission solutions through our $2B Climate Pledge Fund. In March, we co-founded the Zero-Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance (ZEMBA) in partnership with the Aspen Institute, Ikea, Patagonia and Tchibo. The alliance is a first-of-its-kind buyers group within the maritime sector with the mission to accelerate commercial deployment of zero-emission (ZE) shipping, enable economies of scale, and help minimize maritime emissions. Within 6 months of our launch, in September 2023, we announced our first Request for Proposals (RfP) for ZE shipping services to be delivered in 2025. Through this RfP, Amazon and our partners are seeking ocean shipping services powered by zero-emission fuels for 600,000 twenty-foot containers (TEUs) over a three year period.
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The Caribbean Green Shipping Corridor Initiative identifies energy efficiency optimization and emissions reduction opportunities for Caribbean Nations.
    • This initiative will engage key stakeholders within the U.S.–Caribbean shipping nexus to work together to accelerate progress towards the goal of net zero emissions in the Caribbean for Caribbean Nation’s shipping by (1) targeting specific high priority shipping routes for decarbonization initiatives and (2) developing regional infrastructure and emission reduction strategies to support overall decarbonization of shipping in the region (e.g., alternative fuel networks, shore power, and reducing carbon intensity of shipped commodities). We envision a multi-stakeholder group with shipping, shipper, port, government, and community engagement from across the region working together on prioritized multi-year plans, focusing first on a discreet set of high priority initial routes and commodity/passenger flows, then expanding over time to cover other routes, operations, and ports across the region. The group will provide a coordinating function among the stakeholders to collaborate on aligned technical approaches, policies and regulations, and pursuit of funding opportunities.
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The Gulf of Mexico Green Shipping Corridor (GOM GSC) develops a broad Stakeholder group across the global energy value chain.
    • With the high density of energy sources and industry to produce them within the Gulf of Mexico, this GSC has identified multiple future energy sources as viable depending on individual stakeholder initiatives, duty cycles and potential use cases Methanol; Hydrogen; Ammonia; Electric, and Energy Efficiency are representative of what the GOM GSC stakeholders are investigating. In the near-term commercial harbor craft and vessels within the inland and intercoastal waters were our primary areas of focus. They are seen as potential early adopters to alternative fuels, and have been subjects of many national studies that facilitate industry adoption. However, with this GSC’s goal of global reach, Tankers and Bulk Carriers are an area of focus in order to support and facilitate the development of the international growth markets for green molecules.
  • American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The Antwerp-Bruges – Houston Green Shipping Corridor (AB-H GSC) connects global major energy hubs for movement of green bulk fuels and chemicals.
    • The Antwerp-Bruges – Houston (AB-H) Green Shipping Corridor (GSC) will interconnect the largest U.S. and EU energy hubs with net zero emission shipping of clean energy exports from the U.S. to the EU. The AB-H GSC will demonstrate the critical link between the U.S.A’s DOE Hydrogen Hubs and the EU’s Clean Hydrogen Partnership. The ultimate goal is to provide a major clean energy supply chain at scale using net zero emission sustainable shipping between ports with the required production, storage, and distribution infrastructure to accelerate the change of energy transition in the U.S. and the EU.
  • ASKO Maritime: Asko announces an all-electric Sea Route in a Green Intermodal Corridor.
    • ASKO, a pioneer within emission free shipping, will establish an emission free sea route between Bodø and Tromsø in Northern Norway from 2026. The route will have daily departures and correspond with the railway from Southern Norway for retail goods northbound and fresh fish southbound. Two revolutionary battery-electric combined roro/container ships will serve the route with charging at each port call. The ships will have a battery solution of 25 MWh, neo which is significantly larger than battery packs installed in ships in the world today. The charging facility in the ports will have a charging power of 6 MW. The sea route is planned to be part of a sustainable transport network combining sea and rail in a Green Intermodal Corridor that binds Northern Norway and Southern Norway together, and transport trailers, containers and project cargo in a multimodal network without emissions.
  • Australia: Australia announces a Maritime Emissions Reduction National Action Plan.
    • The Australian Government is developing a Maritime Emissions Reduction National Action Plan to chart a practical energy transition for our domestic maritime sector, as part of our national target to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Designed in close consultation with industry, the plan will set the strategic direction and recommend actions to decarbonise Australia’s maritime transport sector, advance the development of green shipping corridors from Australia and contribute towards reducing international shipping emissions. The plan seeks to future proof the domestic maritime industry and identify opportunities for Australian businesses to benefit from the global maritime transition to net zero emissions. Further information is available at http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/maritime/charting-australias-maritime-emissions-reductions.
  • Belgium: Belgium promotes inclusive negotiations for the Implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
    • This year Belgium has contributed 200k€ to the IMO Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Funds to facilitate participation of SIDS and LDCs in the GHG negotiations at the IMO.
  • Belgium: The Belgian fleet becomes greener on the way to zero emissions.
    • Indeed, CMB and Exmar, world leaders in the transport of bulk and liquified gas, have placed their orders for ammonia-fueled vessels. The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2025-2026, accelerating the zero emission transition in line with the IMO 2023 GHG strategy.
  • Belgium: Port of Antwerp-Bruges to become import hub for green hydrogen.
    • The Belgian hydrogen import coalition, consisting of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, DEME, Engie, Exmar, Fluxys and Waterstofnet, recently established a detailed roadmap for the import of hydrogen in Belgium. Import will take place from countries such as Chile, Namibia, Oman, Brazil, Canada etc. for which partnership have been set up and reinforced. Only two weeks ago, the Memorandum of Understanding with the Chilean Ministry of Energy was renewed to strengthen the cooperation on common port infrastructure, clean shipping stakeholder engagement and the exchange of best practices, for example from experience gained with the Hydrotug 1, the world’s first hydrogen-powered tugboat.
  • Blue Visby Services Ltd: Working with a consortium of thirty of the most prestigious companies and institutions in maritime trade, Blue Visby aims to reduce shipping GHG emissions by 15 percent from today’s fleet through eradicating the practice of “sail fast, then wait.”
    • In an interview with Lloyds List in September 2023, BIMCO’s Presdent, Mr Nikolaus H. Schües, observed that “the shipping industry should do two things: adopt electronic bills of lading and adopt the Blue Visby Solution”. This is in recognition of the project’s progress in the last year, as well as its unique potential impact and the painstaking work conducted over several years: studies, proofs of concept, community-building, virtual pilots, and now reaching the stage of prototype trials, aiming at operational deployment in 2024. Since COP27, the Blue Visby Solution project has progressed susbtantively: (1) the Consortium has nearly doubled in size; (2) the virtual pilot program has expanded to several voyages in both tanker and dry bulk segments; (3) ClassNK has awarded to Blue Visby Solution its prestigious Innovation Endorsement (4) in the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024, a series of prototype trials is expected to take place in both vessel types, with Consortium members Marubeni (Japan), Port of Newcastle and Port Authority of New South Wales (Australia) and CBH (Australia), with the invaluable support of the UK Hydrographic Office (United Kingdom). (5) In parallel, the virtual pilot program continues, and more prototype trials will follow in the second half of 2024. (6) commercial deployment is expected before COP29. The Blue Visby Solution is a multilateral neutral platform, integrating software, an operational system and contractual architecure, which presents a holistic solution to the largest single systemic carbon inefficiency in maritime trade: the practice of ships that sail to their destination at their service speed and without regard for the conditions at the destination or for the sailing patterns of all the other ships sailing to the same destination (“Sail Fast, Then Wait” (SFTW). The consequence of SFTW is an avoidable GHG burden of about 15% during the ocean passage. The Blue Visby Solution contractual architecture includes a benefit sharing mechanism, which incentivises participation and overcomes the obstacle of split incentives.
  • Canada: Canada announces the establishment of a Green Shipping Corridors Program.
    • Canada’s ports are at the heart of our supply chains, delivering goods to Canadians and allowing our businesses to reach global markets. As rising shipping levels enable and create economic growth and good jobs, the federal government is taking action to protect Canada’s coastal ecosystems and communities. In June 2023, the Parliament of Canada approved Budget 2023, which proposes to provide $165.4 million over seven years, starting in 2023-24, to Transport Canada to establish a Green Shipping Corridor Program to reduce the impact of marine shipping on surrounding communities and ecosystems. The program will help spur the launch of the next generation of clean ships, invest in shore power technology, and prioritize low-emission and low-noise vessels at ports.
  • Clean Energy Marine Hubs: Momentum grows for Clean Energy Hubs as Brazil and Port CEOs of Hamburg, Açu, Halifax, and Antwerp join the Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEMHubs).
    • Brazil becomes the 6th country joining the CEMHubs that also welcomes the support from the CEOs of the following ports: Hamburg, Acu, Halifax, Antwerp to work together in towards the transformation of the energy-maritime value chain towards a low-carbon future. Shipping, ports, energy and finance sectors will work together in order to identify barriers and opportunities to de-risk projects and investments to establish Energy Hubs in different parts of the world. The CEMHubs is a first-of-its-kind initiaitve to support the preparation of large scale production of low-carbon fuels close or with access to a port to green global supply chains.
  • Danish Maritime Authority/Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs: Denmark supports implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy in developing countries.
    • A Danish contribution of DKK 20 million to an IMO Fund, specifically targeting the African region. This aims to enhance the IMO’s efforts to support capacity building among African authorities and to coordinate green initiatives across countries and key regional/international actors.
  • Danish Maritime Authority/Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs: Denmark announces plans to support the development of Green Shipping Corridors worldwide.
    • Denmark will enter into a new partnership with the US and Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping with an aim to support the conduction of pre-feasibility studies for green shipping corridors in at least three countries, including Namibia, Panama, and Pacific Small Island States with a focus on Fiji. The studies serves as a tool to attract investments for large-scale decarbonization projects in developing nations, emphasizing options with high success probabilities. The methodology includes geospatial mapping, resource assessments, freight analysis, and collaboration with local stakeholders. Denmark will contribute the project with an additional DKK 5 million, enabling two more studies.
  • Fortescue: Fortescue “Green Pioneer” will be world’s first ammonia capable ship.
    • Shipping presents a huge challenge to Fortescue, the world’s fourth largest iron miner. The Company owns eight large ore carriers and charters many more, resulting in CO2-e emissions close to those of Iceland’s. A carbon-free ammonia alternative to diesel would be considered a game-changer for Fortescue and the shipping industry. Together with leading maritime engineers and innovators, Fortescue has spent the past 18 months developing technology capable of safely running an ammonia fuel-blend ship. At COP28, we intend to showcase this ship – the Fortescue Green Pioneer – for the first time, with its arrival in Dubai set to demonstrate to the world the novel technology solutions needed to decarbonise shipping. The Green Pioneer has an emissions footprint that is 90% lower than comparable fossil fuel competitors, based on the use of green ammonia. In bringing it to COP28, we aim to substantially advance the global discussion of maritime emissions reduction.
  • France: France announces enhancement of government support for investments in maritime shipping decarbonization.
    • As part of the future national Maritime decarbonisation Roadmap, currently being finalised, the creation of a €1.5 billion public-private maritime investment fund to accelerate the decarbonisation of the maritime sector, composed of €500 million from government funding, €500 million from private companies, and 500 million € in bank leverage, is planned. This fund will support investments in port infrastructures, production of sustainable marine fuels (with a view to build up of a competitive national industry in the production of zero and near-zero GHG marine fuels), support to the French fleet renewal with zero-emission ships and ships retrofitting, and decarbonisation of the government fleet. In addition to this fund, shipping decarbonisation will also benefit from around €500 million funding for maritime innovation within the Program “France 2030” in the period 2022-2030. Finally, government public funding will enable 54 new on-shore power installations to be installed between 2023 and 2026, at a total cost of almost €113 million.
  • Germany: Germany support implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy in developing countries through various IMO funds and programs.
    • The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport supports on a regular basis the implementation of the IMO GHG Strategy through various donations to existing IMO programs, which support developing countries, in particular SIDS and LDCs, such as the IMO GHG TC-Trust Fund, the Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Fund for financial support to attend IMO GHG meetings, as well as GreenVoyage 2050.
  • Germany: Germany announces a National Action Plan towards Zero Emission Shipping.
    • The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport just launched a multi-stakeholder process for the development of a new National Action Plan towards Zero Emission Shipping in order to support the shipping sector on its transition, including both national maritime shipping and inland navigation. The Action Plan is embedded in the background of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) as for maritime and of the CCNR (Central Commission for the Navigation of Rhine) as for inland navigation. With the new climate targets being established, it is time to strategically develop policies and responsive strategies that help ensuring that Germany meet its international climate commitments and its targets for emission reductions in the transport sector and at the same time ensure that the transition provides growth opportunities for the German economy. The collaborative process will include representatives of the shipping sector, bunkering industry, environmental specialists, science, policy making etc.
  • Hellenic Marine Environment Protection Association (HELMEPA): METAVASEA: A people-centered transition for maritime decarbonization in the East Mediterranean.
    • “METAVASEA (the Greek word for transition) is an ambitious five-year project aiming to train and upskill 1,500 seafarers, shipping professionals, and port workers in new fuels, digital awareness, sustainability and soft skills. It also seeks to boost the involvement of shipping companies and ports in maritime decarbonization initiatives, offer insights into shipping and community readiness for new fuels, identify region-specific opportunities, gaps, and challenges and raise climate awareness among 10,000 schoolchildren, 750 teachers and 2 million residents of the East Mediterranean, a climate change hot spot. METAVASEA is supported by Lloyd’s Register Foundation and coordinated by HELMEPA, an emblematic NGO in Greek shipping with its 41-year-old effort “To Save the Seas” uniting seafarers, shipowners and the wider maritime and educational communities of Greece, in cooperation with 6 partners, 12 associate partners and 60 supporters.”
  • Höegh Autoliners: Höegh Autoliners has invested $1.2 billion in building 12 new net zero ammonia-ready car carriers that will decarbonize international shipping.
    • The Aurora Class will be the largest and most environmentally friendly car carriers ever built. We currently have 12 on order, with the first to be delivered in July 2024. The Aurora Class vessels will be the first in the PCTC segment to receive DNV’s ammonia and methanol-ready notations with the main engine provided by MAN and the bridge system supplied by Kongsberg Maritime. The first vessel able to run on clean ammonia is planned delivered in 2027. Höegh Autoliners is actively engaging with large OEM’s (car manufacturers)to encourage the adoption of green fuels. By collaborating with global ammonia producers like Yara Clean Ammonia, they are playing a pivotal role in driving the transition to sustainable fuels from the supply/demand side.
  • Japan: Japan enhances efforts towards developing Green Shipping Corridors, including development and introduction of zero-emission ships and Carbon Neutral Port Initiative.
    • The Japanese government recognizes it is important to promote the development and introduction of zero-emission ships and implement initiatives on port decarbonization in order to realize green shipping corridors. In the area of technology development related to ships, the Japanese government is supporting the development of core technologies for zero-emission ships, such as engines and fuel supply systems. An ammonia-fueled ship is scheduled to start operation in 2026, and the hydrogen-fueled ship in 2027. In addition, Japan has just started to study the establishment of zero-emission fuel bunkering guidelines, believing that safe bunkering of zero-emission fuels such as ammonia and hydrogen is necessary for the operation of zero-emission vessels. Ammonia bunkering guidelines will be developed in 2024, and hydrogen bunkering guidelines will be developed starting from 2025. The Japanese government is also promoting port decarbonization efforts through its Carbon Neutral Port (CNP) initiative, which includes introducing zero- and near zero-emission cargo handling equipment and onshore power supply facilities at Japanese ports. In order to vigorously push forward the CNP Initiative, the Japanese government is taking various actions, such as amending Japan’s Port and Harbour Act, implementing a system to visualize port decarbonization efforts and conducting demonstration projects to introduce new technologies that utilize hydrogen and other new energy sources to ports. With respect to implementation of system to visualize port decarbonization efforts, the Japanese government is developing a Carbon Neutral Port Certification for Container Terminals to objectively evaluate the decarbonization efforts of ports and terminal operators.
  • Klaipėda State Seaport Authority: The Klaipėda State Seaport Authority announces development of actions and measures, towards a decarbonized maritime transport.
    • The port of Klaipėda is actively striving to become as port that leads in sustainability. Green Port Concept and policy (2020) is an important part of the port’s strategy, which includes measures to reduce all types of impact and pollution. All this is important to improve the overall quality of environment and the Baltic Sea. Towards the net-zero future, important projects has been already started. The projects aim to reduce the carbon emissions by promoting fossil-free fuel supply, demand and production in the port, which should become as an energy hub in near future. Moreover, onshore power supply (OPS) for the ships (when at berth) is being established. Since the port of Klaipeda is located in town, there is an aim to support the local (municipality level), national (an impact to all the national transport sector) and international (to offer regional opportunities to the transport sector) transition towards sustainable transportation solutions.
  • Lithuania: Lithuania joins the Clydebank Declaration to support the development of green shipping corridors.
    • The port of Klaipėda aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources of pollution (shipping, terminals, transport), contributing to Europe’s climate neutrality by 2050. By 2030, the port aims to create the appropriate infrastructure for transportation, supply, and production of alternative fuel (green hydrogen). The port of Klaipėda aims to become a place for the production of renewable energy resources. These targets are in line with the European Green Deal initiative and Lithuania‘s national strategy to substantially reduce emissions produced in transport sector. Therefore, Lithuania joins the Clydebank Declaration and is ready to support the development of green shipping corridors. Lithuania’s participation in the Clydebank Declaration is expected to have a positive impact on reducing pollution in the Baltic Sea and securing the position of Klaipėda Port as one of the leading Baltic Sea ports in implementing environmentally friendly measures.
  • Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: New green corridors worldwide.
    • The Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, the US Department of Energy and the US State Department will collaborate on developing 3 to 6 pre-feasibility studies for green corridors involving developing countries within a two-year timeframe. The goal of each pre-feasibility study for a green corridor is to identify key metrics and gather data for the main routes of interest. Conducting pre-feasibility studies in developing countries will showcase the potential benefits of green shipping for countries in the Global South, and illustrate how the green corridors can act as nuclei for development in the countries.
  • Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: Pre-feasibility study in Namibia.
    • The Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping will work with the Namibian government to develop a pre-feasibility study for green corridors in Namibia and analyzing the potential of producing alternative fuels at a low cost that can be used for the decarbonization of global shipping.
  • Maritime Just Transition Task Force: Baseline Training Framework for Seafarers in Decarbonization.
    • The Maritime Just Transition Maritime Task Force – which includes the International Chamber of Shipping, International Transport Workers’ Federation, UN Global Compact, International Labour Organization, and International Maritime Organization – have joined with Lloyd’s Register Foundation to develop a new training framework that will equip seafarers with the necessary additional skills and competencies to reduce the GHG emissions of the shipping industry. The training framework will focus on three alternative fuels: methanol, ammonia, and hydrogen. It will include both general familiarization courses for all seafarers, and advanced courses for officers responsible for operations related to GHG reductions. This initiative is a crucial step towards developing the seafaring workforce that can handle low and zero emissions vessels, and is therefore fundamental for delivering the emissions reductions targets in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy. It complements a second Task Force initiative on seafarer recruitment and retention, which will also be vital for delivering emissions reductions in shipping.
  • Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL): Wind Challenger – MOL’s wind powered vessel “SHOFU MARU” sets sail.
    • Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has developed the Wind Challenger, a telescopic hard sail system which converts wind energy directly to a vessel propulsion force through an extensive use of the latest technologies. Once again casting a spotlight on the wind as a clean and unlimited source of energy, we aim to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reviving sail vessels based on a whole new idea. In November 2022, the 1st Wind Challenger vessel, “SHOFU MARU” completed her maiden voyage from Australia to Japan. From the blue oceans, we are sustaining people’s lives with utilizing Wind, a clean and inexhaustible energy.
  • Namibia: Namibian Green Hydrogen Program to develop Green Maritime Corridors with Maersk McKinney Moller Institute for Zero Carbon Shipping.
    • Namibia aspires to host one of Africa’s most impactful logistics corridors and shipping is a strategic cornerstone of said ambition. Shipping contributes almost 3% of global emissions and plays a critical enabling role for global trade. Namibia is endowed with world class renewable energy resources and its authorities are crafting a conducive mix of policy instruments to allow Namibia to produce clean synthetic fuels and bunker them on our world class port infrastructure, allowing us to play a significant role to combat climate change. The MMMCZCS looks to drive the sustainable decarbonization of the maritime industry by 2050 through collaboration, applied research and regulatory reform and is thus a perfect partner for the NGH2P as it looks to better understand how to optimize the conditions in Namibia to contribute to a cleaner global shipping industry.
  • Netherlands: Supporting developing countries with implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG strategy by means of donation to GreenVoyage2050.
    • The Netherlands welcomes and supports the ambition in the IMO GHG strategy, and the recognition in the strategy that to realize the ambition of the strategy, a Just & Equitable transition is needed that leaves no country behind. To strengthen partnerships with developing countries and to support them with the implementation of the IMO GHG strategy, The Netherlands will donate 100.000 Euro to the GreenVoyage2050 Project of IMO and the Government of Norway. With this donation, The Netherlands wishes to contribute to providing technical assistance, supporting technology transfer and promoting green technology uptake in developing countries.
  • Nigeria: Nigeria announces the establishment of an emissions inventory to define their national maritime emissions baseline.
    • The IMO has adopted its Initial Strategy on the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from Shipping to showcase its ambitious targets of reducing annual GHG emissions by at least 50% using the 2008 emissions as the baseline. In this regard, being a Member State of IMO and Party to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Nigeria is required to come-up with its national decarbonization policy to chart the way forward for reduction of her carbon print.
      Thus, one of the key tools for the development of Nigeria’s National policy is the establishment of ships emissions inventory which would define the national ships emissions baseline (i.e the level that will form the basis for performance evaluation and base to forecast emission reduction targets).  Other importance of the emission inventory includes but not limited to is the development of Carbon Registry which is a prerequisite for Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) for the maritime industry.
  • Norway: Norway’s Enhanced International Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping – Support to developing countries
    • Working with the US Government, the Republic of Korea, the Busan Port Authority, and the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Emission Shipping, we have completed a “prefeasibility assessment” through which we’ve identified a short list of three potential “first wave” green cargo corridors between the two countries. Next steps will be announced at COP28. In the meantime, The NWSA continues it’s efforts, under the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, to decarbonize landside operations, including: installation of shore power infrastructure on all of our major terminals; a Clean Cargo Handling Equipment Incentive Program (working with our marine terminal operators and other partners to transition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered CHE); and a Zero Emission Drayage Demonstration Program (working with our drayage trucking companies to transition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles).
  • Norway: Norway’s enhanced domestic Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping – Tailor made zero emission requirements for domestic shipping and establishment of a climate partnership with the maritime sector.
    • The Government will prepare the following requirements for reducing GHG emissions from domestic shipping: – require low- and zero emissions for domestic ferries and ferry services in new public contracts from 2024. – require zero emission vessels for new procurements of public domestic high speed passenger vessels or high speed passenger vessels services from 2025. – require low- and zero emission vessels to serve the aquaculture sector from 2024. – require low emissions for offshore support vessels from 2025 and zero emissions from 2029, or equivalent measures giving the same emission reduction effect. The Government will establish a climate partnership with the Norwegian maritime sector to support the transition to low and zero emission shipping.
  • Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership: Inter-governmental Partnership (Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu).
    • The Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership (PBSP) is an open coalition of Pacific Island Countries (Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu) committed to accelerate development of a high-quality, resilient and 100% carbon-free maritime transport sector for the Pacific by 2050, including a 40% reduction of GHG emissions from domestic shipping by 2030, and an 80% reduction by 2040, as a high-ambition multi-country contribution to the Paris Agreement. In November 2023, Ministers and Senior Officials from the seven Member Countries agreed a landmark joint strategic framework for the Partnership. This lays the foundation for retrofitting or replacing more than 11,000 vessels across the PBSP Member Countries, driving low-carbon transformation and demonstrating global leadership in the face of the escalating climate crisis. The PBSP’s strategic framework involves collaboration with bilateral partners, research institutions, and international finance institutions to secure large-scale investment, organized around a well-planned, country-driven partnership approach.
  • Port of Helsinki Ltd and Port of Tallinn Ltd: FIN-EST Green Corridor, Ports of Tallinn and Helsinki, together with cities and shipping companies, accelerate zero emissions.
    • A Green Corridor was established to ensure and accelerate the creation of a climate neutral customer journey and maritime green corridor between Helsinki – Tallinn and Vuosaari – Muuga connections. This Green Corridor is a shipping route and an umbrella for several projects at sea and in shore operations in Helsinki and Tallinn which aim to reduce emissions and increase the use of solutions of zero or near zero emissions. The aim is to reach the aspired targets sooner than parties have publicly promised so far. This means that there will be a joint roadmaps for shipping companies, cities and ports with founding – and other partners – to assist them with achieving zero-emission goals. Each roadmap will consist of specific milestones, which are achieved taking into account priorities and possible funding.
  • Republic of Korea: Supporting capacity building for SIDS and LDCs to implement the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy.
    • The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will support Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) by assisting those countries in promoting capacity-building on the implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, including by development of National Action Plans through the Sustainable Maritime Transport Training Programme (GHG-SMART Training Programme). To maximize the impact of the program, ROK and IMO plan to expand the scope of the GHG-SMART programme to include trainings on GHG emission reduction methods related to port and hinterland transport. Additionally, ROK and IMO are planning to establish a SMART Training Center (SMART-TC) to sustain the impact of the training activities and ensure the long-term capacity building of SIDS and LDCs.
  • The Aspen Institute: Additional climate-leading cargo owners join freight buyer collaborations to decarbonize maritime shipping.
    • Cargo Owners for Zero Emissions Vessels (coZEV), a platform for corporate customers of the shipping industry to work collaboratively to accelerate the transition to zero-emission (ZE) shipping, is proud to share the addition of numerous new companies to two coZEV initiatives. Mondelēz International, Pledge, Reckitt, and REI Co-op have joined ZEMBA, a first-of-its-kind buyers group within the maritime sector making advanced market commitments to kickstart the market for ZE solutions. Flexport, Meta, Nestle, Royal Coffee, Standing CT, and Trek Bikes have joined the coZEV 2040 Ambition Statement, which is the most widely adopted collective signal of cargo owner support for a transition to ZE solutions on a 1.5℃ aligned trajectory. Now, through coZEV, over 35 climate-leading companies are working together ​to drive ambition and action toward a ZE shipping sector.
  • United Kingdom: U.S. – UK Green Shipping Corridors Taskforce and future engagement.
    • At last year’s Green Shipping Challenge, we launched the U.S.-UK Green Shipping Corridor Task Force. As part of our collaboration, we have delivered multiple industry roundtables and will now focus on building a bilateral consortium to progress the establishment of a Green Shipping Corridor between the UK and U.S. Concurrently, we intend to undertake a feasibility study to help identify the most effective and viable maritime routes to establish a green shipping corridor between our two countries. 
  • United Kingdom: Bilateral green shipping corridors agreements.
    • As part of the March 2023 UK-France Summit, the UK and France agreed to the development of a Green Corridors Taskforce to catalyse industry efforts between our nations. Within the Green Economy Framework between the UK and Singapore, established in March 2023, our countries committed to work together on the development of Green Shipping Corridors. In October 2023 the UK and Belgium signed a Letter of Intent signaling our commitment to support UK-Belgium Green Corridor development. These bilateral agreements and ongoing engagement are driving collaborative innovation and demonstration projects towards the establishment of Green Corridors between the UK and partner countries.
  • United Kingdom: UK support of developing countries to deliver the 2023 IMO GHGStrategy.
    • The UK is proud to host the IMO, and is prouder still that all member states agreed the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy. As a signal of our support for the decarbonisation journey to come of developing countries, in particular Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries, at MEPC-80 the UK pledged: £150,000 to the IMO Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Fund to support delegations to attend IMO GHG meetings; and £100,000 to the IMO’s GHG Technical Cooperation Trust Fund to support the comprehensive impact assessment of the basket of candidate mid-term GHG reduction measures. We thank Denmark for galvanising this crucial aspect of the Green Shipping Challenge.
  • United States: Supporting Implementation of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy in developing countries, in particular SIDS and LDCs.
    • The United States announced a voluntary contribution of $100,000 to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Voluntary Multi-Donor Trust Fund to support the broader participation of developing countries, in particular SIDS and LDCs, in IMO meetings related to addressing greenhouse gas emissions from ships.
  • Wallenius Wilhelmsen: Commitment to making wind propulsion a reality again.
    • While all vessels need energy for propulsion, Wallenius Wilhelmsen believes that does not have to mean they all require fuel all the time. Wind, which propelled vessels for centuries, may have a role again in the RORO (roll-on, roll-off) fleet of the future. Together with its partners, Wallenius Wilhelmsen is developing the boldly innovative ‘Orcelle Wind’ concept, a full size RORO vessel capable of being propelled solely by wind power. The next step of the project is the retrofit of a full size wing sail on Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s m/v Tirranna, in mid 2024. This will provide the vital technical validation and operational insight necessary to progress toward our objective of launching an Orcelle Wind vessel in 2027.
  • Wallenius Wilhelmsen: Green energy new-builds for a net-zero end-to-end offering by 2027.
    • Wallenius Wilhelmsen believes that to accelerate the decarbonisation transition in shipping we must give an unmistakable signal that our new fleet will be radically different from what has gone before. Furthermore, we believe in the importance of demonstrating what the future can be in the near term. With these in mind, we are pleased to announce all current and future newbuilds from Wallenius Wilhelmsen will be capable of running on green-fuels and or sustainable energy. The first of these vessels, our methanol dual-fuel ‘Shaper’ series are at the foundation of our commitment to introduce a net-zero end-to-end offering by 2027.
  • Yara International: World’s first clean ammonia powered container vessel, first decarbonized shipping route between Norway and Germany.
    • Yara Clean Ammonia, North Sea Container Line, and Yara International join forces to realise the world’s first container ship that will use clean ammonia as fuel. Yara Eyde will be the first emission-free sea route to the European continent. Yara Eyde is optimised for the trade corridor between Norway and Germany and will operate between Oslo, Porsgrunn, Hamburg and Bremerhaven. From 2026, Norwegian companies can export their products on a green keel, and trade goods can be imported emission-free into Norway. The green shipping route will slash emissions with approximately 22 k/tons CO2 per year, replacing two conventional vessels in the Oslofjord. Cooperation across value chains is vital. Yara Clean Ammonia will supply the vessel with clean ammonia (blue / green). Yara International participates as cargo-owner filling 40% of the vessel’s capacity. The zero-emission value chain from Porsgrunn to ports on in Europe will cut Yara’s scope 3 emissions by 11 k/tons of CO2 per year. NCL will operate the ship
  • Zéphyr & Borée: Announces Canopee, the first modern sail-powered cargo ship.
    • The Canopée is the very first modern sail-powered cargo ship. This pioneering ship will demonstrate the full potential of wind energy in delivering the decarbonised shipping sector of the future. The cargo ship has been developed to meet ArianeGroup’s needs and transport the Ariane 6 space launcher from continental Europe to French Guiana where the Guiana space centre is located As the sailing speed will vary based on the ArianeGroup commercial programme, the proportion of wind power use will vary between 15% and 40%, depending on the required speed and the season (variable winds depending on time of year).
Announcement Updates
  • A.P. Moller–Maersk: Maersk Signs a General Protocol for Collaboration with the Spanish Government to Explore Large-Scale Green Fuels Production in Spain.
    • On Sept. 14, 2023, the world’s first methanol-enabled container vessel was christened “Laura Maersk” at a ceremony in the Port of Copenhagen. The vessel was named after the first steamship owned by Peter Mærsk Møller, the founder of Maersk. Maersk Chairman Robert Uggla, Maersk Chief Executive Officer Vincent Clerc, and European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen all spoke at the ceremony. The vessel will be deployed in the Baltic Sea feeder routes, and this year it will be supplied in green methanol produced from manure over by Norwegian state-owned energy company Equinor. This is scheduled to be replaced next year by Danish solar energy producer European Energy.
    • Maersk has added this year more methanol vessels to its new buildings´ orderbook. In total, there are 25 additional methanol vessels on order for delivery between 2024 and 2027 and a policy to only order new, owned vessels that come with a green fuel option. These orders are contributing to sending a strong demand signal, which is crucial to signaling a supply response.
    • A.P. Moller Holding and A.P. Moller- Maersk have formed this year C2X, a green methanol venture with an expected annual output of over three million tones by 2030. The new company is pursuing large-scale green methanol projects near the Suez Canal in Egypt and the port of Huelva in Spain, as well as in several other locations. A request for a land concession in the port of Huelva, Spain, has already been submitted as part of the exploration phase to build a production facility that produce up to 1-billion-ton of green methanol in Spain.
    • As part of A.P. Moller – Maersk, APM Terminals will launch at COP28 alongside with DP World, a White Paper on How to Decarbonise Ports “Reaching a tipping point in battery-electric container handling equipment (CHE) – background, results, and call to action.”
  • Chile: The Chilean Green Corridors Network Pre-Feasibility Study has finalized; feasibility Studies are in progress.
    • The Ministry of Energy worked with the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping to develop the Pre-feasibility Study with the objective to analyze the potential of generating alternative fuels at low cost that can be used for the decarbonization of global shipping. That Study has finalized and two corridors were selected to develop two Feasibility Studies: copper sector and sulfuric acid. Consortia were created to develop these tasks and the Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is supporting this project. A third corridor is going to be assessed, preparing a pre-feasibility study in the salmon sector in the south of Chile.
  • Denmark: Assessment of Danish contribution to the Green Challenge 2022.
    • Policy commitment to: zero emission shipping by 2050, the Nordic vision on green ferry routes by 2030 and the Clydebank declaration on green corridors;
      • KPI: Number of signatories to the political declaration on zero emission shipping by 2050: 34
    • Development of a national action plan for Danish green corridors:
      • KPI: Action plan developed: it was decided by the the Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs to include this topic in the public partnership on ports in Denmark. Recommendations for private sector actors and policy makers are expcted in first half 2024.   
    • Participation in the Nordic Roadmap for the introduction of sustainable zero-carbon fuels in shipping 
      • KPI: Development of a Nordic Road Map: the Road Map is expected to be concluded during first half 2024. Denmark participates in the Nordic steering committee.
    • Support for the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission’s “Blueprint for Future Ports program”, which will develop a blueprint for fully operational and commercially ready zero emission ports in the 2030s.
      • KPI: Implementation of 3 projects under the “Blueprint for Future Ports program“: two projects have been launched and a third will be launched at COP28. Denmark participates in the Secretariat of the Shipping Mission.
  • DP World: DP World Chairman and Group CEO, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem announced the company intends to invest up to $500 million to cut CO2 emissions from its operations by nearly 700,000 tons over the next five years.
    • Of the 500$M over 10% has been committed in 2023. It is hard to estimate the savings from all these projects as some of them have not commenced operations, but in 2023 we expect to reduce the emissions by over 400,000 tonnes CO2. Nevertheless, we are well on track towards the committed 700,000 tonnes CO2 by 2027.
  • Finland, Rauma Marine Constructions, Viking Line, and Kempower: Scalable Green Maritime Transport Corridor Based on Locally Produced Renewable Fuel
    • The project to create Scalable Green Maritime Transport Corridor Based on Locally Produced Renewable Fuel has progressed. Viking Line has introduced the option for both passengers and cargo to eliminate their emissions by using renewable fuel for a small surcharge. This has been well-received. Rauma Marine Constructions and Viking Line are continuing their focus on reducing emissions and are now exploring the feasibility of a battery-electric RoPax vessel.
  • Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonization Hub: Silk Alliance identifies its first baseline fleet for Singapore Cluster and class for further collaborators.
    • Silk Alliance develops further, with the sequence of the corridor established and an indicative aggregated fuel demand projected for the fleet and onboarded new members to include government and fuel producers.
    • The Silk Alliance ‘Green Corridor Cluster’ starts with an initial fleet of 359 ships strategically selected by the members to have a significant emissions-saving impact while ensuring long-term scalability and potential spillover to the wider industry. This equates to a fuel demand footprint of 3mT HFO, i.e., approximately 6% of all fuel sold in Singapore, operating across the Indian & Pacific Oceans.
    • The Silk Alliance seeks to expand to a wider demand sector and grow to include other ship types, fuel producers and governments.
    • A website has been created to showcase and share findings to the industry: https://www.thesilkalliance.com/ including a letter by its members is published for call to action for key stakeholders. A Progress Report shall be issued this year.
  • Los Angeles – Long Beach – Shanghai Green Shipping Corridor Partnership / Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission (SMTC) and C40 Cities: Presentation of the Los Angeles – Long Beach – Shanghai GSC Implementation Plan.
    • “A voluntary partnership of leading maritime goods movement stakeholders, including the Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Shanghai, some of the largest shipping lines in the world, with input from leading cargo owners, have developed a Green Shipping Corridor Implementation Plan Outline to accelerate emissions reductions on one of the world’s busiest container shipping routes. The plan is the first of its kind and was developed with support from C40 Cities as part of its effort to reduce carbon emissions from the largest cities in the world. The plan is an important step toward decarbonizing the global supply chains that power our economies, and transitioning toward zero lifecycle carbon emission ships. It will showcase cutting-edge goods movement technologies, decarbonization applications and best management practices to enhance efficiency, and catalyze technological, economic and policy efforts to progressively decarbonize shipping and port-related activities. “
  • Los Angeles – Long Beach – Singapore Green and Digital Shipping Corridor/ Port of Los Angeles, Port of Long Beach, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, and C40 Cities: The unveiling of the Los Angeles – Long Beach- Singapore Green and Digitial Shipping Corridor Partnership Strategy Document.
    • Following an announcement during the Green Shipping Challenge at COP27, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and Port of Long Beach (POLB), with the support of C40 Cities, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on establishing a Green and Digital Shipping Corridor (GDSC) between the ports. The GDSC partners have developed a Partnership Strategy document that they would like to unveil during the Green Shipping Challenge at COP28. The document sets out the GDSC’s vision, aims and scope in more detail as well as describes how the corridor partnership will be managed.
  • Mærsk McKinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping: Launch of the Updated Blueprint for Green Shipping Corridors.
    • Launch of updated Blueprint for Green Corridors: This is a follow- up to the blueprint launched at COP27. In addition to previous version, the 2023 version includes a detailed step-by-step guidance on how to scope green corridor projects, as this has been seen as a major challenge in the industry. This is to a large extent Pre-feasibility study of US-Republic of Korea Green Corridor: This is a completion of the announcement made at COP27.
  • Netherlands: Launch customership for Sustainable Zero Emission Ships.
    • Update on key performance indicators: The Maritime Masterplan envisages the development, construction and commissioning of 30 climate-neutral demonstration ships to enter the Dutch fleet before 2033 and that will sail on the alternative fuels hydrogen and methanol or on LNG with carbon capture. The Maritime Masterplan envisages the development, construction and commissioning of 30 climate-neutral demonstration ships to enter the Dutch fleet before 2033 and that will sail on the alternative fuels hydrogen and methanol or on LNG with carbon capture.
  • Netherlands: United Kingdom: UK joins forces with the United States, Norway, and the Netherlands to roll out end-to-end Green Shipping Corridors.
    • Scope of these feasibility studies will include among others: which alternative (non-fossil) fuel options are viable to service the routes, storage and bunkering of these fuels, costs associated with infrastructure and timeframes to build it, cosss associated with new vessels or retrofit of vessels and timescales to acquire them, regulatory and planning issues and requirements. Joint NL-UK call for 2024 Green Corridors feasibility studies (update joint announcement NL-UK COP27 (linked also to UK International Green Corridor Fund GSC)): During COP27, The Netherlands and the UK have announced their commitment to support the establishment of zero-emission maritime routes between their countries. As a realisation, both countries are closely working on opening in the first half of 2024 a joint funding call for feasibility studies investigating Green Shipping Corridors focused on routes between The Netherlands and the UK. With these feasibility studies both countries want to gain insight, together with the sector, in concrete opportunities for decarbonising existing maritime routes and facilitate new cross-border partnerships between stakeholders from the maritime value chain from both countries. This enables frontrunners in maritime shipping to start the energy transition on a manageable scale. In addition, lessons can be learned for further uptake.
  • Northwest Seaport Alliance: US-Korea Green Corridor Project & Associated Decarbonization Initiatives.
    • Working with the US Government, the Republic of Korea, the Busan Port Authority, and the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Emission Shipping, we have completed a “prefeasibility assessment” through which we’ve identified a short list of three potential “first wave” green cargo corridors between the two countries. Next steps will be announced at COP28. In the meantime, The NWSA continues it’s efforts, under the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, to decarbonize landside operations, including: installation of shore power infrastructure on all of our major terminals; a Clean Cargo Handling Equipment Incentive Program (working with our marine terminal operators and other partners to transition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered CHE); and a Zero Emission Drayage Demonstration Program (working with our drayage trucking companies to transition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles).
  • Norway: Norway’s Enhanced Domestic Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping.
    • Actions on the announcements: The Government has in the Governments Budget Proposition presented to the parliament the climate status, actions taken and planned actions on all sectors. This will be done annually. The Government proposes a 19 percent increase in the CO-tax for 2024.
  • Norway: Norway’s Enhanced International Actions Towards Zero Emission Shipping.
    • Actions on the announcements: Norway played an active role in landing the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, which includes the main element needed for shipping to be climate resilient. We have also taken action to support developing countries in their transition to establish zero emission shipping. The Nordic cooperation on establish green corridors have progressed well, and a priority list of six potential green corridors is established.
  • Port of Seattle: Fueling progress in the Pacific Northwest.
    • Working with the US Government, the Republic of Korea, the Busan Port Authority, and the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Emission Shipping, we have completed a “prefeasibility assessment” through which we’ve identified a short list of three potential “first wave” green cargo corridors between the two countries. Next steps will be announced at COP28. In the meantime, The NWSA continues it’s efforts, under the Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy, to decarbonize landside operations, including: installation of shore power infrastructure on all of our major terminals; a Clean Cargo Handling Equipment Incentive Program (working with our marine terminal operators and other partners to transition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered CHE); and a Zero Emission Drayage Demonstration Program (working with our drayage trucking companies to transition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles).
  • United Kingdom: Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors: Clydebank family grows at COP28.
    • The UK continues to oversee the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors, launched at COP26 in Glasgow. At COP28, we welcome the Republic of Korea, Lithuania, and the United Arab Emirates as signatories. The addition of these countries both demonstrates the continued importance of the Clydebank Declaration and illustrates the growing efforts to establish Green Shipping Corridors around the world.
  • United States: Facilitating Green Shipping Corridors in the U.S. and Worldwide.
    • The United States continues to lead the transition to zero-emission shipping as part of our commitment to tackle the climate crisis at home and internationally, and continues to develop and expand the workstreams announced at COP 27 under the Challenge:
    • Since COP 27 the United States continues to progress its development of green shipping corridors with the Canada, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom;
    • Building on the release of the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization in 2023, an the United States aim to release early in 2024 a U.S. Maritime Decarbonization Action Plan, which will identify the pathways for decarbonization of the domestic maritime sector and;
    • The U.S. Department of State continues to support feasibility studies with an additional $1 million, subject to Congressional notification and the completion of domestic procedures, for green shipping corridors involving developing countries and symposia to bring together country representatives and non-state actors, including ports and companies, on green shipping corridor opportunities and implementation.