US, Denmark and Norway commit to ensure hundreds of zero-emission ships are in operation by 2030
International cooperation to decarbonise shipping is pressing ahead with a new Zero-Emission Shipping Mission as part of Mission Innovation, a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission seeking to drive global investment in clean energy.
The mission, led by Denmark, Norway, and the US, in collaboration with the Global Maritime Forum and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, aims to accelerate international public-private collaboration to scale and deploy new green maritime solutions, putting international shipping on an ambitious zero-emission course.
The mission will also be supported by the governments of India, Morocco, the UK, Singapore, France, Ghana, and South Korea.
“Our common goal is to make zero-emission vessels the natural choice for shipowners when they renew their fleet,” said Simon Kollerup, Danish minister for industry, business, and financial affairs.
“Through fearless technological innovation, ambitious clean energy deployment, and constructive international collaboration, we can build a net-zero carbon economy that creates millions of jobs and lifts our citizens into greater prosperity,” said Jennifer Granholm, the US secretary of energy.
The three main goals of the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission are: To develop, demonstrate, and deploy zero-emission fuels, ships, and fuel infrastructure in a coordinated fashion along the full value chain; To have at least 5% of the global deep-sea fleet measured by fuel consumption capable of running on green hydrogen, green ammonia, green methanol, and advanced biofuels by 2030; And to see at least 200 of these well-to-wake zero-emission fuelled ships in service and utilising these fuels across their main deepsea shipping routes by 2030.
“Shipping is on the verge of a clean energy revolution. To set the global maritime industry on a climate-aligned course and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, zero-emission vessels need to be the dominant and competitive choice by the end of this decade. The Zero-Emission Shipping Mission will accelerate public and private efforts around the world to make a zero-emission fleet a reality by 2030,” said Johannah Christensen, managing director of the Global Maritime Forum.
