A partnership between Norwegian maritime groups today said it plans an emissions cut of 50pc by 2030.
The partnership of maritime organisations, shipowners and shipping associations, businesses, classification societies and finance firms, will seek to improve the energy efficiency of existing vessels and build zero-emission vessels. This will include the goal of having in operation at least 700 low-emission vessels and 400 zero-emissions ships in Norway.
"Already, nine out of 10 Norwegian shipowners say that they will equip their ships with new technology that cuts emissions," said Norwegian Shipowners' Association chief executive Harald Solberg. "The same number also believe they will be climate neutral by 2050."
The target improves upon the International Maritime Organization (IMO) initial GHG strategy, which aims for 40pc reduction by 2030 and 70pc by 2050 compared with 2008 levels. The announcement comes in response to the Green Shipping Challenge, issued by the US and Norway in May, that challenged the maritime sector to develop and announce decarbonisation actions at the UN Cop 27 climate conference.
Partnerships for the decarbonisation of the maritime sector were a feature at Cop 26 in 2021. The First Movers Coalition launched across seven industries and included large private-sector firms in hard-to-abate sectors.
For the maritime industry, shipowners and operators committed to at least 5pc of deep-sea shipping running on zero-emission fuels by 2030, and cargo owners committed to at least 10pc of goods shipped international with zero-emission fuels by 2030, rising to 100pc by 2040.
On a state level, 19 countries — including Norway — committed at Cop 26 to the Clydebank Declaration, which promoted the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes between two or more ports, known as "green shipping corridors".
