European ports look into 'green' shipping corridors

A group of northern European and Baltic ports are seeking to demonstrate the feasibility of alternative marine fuel supply chains and the creation of new 'green' shipping corridors.

Ports including Gdynia, Hamburg, Roenne, Rotterdam and Tallinn are looking to champion early commercialisation of alternative marine fuels with Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. The group plans to scale up alternative fuel supply chains and provide a blueprint for green corridors in other locations. No timeline was given for the project.

"To achieve maritime sector decarbonisation, zero-emission fuels and vessels must be deployed at scale over the next decade," said Port of Tallinn chief executive Valdo Kalm. This is possible thanks to "the formation of green corridors in which major ports provide the necessary zero-carbon fuels at the required scale for bunkering."

A similar agreement was signed in February by the Singapore-based Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) to provide further momentum to decarbonisation through green corridors.

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) calls for lower carbon emissions in the shipping industry by at least 40pc by 2030, and 70pc by 2050 compared to 2008 levels.

By James Marriott