BP joins shipping decarbonisation group

BP has agreed to work with the non-profit Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon on ways to decarbonise the maritime industry.

BP will work with the centre on research and development of alternative marine fuels and as methods for their safe use, and will join the group's advisory boards.

"BP brings extensive expertise in production, storage, handling, transportation and usage of fuels, and great experience in driving safety and efficiency in shipping," said the centre's chief executive Bo Cerup-Simonsen. The non-profit also plans to tap into BP's experience developing tankers, inert gas systems, and LNG carriers.

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre for Zero Carbon already includes shipping classification society Lloyd's Register's Decarbonisation Hub, Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk, German engineering company MAN Energy Solutions, Japanese engineer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japanese shipping company NYK Line, French major TotalEnergies, formerly Total.

The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Centre is already working on developing guidelines for the safe use of green ammonia as a marine fuel. Green ammonia is a hydrogen-based fuel and is considered a viable carbon-free fuel to decarbonise shipping. The sector accounts for around 3pc of global CO2 emissions.

BP said that while industry will play a critical role in decarbonising shipping, government action will be necessary to reach the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) goal of reducing the sector's carbon intensity by 70pc in 2050 compared with 2008 levels.

By Nana Kutin