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Future Energy and Sustainability R&D Coalition with CMA CGM, Wartsila

Coalition formed to develop future energy and sustainability solutions

Published Jul 6, 2020 5:10 PM by The Maritime Executive

Eleven leading international companies have come together to form a research coalition dedicated to accelerating the energy transition in the transport and logistics industries. The coalition aims to drive the development of energy sources and technologies to curb global warming, reduce air pollution, and protect biodiversity.  

Proposed in December 2019 by CMA CGM, the organization has been formalized with participation including AWS, Carrefour Group, CMA CGM Group, Cluster Maritime Français, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Engie, Faurecia, Michelin, Schneider Electric, Total and Wärtsilä. The members will pool their R&D efforts seeking to develop a more extensive portfolio of clean energy sources as well as lower energy consumption for transported goods and eliminate a substantial proportion of harmful emissions being released into the atmosphere.

“In view of the challenges facing the world, we must unite our strengths in order to accelerate the energy transition of the transport and logistics industry,” said  Rodolphe Saade, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group. “I am delighted that 11 global corporations, leaders in their respective fields, have joined this initiative. CMA CGM will provide all its expertise and experience to this first large global multisectoral coalition, supported by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. We are all fully mobilized to produce concrete short, medium-and-long-term solutions.” 

As part of the announcement of the new initiative, the group identified nine projects selected by their working group identified as their priorities.  They include: 

  • Develop green hydrogen procurement solutions for the transport sector 
  • Develop biofuels for the various modes of transport 
  • Expand the use of biogas and synthetic gases in transport 
  • Replace fossil fuels with green energy across the supply chain 
  • Launch zero-emission vehicle pilot projects by the end of 2021 
  • Create a digital door-to-door route planning system that calculates the option with the lowest environmental impact 
  • Optimize the operational management and loading to step up the energy efficiency of each ton carried 
  • Make multimodal platforms more environmentally friendly for logistics applications 
  • Consolidate methods used to measure the impact of energy transition projects in transport and logistics 

“Among the projects to be tackled will be the development of hydrogen and biofuels, and expanding the use of biogas, synthetic gas fuels and hybrid solutions, areas where we are already active. Collaboration with qualified partners and customers is central to our Smart Marine approach to creating a more sustainable and efficient shipping industry. Membership of this coalition emphasizes our commitment to working in close cooperation with other industry leaders to achieve real progress towards a cleaner and better future,” added Roger Holm, President of Wärtsilä Marine Power.

The Coalition’s initial findings will be presented in January 2021 at the IUCN World Conservation Congress and they are expecting to achieve tangible results by 2030.