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U.S. Gov't Joins Zero-CO2 Program With Mærsk McKinney Møller Center

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Image courtesy U.S. DOE Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

Published Jun 2, 2021 5:55 PM by The Maritime Executive

The U.S. government is joining forces with Denmark, Norway, the Global Maritime Forum and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping in a drive to cut the maritime industry's greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative will also be supported by the governments of India, Morocco, the U.K., Singapore, France, Ghana and South Korea.

The new "Zero-Emission Shipping Mission" aims to accelerate public-private collaboration to scale and deploy new green maritime solutions. Unlike the IMO's 2050 climate "ambitions," the new international partnership is solution-oriented and specific in its aims. Its objective is to develop and deploy zero-emission fuels, ships, and bunkering infrastructure covering five percent of global deep-sea fuel consumption by 2030. This goal includes at least 200 zero-emission ships on the water and running, powered by green hydrogen, green ammonia, green methanol and advanced biofuels.

"The shipping industry needs to decarbonize to be part of the solution to the climate crisis. It will not be easy, and we don’t have a lot of time, but it is possible and now is the time to act," said Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. "With our partners we are proud and excited to co-lead this very important Zero Emission Shipping Mission."

The Mission is one element of Mission Innovation, a global initiative involving about two dozen nations that aims to drive global investment in clean energy research, development and demonstration. The goal is to make zero-carbon fuel "affordable, attractive, and accessible within the decade" in order to speed up the clean energy transition. 

"The maritime industry is essential to global commerce, transporting close to 90 percent of all world trade. That creates nearly three percent of global GHG emissions every year," said Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy. "These emissions are not just harmful to the planet's climate. They leave people residing in port communities in poorer health. We can and we should do better, and that's why the U.S. is proud to co-lead the Mission for Zero-Emissions Shipping with Denmark and Norway."