In parallel, the Shipping Mission is inviting for the first ever in-person meeting for all Shipping Mission members (co-leads, core, and support members), including the first ever in-person Executive Committee meeting on the 16th of April. A safe-the-date invitation with more information will be send to the Shipping Mission members soon. 

 

In 2023, the pathway to take shipping to net-zero was decided. The adoption of the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy was a landmark achievement reached. Also, several regional, national and industry initiatives launched last year will drive shipping towards net-zero emissions.

 

Our fruitful cooperation within the Shipping Mission has been feeding into this development, and now at the beginning of 2024 our work will be even more important. 2024 is the year to bring more zero-emission concepts into contracts, to take the latest research and development into deployment. The Shipping Mission is the perfect set-up to nourish this development. Through our Action Plan, we will deliver results on our three pillars: fuel production, infrastructure, and ships. 

 

Through excellent cooperation within the Shipping Mission and excellent work by Denmark and the U.S. as being chairs in 2022 and 2023, we are now in a perfect position to present and advocate our deliveries in 2024.

 

 

Together with the CEM Global Ports Hydrogen Coalition and the Hydrogen Mission, the Shipping Mission co-hosted an event titled Unleashing the global potential for clean hydrogen in ports and the maritime sector at the 8th Mission Innovation Ministerial in Goa India.

 

The event focused on the potential of hydrogen valleys close to ports to ensure efficient market access. It included a keynote speech from the Minister of Development and Global Climate Policy of Denmark, Mr. Dan Jørgensen, a presentation on the Shipping Mission, and two panel discussion with participants from IRENA, IAPH and industry perspectives from Mærsk and Cochin Shipyard focusing on how shipping can play a key role in accelerating the development of a global hydrogen economy.

 

 

The Shipping Mission co-hosted a dynamic panel discussion at COP28 UAE. The event presented preliminary findings and insights from the Port Zero-Emission Fuel Supply Study, led by the Global Maritime Forum and RMI. This was followed by a panel discussion where experts Ramy Lotfy from CWP Global, Tom Hautekiet from the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Wei Siang New from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and Rikke Wetter Olufsen from the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) shared insights on:

Looking ahead, it was agreed that there should be a shared focus on constructing the new infrastructure needed and garnering support from governments, ports, and partnerships like green shipping corridors. These steps are pivotal for turning our vision of sustainable maritime practices into a tangible reality.

 

 

The project Process of Alternative Design Approvals (PADA) aimed to gain better understanding and utilization of the Alternative Design Approval processes by facilitating knowledge sharing among flag states and classification societies to enable the alignment of the processes until detailed regulation is in place in the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

 

In the second half of 2023, the project consolidated its findings from workshops conducted with representatives from 10 flag states and 6 classification societies and completed the main findings from the project. The IMO MSC.1/circ. 1455 Guidelines for the approval of alternatives and equivalents, as provided for in various IMO instruments, provides a good and safely robust baseline for an alternative approval process.

 

The Mission members represent the majority of the ambitious maritime nations today and it is important to exchange perspectives and lesson learning among maritime administrations and classification societies on the process of approving these new design for alternative fueled ships. A project with a narrow technical focus, but still very relevant and an important step to ensure alternative fueled ships in operation by 2030.

 

 

The Green Shipping Challenge was launched at COP27 to help propel the shipping sector towards a zero-emission future and align with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature increase rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As part of this launch, the U.S., the Republic of Korea, the Northwest Seaport Alliance, and the Busan Port Authority announced their intentions to collaborate on a green shipping corridor. Spurred by this challenge, the U.S. and the Republic of Korea are excited to report the completion of the Pre-Feasibility Study for a Green Shipping Corridor between the two countries facilitated by the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.

 

The U.S., Northwest Seaport Alliance (Ports of Seattle and Tacoma), the Port of Everett, and the Republic of Korea Ports of Busan, Ulsan, and Masan conducted a Pre-Feasibility Study evaluating cargo flows, renewable fuel availability, vessel types, and applicable policy for the establishment of a green corridor between the Republic of Korea and the U.S. The immense effort invested by all has resulted in a report detailing numerous potential routes to focus the green shipping corridor on to demonstrate maritime decarbonization. 

 

Subsequently, pilot and demonstration projects are to be further investigated to utilize low- and zero-emission fuels, carbon reduction technologies, and energy-saving technologies.

 

If you have any questions on the Shipping Mission, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat on shippingmission@dma.dk.