Port of Le Havre joins the Getting to Zero Coalition

Port of Le Havre, the top French port for foreign trade, has become a member of the Getting to Zero coalition to help decarbonize maritime transport.

The coalition was launched at the United Nations Climate Action Summit 2019 as part of a partnership between three intergovernmental organisations (the Global Maritime Forum, Friends of Ocean Action and the World Economic Forum) to combat climate change.

It aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping by at least 50% by 2050. To reach this goal and to make the transition to full decarbonization possible, the members of this coalition are committed to help to develop zero-emission ships and fuels by 2030.

“We share the ambition to become a positive-energy port. By joining the Getting to Zero Coalition, we intend to actively contribute to the development of ever-cleaner service for our customers and stakeholders of the supply chain,” said Baptiste Maurand, Managing Director HAROPA – Port of Le Havre.

The Getting to Zero Coalition has identified four focus areas to advance the roadmap on shipping’s decarbonization:

• Explore fuels, technologies & transition pathways, by narrowing technology and fuel options as well as mapping out safety implications, guidelines and required regulations for scaling up new fuels
• Motivate first movers to kickstart shipping’s zero-emission future, by exploring policies, demand drivers and funding mechanisms to motivate and de-risk first-mover investments
• Close the competitiveness gap for zero-emission shipping, by exploring policy instruments and market-based measures to close the competitiveness gap between conventional and zero-emission fuels and associated infrastructure to encourage mass uptake
• Explore global opportunities for zero-emission fuels exports, by mapping countries with the potential to generate and export zero-emission fuels.

The coalition gathers over 120 companies within the maritime, energy, infrastructure, and finance sectors, supported by key governments and IGOs.

Some of the most notable names include Maersk, HMM, Golden Ocean, Shell, Trafigura, BAE Systems, DSME, Eagle Bulk, DNB, Engie, Man Energy Solutions, Norden, ONE, Total, and many more.