Maritime bodies call for long-term plan to decarbonize shipping

August 6, 2024, by Fatima Bahtić

The UK Chamber of Shipping and seven other maritime trade bodies have written to the UK’s maritime minister Mike Kane urging for the creation of a long-term plan to decarbonize shipping.

The signatories to the letter were the UK Chamber of Shipping, the British Ports Association, the British Tugowners Association, Cruise Line International, Maritime London, the Society of Maritime Industries, the UK Major Ports Group, and Workboat Association.

The maritime bodies called for a successor to the Clean Maritime Plan to be an early and top priority. They said that the entire maritime sector is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving net zero.

However, this does require a long-term plan that sets the framework for how the government and the sector will work together to reduce emissions.

“Hundreds of millions of pounds are being invested each year to help deliver innovative new emission reduction technologies, install the required infrastructure and train the current and future maritime workforce in the skills they will need to help us reach net zero. In order for the maritime sector to achieve its net zero targets it needs the confidence that this ambition will be matched with support from the Government. While the General Election curtailed the planned review of the Clean Maritime Plan, this is now long overdue,” the parties stated in the letter.

The 2024 General Election meant the planned refresh of the Clean Maritime Plan, which was first published in 2019. Launched by Maritime Minister Nusrat Ghani MP in London, the plan says that all new ships for UK waters ordered from 2025 should be designed with zero-emission capable technologies.

The partners emphasized that the successor to the Clean Maritime Plan should build on its foundations and include a multi-year strategy. This also means creating a technology-neutral framework for government support and engagement, through important mechanisms like UK Shore, and a clear pathway to aid the sector in its determination to reach net zero.

UK maritime bodies also stated that they are ready to work with the government and officials to produce a credible plan for emissions reduction.

A framework, that aligns with the 2023 International Maritime Organization (IMO) Strategy, is believed to provide the private sector with the confidence that the government supports its efforts in enabling significant investment in the years ahead generating new jobs and growth.

“It is vital to provide the industry and investors with confidence to aid the sector in its drive to reach net zero. To achieve this, we need a multi-year plan, which creates a framework for public and private sector collaboration and a pathway for emissions reduction,” commenting on the letter UK Chamber of Shipping CEO, Rhett Hatcher, said.

The urgency of meeting shipping’s decarbonization targets is underscored by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) revised Greenhouse Gas (GHG) strategy, which sets ambitious goals for zero or near-zero GHG emission energy sources to constitute between 5% and 10% of the energy used by international shipping by 2030.

A recent report published by UMAS, an independent maritime and energy decarbonization consultancy, and Arup, a global sustainable development and engineering consultancy, outlines actionable ways the UK can become an early mover in maritime decarbonization.