The 2030 Breakthrough
Zero emission fuels make up 5% of international shipping’s energy demand. 450,000 seafarers need to be retrained and upskilled. At least 30% of global trade needs to move through climate-adapting ports
Why fuels? Tracking progress
×
Why fuels?
Shipping transports around 80% of global trade and accounts for 3% of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, from the combustion of fossil fuels. Under business as usual, emissions may increase by half by 2050. To set international shipping on an ambitious, zero emission trajectory aligned to 1.5C, the sector must transition away from using fossil fuels with at least 5% of a scalable zero emission fuel by 2030 to enable rapid scaling and mass adoption to achieve around a 90% reduction in GHG emissions by 2040.
However, a truly sustainable path for the maritime sector entails a whole-system approach enabling a just transition and unlocking wider social and resilience benefits.
This helps mobilize commitment and action across all stakeholders for example:
- Energy companies have greater confidence in demand when planning green fuel development projects
- Cargo owners can be mobilized to pay a premium for zero emission fuels on a corresponding percent of their freight
- Investors can quantify the amount of investment needed across the value chain
- Shipping companies can plan investments in new builds and retrofits
- Regulators can be called on to ensure a level playing field is in place to enable the transition
- Opportunities for job creation and job upgrading across the maritime value chain
- Maritime supply chains are resilient to shocks and hazards from climate change continuing to connect communities.
×
Who’s tracking our overall progress?
The first report tracking progress and climate action in the shipping sector was published in September 2022 by UMAS and the UN Climate Change High Level Champions, supported by the Getting to Zero Coalition and funded by Lloyd’s Register.
THE UN CLIMATE CHANGE HIGH°LEVEL CHAMPIONS UMAS GTZ LLOYD'S REGISTERAcknowledging the organizations working towards this future
ACHIEVING THE 2030 BREAKTHROUGH
ACROSS FIVE LEVERS OF CHANGE
TECHNOLOGY / SUPPLY
DISCOVER MORE
How industry and infrastructure can help
- At least 10 deep-sea ships with zero-emission propulsion in operation by 2025
- At least 200 ships primarily use zero emission fuels across main deep sea shipping routes by 2030
- 10 large trade ports covering at least three continents supply zero emission fuels
- Over 1m metric tonnes of green hydrogen at a production cost of $2/kg by 2025
- 50 production facilities by 2025 for small scale green zero emission fuel by 2025.
- 30% of hydrogen production capacity for marine fuels online by 2025 is in developing countries
- 6 deep-sea green corridors operational by 2030 - at least 5 incorporate commitments on just transition
Signals of progress
Maersk accelerates fleet decarbonisation with 8 large ocean-going vessels to operate on carbon neutral methanol
READ MORE
Demand
How the market can influence change
- By 2025 20 freight purchasers commit to using zero-emission ocean freight by 2040
Signals of progress
Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV)
Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV) is a first-of-its-kind cargo owner-led platform to enable maritime freight customers to come together to accelerate maritime shipping decarbonization.
READ MORE
Zero Emission Maritime Buyers Alliance
In the coZEV 2040 Ambition Statement, climate-leading cargo owners set an ambition to only use ZE shipping by 2040.
READ MORE
Finance
Read More
The role of public and private financing
- $3-6bn of industry & finance support mobilized for large scale demonstration projects by 2025
- $2-4bn of government support mobilized for large scale demonstration projects by 2025
Signals of progress
UK Expands Efforts to Support Green Shipping with $100M in New Funding
The UK government is investing an additional $100 million in maritime decarbonization including a competition to fund the development and introduction of technologies that can be brought to market within the next three years for the UK’s maritime sector.
READ MORE
Poseidon banks reveal carbon gap but trailblaze transparency
The Poseidon Principles have pioneered a level of transparency not yet matched in an industry struggling with greenwashed commitments
READ MORE
UK Expands Efforts to Support Green Shipping with $100M in New Funding
The UK government is investing an additional $100 million in maritime decarbonization including a competition to fund the development and introduction of technologies that can be brought to market within the next three years for the UK’s maritime sector.
READ MORE
Poseidon banks reveal carbon gap but trailblaze transparency
The Poseidon Principles have pioneered a level of transparency not yet matched in an industry struggling with greenwashed commitments
READ MORE
Policy
Read More
How governments can accelerate the transition
- IMO agrees final GHG strategy by 2023, setting long-term goal of zero by 2050 with interim targets
- IMO agrees mid-term measures package by 2025
- 40 national governments publish 1.5C aligned plans for domestic shipping by 2025
Signals of progress
Latest intersessional IMO meeting
Latest intersessional IMO meeting provides important clues on what might be agreed in the revised GHG strategy in July 2023
READ MORE
Germany has become the latest country to join the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission
Launched in 2021, and led by the governments of Denmark, Norway and the US, and the Global Maritime Forum and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission aims to accelerate international public-private collaboration to scale and deploy new green maritime solutions, setting international shipping on a zero-emission course.
READ MORE
Civil Society
Read More
Mobilizing the "third sector"
- By 2025, national skills councils (and strategies) are established in major and emerging seafarer supply countries
- Targets to be defined following delivery of a Green Skills Roadmap for Seafarers at COP27 by the Just Transition Maritime Taskforce
Signals of progress
Paving the way for a decarbonized shipping industry that leaves no one behind
After a long history of wind, coal and oil-fuelled ships, a fourth propulsion revolution is now underway for shipping to shift away from conventional fuels and transition towards alternative low- and zero-carbon fuels and technologies. This will- support the global community in reaching the goals of the Paris Agreement.
READ MORE
UN Global Compact and shipping industry confirm formation of ‘people-centred’ Task Force to ensure Just Transition to net-zero
READ MORE
Singapore Maritime Foundation becomes first partner of Maritime Just Transition Task Force
READ MORE
– By COP28, deliver 3-5 commitments from shipping companies/cargo owners to use 5% green hydrogen-derived fuels/transport commodities on ships that use 5% hydrogen-derived fuels by 2030
– Maritime NSAs build support for science-based, 1.5 aligned ambition & targets in revised IMO GHG Strategy & engage publicly or privately with policy makers to advocate for stronger policy
– Green corridor consortiums undertake just transition review and integrate just transition into planning
– NSAs establish a Pacific Islands Green Corridor Consortium and announce a plan
– NSAs establish an African Green Corridor Consortium and announce a plan
– The maritime sector is on track for Breakthrough outcome & progress tracked through the State of Climate Action in Shipping report highlighting critical gaps and actions needed for system transformation aligned to 1.5.
– Create & launch the Maritime Resilience Toolkit at COP28
– Partners join the the Resilience4Ports Lab and report on progress against a set of improved breakthroughs at COP28 ensuring inclusive of Global North & South, SIDs & LDCs
– At least 10 Ports are engaged in Maritime Resilience pilot projects by COP28 (at least 3 from SIDs & LDCs) and uptake by 10 shipowners.
FURTHER READING
Discover more about our actions and initiatives, and other ways shipping is racing to net zero
Avoiding greenwashing and defining emission reductions: How a science-based framework could catalyse maritime’s Race to Zero
UMAS Principal Consultant, Jean-Marc Bonello explains what impact a science-based framework will have on the sector’s Race to Zero.
READ MORE
“If Green Corridors succeed, in 2030 zero-emission shipping will be a commercially viable option anywhere”
Green Corridors are specific shipping routes where the feasibility of zero-emission shipping is catalyzed by a combination of public and private actions. Jesse Fahnestock, Head of Research and Analysis at the Global Maritime Forum, explains why Green Corridors are fundamental to Shipping’s Race to Zero.
READ MORE
Maritime sector and green hydrogen leaders agree on ambitious targets and collaboration to reach zero emissions global shipping by 2050
Ten organizations signed the Joint Statement on Green Hydrogen and Green Shipping, committing to rapid adoption of green hydrogen-based fuels this decade to get on track for full decarbonization of the shipping sector by 2050, and calling on policymakers to help achieve the ambitious targets.
READ MORE
The Maritime Resilience Breakthroughs: A consolidated action agenda to future proof the sector
Accelerating the pace and scale of the resilience transition for the maritime sector will require a consolidated action agenda. This is the objective of the Maritime Resilience Breakthroughs, launched at COP27
READ MORE