Over 50 organizations from the shipping industry have signed a declaration at the UN Climate Change Conference, urging the adoption of zero-emission fuels and the development of green hydrogen infrastructure to decarbonize the shipping sector, reports S&P Global.
Balanced Approach
Organized by RMI, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, the UCL Energy Institute, and the United Nations Foundation, the Call to Action pushes for “faster and bolder action” to increase uptake of zero- and near-zero emission fuels, investment in zero-emission vessels, and global development of green hydrogen infrastructure, a statement posted Nov. 12 by Lloyd’s Register, which is also a signatory to the Call to Action, said.
Signatories to the Call to Action include e-fuel producers, vessel and cargo owners, ports and equipment manufacturers.
To align with a 1.5 C pathway, global green hydrogen production must double by 2030, translating into the uptake of at least 5 million mt of green hydrogen in the shipping sector, it said.
“To accomplish this, coordinated action is needed across the supply chain to expand the supply and adoption of zero- or near-zero-emission shipping fuels such as e-ammonia and e-methanol, build up the ecosystem synergistically, and deliver on a just and equitable transition,” it said.
The signatories to the Call to Action have outlined various key recommendations to expedite the adoption of hydrogen-derived fuels.
This includes the need for clear, ambitious medium-term measures; a balanced approach to revenue distribution to help bridge the cost gap between fossil fuels and scalable zero-emission fuels (SZEFs); and evidence that key milestones for practical use of SZEFs are advancing, it said.
It said ports and port service companies, alongside financiers, have also supported the Call to Action, committing to invest in hydrogen-derived fuel infrastructure and safety projects to support bunkering of e-fuels.
Support for zero-emission fuels
The Call to Action comes ahead of the 83rd session of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, or MEPC 83, in April 2025. At this session, “global regulatory architecture will be set for a global fuel standard and a greenhouse gas pricing mechanism” to achieve the ambition of the IMO’s 2023 GHG Strategy to achieve net-zero emissions in the maritime sector by 2050,” it said.
Ahead of COP29, the IMO had submitted to the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA 61), reiterating its levels of ambition contained in the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy, including the confirmation of the aim to reduce CO2 emissions per transport work (carbon intensity), as an average across international shipping, by at least 40% by 2030, compared with 2008; and to reach net-zero GHG emissions by or around 2050, among other measures.
According to a draft of its conclusion statement, the SBSTA is considering requesting the IMO to report on how its proposed goals and regulations could affect “economic growth and development, particularly in developing countries” and its strategies on technology transfers in the 62nd SBSTA session in June 2025.
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Source: S&P Global
