DOE: Partnership aims to achieve zero-emission shipping

The U.S. Department of Energy on June 2 announced a partnership with the governments of Denmark and Norway and others to accelerate efforts to set international shipping on a course to achieve zero emissions, including through the use of biobased hydrogen fuels.

The Global Maritime Forum and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping are also participating in the initiative. In addition, the mission is supported by the governments of India, Morocco, the U.K., Singapore, France, Ghana, and South Korea.

The initiative, tiled the Zero-Emission Shipping Mission, is part of Mission Innovation, a global initiative launched in 2015 by 24 countries and the European Commission working to accelerate clean energy innovation. Zero-Emission Shipping Mission aims to accelerate international public-private collaboration to scale and deploy new green maritime solutions, setting international shipping on an ambitious zero-emission course.

The mission features three main goals. The first is to develop, demonstrate, and deploy zero-emission fuels, ships and fuel infrastructure in a coordinated fashion along the full value chain. Second, the mission aims for at least 5 percent of the global deep-sea fleet to be capable of running on hydrogen-based zero-emission fuels by 2030. This includes fuels such as green hydrogen, green ammonia, green methanol, and biofuels. Third, by 2030, the mission aims for at least 200 of these zero-emission fueled ships to be in service and utilizing their fuels across their main deep sea shipping routes.

Information published by Mission Innovation explains that international shipping is responsible for 3 percent of global emissions. Without immediate and concerted efforts, emissions from the sector could increase by as much as 250 percent by 2050.

“Through fearless technological innovation, ambitious clean energy deployment, and constructive international collaboration, we can build a net-zero carbon economy that creates millions of jobs and lifts our citizens into greater prosperity,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.

Additional information on the zero-emission shipping initiative is available on the Mission Innovation website.