COPENHAGEN (DENMARK) – Shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday it will fasten plans to decarbonise sea-borne container shipping by making the world’s first carbon-neutral vessel functional in 2023, which would be seven years ahead of its original plan.
The shipping industry, which conducts around 80% of global trade and accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions, took a pledge last year to ready ships and marine fuels with zero carbon emissions by 2030.
The company said in a statement., “Fast-tracked by advances in technology and increasing customer demand for sustainable supply chains, Maersk is accelerating the efforts to decarbonise marine operations with the launch of the world’s first carbon neutral liner vessel in 2023.”
It said that the carbon-neutral vessel will have methanol as its fuel.
“Our ambition to have a carbon neutral fleet by 2050 was a moonshot when we announced it in 2018,” Chief Executive Soren Skou said. “Today we see it as a challenging, yet achievable target to reach.”