At COP26, 22 countries, including the UK, US and the Netherlands, have signed the Clydebank Declaration. The signatories seek to facilitate the establishment of partnerships, between ports, operators and others along the value chain, to accelerate the decarbonisation of the shipping sector and its fuel supply through green zero-emission shipping corridor projects.

The green shipping corridors are zero-emission maritime routes between two (or more) ports. The signatories want to establish at least six such routes by 2025, while aiming to scale activity up in the following years. Up until 2030, the initiative should lead to more such routes, longer routes and/or having more ships on the same routes.

The signatories pledge to identify and explore actions to address barriers to the formation of green corridors. This could cover, for example, regulatory frameworks, incentives, information sharing or infrastructure. It is intended that two or more signatories take steps with relevant willing ports, operator(s) and others along the value chain to decarbonise a specific shared maritime route. However, a country can also work to create a decarbonised domestic maritime route.

This does not mean however that all vessels transiting a green corridor would be required to be zero emissions or to participate in the partnerships.

Signatories

The full list of countries that signed the Declaration are: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.

Also read: Fourteen countries sign “Declaration on zero-emission shipping by 2050”