‘Green corridors have the potential to be more than just a test bed for shipping emission projects,’ said Christopher J. Wiernicki, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Chairman, President and CEO. According to him, green corridors ‘will tie into national clean energy transition strategies that will highlight shipping as a value enabler and the transport vehicle for the clean energy transition.’
Wiernicki (pictured) presented this view at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum, the joint convening of the Clean Energy Ministerial and Mission Innovation Ministerial, which took place from 21 until 23 September in Pittsburgh. He told the gathering of 31 countries that only green shipping corridors had the potential to address the complex challenge of decarbonisation at pace and scale.
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Shrinking the challenge of coordination between fuel infrastructure and vessels
‘At the root, green corridors represent a unique model of a successful public private partnership that recognises that in the end success to get to net zero on time and on target will be a team sport. One of the unique challenges with shipping decarbonisation is the numerous moving parts, since the industry is diverse, disaggregated and globally regulated. Green corridors help to shrink the challenge of coordination between fuel infrastructure and vessels, within the value chain and between regions, down to a more manageable size while retaining scale,’ said Wiernicki.
He added: ‘We need a green corridor playbook to address key performance indicators, common language, data and risk management. This will help in putting together the right policies, financial incentives and regulations. Green corridors will help us determine the right balance between managing risks and achieving business success.’
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Critical organising framework
Green corridors can only deliver on their full potential when they are connected with clean energy strategies.
Wiernicki: ‘In order for us collectively to achieve our net-zero outcome by 2050, green corridors have to be much more than a series of disconnected shipping decarbonisation projects. In a broader context, green corridors must become a critical organising framework connecting low- and zero-carbon shipping to broader regional, national and international decarbonisation initiatives. They have to be tied into national clean energy strategies.’
Reliable data to create trust between the many partners will be a critical success factor in all corridors, he warned.
‘We will need structure around measuring and reporting to provide clear, consistent data. This will require development of a framework for independent verification and certification to demonstrate maturity levels, with an ongoing mechanism for maintaining and sharing data. In turn, this will require verification, particularly of carbon metrics, to ensure ongoing transparency and reliability of data.’
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