On Wednesday, in a statement shipping giant Maersk said it will accelerate plans to decarbonize sea-borne container shipping transports by operationalizing the world’s first carbon-neutral sea-going vessel in 2023; the potential launch is seven years ahead of its original plan.
In 2020, the shipping industry, which transports 80% of global trade, accounting for around 3% of global carbon emissions, pledged to put into use ships and marine fuel with zero carbon emissions by 2030.
“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,” said the company in a statement.
The carbon-neutral ocean-going vessel will be fuelled by methanol, said Maersk.
“Our ambition to have a carbon neutral fleet by 2050 was a moonshot when we announced it in 2018,” said the company’s CEO Soren Skou while adding, “Today we see it as a challenging, yet achievable target to reach.”
