Getting Zero Coalition recommends on green shipping corridor

The Getting to Zero Coalition, convened by the Global Maritime Forum, has submitted recommendations to the Federal Government for the establishment of a green shipping corridor between Western Australia and East Asia.

The potential for a corridor powered by zero or near-zero carbon ammonia has been explored over the past year by a 15-member taskforce assembled from representatives of iron ore shipping interests.

A May 2023 feasibility study by four task force members found that the availability of ammonia-powered ships, access to zero or near-zero carbon ammonia, and the availability of bunkering infrastructure could, given a set of conditions, be in place to enable the corridor’s kick off by 2028. It could achieve 5% uptake of zero or near-zero carbon ammonia on the route by 2030, in line with the International Maritime Organization’s fuel uptake target in its revised greenhouse gas strategy.

GMF says the wider task force has also produced a shared roadmap identifying the actions needed to realise these goals. “Meanwhile, many of the individual companies have already signalled their willingness to act by initiating activities related to the ordering of ammonia-powered vessels and services, production of zero or near-zero carbon ammonia, and development of bunkering infrastructure.

The position paper presented to the Federal Government provides the case for why Australia would benefit from taking supportive action to help the establishment of a green corridor out of WA, GMF says, and presents three different scenarios for how the corridor could be implemented and a menu of policy options for consideration.

Separately, the GMF notes that the UK government is investing £1.5 million to promote environmentally friendly international shipping routes. This funding, part of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC5), aims to help the UK meet its net zero goals while also stimulating job growth and economic development without adding to taxpayer burdens.

Key highlights include plans for emission-free shipping routes linking the UK with the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, and Ireland, already underway; and studies to be conducted to speed up the establishment of ‘green corridors’, identifying necessary infrastructure and regulatory steps.