IAPH has teamed up with the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in launching an initiative to catalyse the supply of green fuels to support the global energy transition. IAPH managing director Patrick Verhoeven joined the unveiling of the ‘Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative’ last week at the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) in Pittsburgh. The Initiative will be a convening platform for public and private senior-level stakeholders from the ports, shipping, finance, and energy sectors across the energy-maritime value chain. ICS and IAPH will kickstart activity with governments represented at the CEM, with the objective of advancing the production, export and import of low-carbon fuels. The governments of Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Panama confirmed during the CEM meeting in Pittsburgh that they will be among the first countries to back this key initiative, to help accelerate the worlds transition to green fuels and technologies. The initial concept for creating green marine hubs was announced earlier this year as a forum to enable policy makers and industry stakeholders to quickly unlock clean energy deployment. The Pittsburgh announcement represents the next step in the development of an initiative that will help unlock the potential for global adoption of zero emission fuels. CEM is a meeting of 29 energy ministers from leading governments, as part of the US Department of Energy’s Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF). IAPH and ICS anticipate that the participation of Canada, the UAE and Panama in the Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative will establish a pathway for others to follow. Key objectives include facilitating information and knowledge exchange on policies, programmes, and decarbonisation projects to de-risk investment and accelerate the commercial deployment of alternative fuels and technologies across countries. Recent research from the International Renewable Energy Agency has emphasised the importance of shipping’s role in the global green transition. By 2050, the shipping industry is expected to transport at least 50% of all traded zero-carbon fuels. You can watch the Pittsburgh launch of the Clean Energy Marine Hubs Initiative in the video below (footage starts at 10:25).
