At the recent COP28 Shaping the Future of Shipping summit organised by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) in Dubai on 10 December with over 300 maritime industry CEOs, government ministers and NGOs present, IAPH president and Hamburg Port Authority CEO Jens Meier called on ports to actively collaborate with each other on knowledge sharing between themselves and the maritime community to accelerate decarbonisation. Jens Meier commented that energy transition should not be seen as a competitive issue among ports. He highlighted the need to develop tools together to ensure the infrastructure is available for low and zero carbon fuels for when the ships calling need them. In recent months IAPH had worked as partner of the IMO Norway GreenVoyage2050 project on developing skills in the safe and efficient handling of alternative fuels at a seminar held in Mumbai, India involving port professionals from developing countries. In the New Year, a Port Readiness Level tool developed by a group of advanced ports of the World Port Climate Action Program and IAPH’s Clean Marine Fuels Working Group will be made available by IAPH as an initial manual self-assessment tool following successful testing by the Port of Rotterdam. The vital role of ports as Clean Marine Fuel Hubs (CEM Hubs) is not only about the supply of new and existing fuels to bunker ships but also the production of green hydrogen, storage and subsequent seaborne transportation of this renewable energy via fuels such as methanol and ammonia to import countries. With the IMO agreeing to accelerate shipping decarbonisation, one key success factor will be the successful negotiation of a market-based measure to raise funding for a just and equitable energy transition. A globally implemented economic measure will need to be agreed upon at the IMO next year that also ensures developing countries and small island states are not left out in infrastructure and capacity building. Coinciding with COP28, Brazil now joins founder partners UAE and Canada alongside Uruguay, Norway and Panama in the CEM Hubs Initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) where energy ministers collaborate internationally. CEM Hubs will formalise a work programme in the first quarter of 2024 alongside ICS and IAPH, with supporting organisations IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) GMCD (Global Maritime Centre for Decarbonisation) and other industry partners. To view Jens Meier’s intervention at the Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit, please view session one, 01:20 on the ICS VIMEO channel.
