Shipping by Air, Land or Sea: The Future of Carbon Neutral

So is it possible that we will see carbon-neutral shipping by air or sea in the future? The Biden administration certainly has plans to make drastic cuts in shipping emissions.

The United States is committing to work with countries in the IMO to adopt the goal of achieving zero emissions from international freight and shipping by 2050 and to adopt ambitious measures that will place the entire sector on a pathway to achieve this goal,” U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry said during a virtual climate meeting. The move is part of the Biden administration’s policy to address climate change after bringing the U.S. back into the Paris Agreement to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. The time is now to push harder to cut shipping emissions. However, it is likely to face a backlash from Asian and South American nations that fear rising export costs.

David Aherne, Director of Across the Ocean Shipping, supports this policy and believes, “The future of the shipping industry is moving in a greener direction. As an international freight forwarder, we want to contribute in any way we can to reduce the impact on the environment”.

What are you doing in your company to become more eco-friendly?

Some operators are already turning to ships that run on natural gas as it is cleaner than conventional bunker fuel, while others are holding out for zero-emissions technology to become cost-effective. Ship engines that run on ammonia, hydrogen and biofuels are currently being tested, but lack in quantity and come with drawbacks too. Hydrogen tanks occupy a lot of commercial cargo space, ammonia is highly toxic if spilled in the water, and some biofuels require large areas of farmland to be devoted to plants such as sugar cane, which brings its own potential for environmental damage.

As you can see, there is a lot to take into account but it is most definitely achievable if everybody works together. Achieving widespread availability of renewable fuels by 2030 would make it easier to move closer to zero by 2050, Mr. Hoenders, Head of air pollution and energy efficiency at the IMO said. “It’s about reaching that threshold where the fuels are available, the prices are reasonable and then you will see a massive uptake.

Across the Ocean is currently working on Carbon Neutral Shipping options for all of our clients in 2021, further details to announced soon…