The European Commission is proposing to end production of combustion engine cars in 2035. The International Maritime Organization should do the same for fossil fuelled ships with ambitious targets and measures to decarbonise shipping, Søren Skou, CEO of Maersk noted.
Namely, Søren Skou calls on regulators to phase out all fossil fuelled ships by the middle of next decade.
As posted on LinkedIn on Friday, Skou suggested shipping should follow the path laid out for the automotive sector in Europe.
What is more, Skou noted that both a global carbon tax and an end date for fossil-fuelled ships would send a strong signal to the shipping ecosystem including yards and fuel producers.
A global “drop dead date” would address future newbuilt vessels, complementing the impact of existing ships from a carbon tax, Skou suggested.
Skou is in favour of a carbon tax of up to $450 per tonne of fuel to bridge the price gap between existing bunker fuels and the carbon neutral fuels of tomorrow.
“As the price gap narrows, the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index in its coming phases could be the instrument to make the end date for fossil fuelled ships a global reality,” Skou proposed.
Earlier this year, Søren Skou noted that:
If the IMO can’t deliver, then quotas for greenhouse gases through an Emissions Trading System in the EU might be needed to push the industry on the right track towards decarbonisation.
