Maersk called for a $450-a-ton carbon tax on shipping fuel that would help bridge the price gap between fossil fuels and greener alternatives.
According to Bloomberg, fuel costs would effectively almost double if the measure were imposed today, due to how carbon dioxide emissions are counted.
More specifically, Maersk’s tax proposal would add $450/ton to the cost of very low-sulfur fuel oil, and is also calling the IMO to have a carbon dioxide tax for the industry ready by 2025, which coulde be at around $150 per tonne of CO2.
Currently, VLSFO costs about $500 a ton to $525 a ton, says Bloomberg.
What is more, the money gathered from the tax could be used to subsidize clean fuels, as well as support developing countries.
In fact, Maersk explained that such a measure would involve reporting from ships’ flag states and IMO data collection.
Commenting on what the expectations are for such a tax, Soren Skou, CEO of A.P. Moller Maersk noted that it would have a “huge impact on the transition to greener fuels.”
What is more, talking about the future of decarbonization in shipping, Mr. Skou believes that the solution could be a methanol-ammonia combination.
