Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping (MMMCZCS) published it first Impact Report showcasing how collaborative efforts are shaping the maritime industry’s transition to a sustainable future.
The global maritime industry’s goal to reach net-zero GHG emissions by or before 2050 is an ambitious yet necessary goal to avoid a global temperature increase beyond 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The details and precise timing of this transition, however, could follow several different scenarios.
According to the Center, maritime stakeholders need to act now to ensure that the following target outcomes across four key drivers are in place by the mid-2030s:
- Regulation and policy: Enforceable regulations and policies adequately incentivize the transition from economic, technical, and safety perspectives.
- Technology & infrastructure: Vessel and engine technologies are compatible with decarbonization solutions – including energy efficiency levers – and available at scale. Sufficient port and fuel bunker infrastructure is available to support the use of sustainable maritime fuels and sustainable energy, and alternative fuels are available in sufficient quantities.
- Market : A strong end-customer pull exists for green/decarbonized offerings, and funding and financing mechanisms exist to drive development and uptake of decarbonization solutions.
- Adoption: Maritime players have the capabilities and mindset needed to adopt decarbonization solutions at scale.
Ammonia safety
Center analysis confirms ammonia as a central part of the future alternative fuel mix for maritime. Ammonia is already one of the most produced chemicals in the world and widely transported as a commodity (fertilizer).
However, the shift to using ammonia as a fuel aboard vessels introduces new challenges. Ammonia is highly toxic, and leaks are potentially lethal. Addressing the safety challenges of ammonia as a marine fuel is, therefore, critical to realizing its potential to decarbonize shipping at scale. The Center works across disciplines to address critical safety risks and support the qualification of ammonia as an alternative maritime fuel.
Alongside multiple partners, the Center has published designs for safe storage and usage of ammonia onboard vessels, as well as guidelines for bunkering of ammonia in ports, where the risk of leaks is substantial. In addition human factors related to safe operations aboard the vessel were addressed.
Building on this work, the Center has contributed to the IMO’s interim guidelines for the safety of ships using ammonia as fuel, which were approved by the IMO bodies in 2024. In addition to publishing insights and guidance, the Center also gathers key enablers (ammonia producers, shipping companies, class societies, and other relevant players) for an annual ammonia safety roundtable.
At the roundtable, stakeholders exchange the latest learnings, identify the challenges ahead, and initiate joint projects to further pave the way for the safe deployment of ammonia as fuel.
Moreover, the Center also drives key industry projects that aim to demonstrate the safe use of ammonia as a marine fuel both on board vessels and when bunkering.
Through 2022-2024 the Center’s work was structured around four multi-disciplinary programs designed to address critical drivers of the maritime energy transition:
- Reduce Fleet Energy Demand: Developing operational, commercial, and regulatory solutions to lower energy consumption and align industry incentives.
- Transform the Energy System: Enabling sustainable energy production and building confidence in the operational and technological solutions required for decarbonization.
- Catalyse Ecosystem Transition: Using green shipping corridors to demonstrate feasibility and best practices in deploying alternative fuels.
- Advance the Transition at Scale: Supporting policies and initiatives that drive widespread adoption of sustainable maritime solutions.
In an exclusive interview to SAFETY4SEA, Kasper Møller Nielsen, Sustainability Partner at Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Nielsen highlighted that collaboration is key to address the many challenges this transition faces. The industry is interconnected to one another, making everyone relying of each other’s data to report their actual impact in a transparent way.
Green corridor highlights from the Center 2023 to 2024
Chile
One of the most advanced green corridor projects in the world. Pre-feasibility and feasibility studies are complete, and the next stage is maturing towards financing and implementation. Includes several projects, from decarbonized salmon production to the export of copper and ammonia from Chile.
South Korea to US West Coast
Fast-maturing feasibility study looking to provide zero-emissions transportation for the South Korean auto industry.
Namibia
Pre-feasibility study is complete. Exploring options for alternative fuel production (ammonia) and mapping relevant ports.
Americas
Several projects including export of dry-bulk cargo to South Korea and Japan from the Gulf of Mexico, assessing development of a fuel hub in Tacoma/Seattle/Vancouver, and decarbonizing cruise lines in Alaska to enable compliance with the Federal Clean Air Act.
Decarbonizing the maritime industry by 2050 is an ambitious but achievable goal. It demands unprecedented collaboration across sectors and geographies. This Impact Report is a testament to how far we have come—and a call to continue working together to shape a sustainable maritime future.
said said Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO, MMMCZCS.
