Announcing Chilean Green Corridors Network

The joint project is called Chilean Green Corridors Network and was announced during the Our Ocean Conference hosted by the governments of the Republic of Palau and the United States in Palau with U.S. U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry.

First project step will comprise the mapping and assessment of the most promising green corridors in the region, based on emission intensity, fuel availability, distance to ports, vessel segments, routes and cargo types, among other relevant aspects. This work will be completed in 2022, and it will pave the way for the deployment of selected green corridors in the coming years.

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping will lead the pre-feasibility study in close collaboration with representatives from the Chilean Government, engaging relevant stakeholders which operate in the end-to-end value chain associated with the corridors. The aim is to drive the formation of consortia among these stakeholders, who hold the potential of fully realizing green corridors.

The Chilean Green Corridors Network demonstrates effective collaboration between private and public sector, which is critical for the maritime decarbonization and to enable the green transition on a global scale. This is well recognized by the Chilean Government and Ministries, who have put forward an ambitious roadmap for decarbonizing not only Chile, but the entire region.

Green maritime transportation is central to this strategy as Chile is highly dependent on domestic as well as international maritime transport due to the country’s geography. In November 2021, the country was among the first to sign the Clydebank Declaration to support the establishment of green shipping corridors.

Regional first mover initiatives like the Chilean Green Corridor Network pave the way for a decarbonized maritime industry. Establishing green corridors will not only create a relevant pull for the development of zero carbon marine fuels and technologies - it will also provide the foundation for new, sustainable business models both onshore and offshore, accelerate research and take us one step closer to a global carbon neutral economy.

The announcement comes only a few days after the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping launched the European Green Corridors Network with five progressive European ports (press release available on www.zerocarbonshipping.com). This confirms the Center’s focus on enabling first movers and support collaboration which accelerates the decarbonization of the global maritime industry.

Upon announcing the Chilean Green Corridors Network

CEO of Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Mr. Bo Cerup-Simonsen said:

“It is essential to the transition that Governments actively take responsibility and participate in establishing green corridors. The climate does not have the time to wait for global regulation to be in place before we start acting and therefore depend on progressive Governments like the Chilean to demonstrate the needed first mover leadership. Even at project scale this is a systemic change that requires public and private actors to act together.”

“We need large-scale projects like green corridors to take the decarbonization of the maritime industry from theory to actual demonstration of production, supply and use of alternative fuels in the ports. Only this way will we align on standards and obtain the experience and knowledge we need to scale solutions fast enough to meet the end target of net-zero in 2050.”

Minister of Energy for Chile, Mr. Claudio Huepe said:

“Chile is a country with an outstanding renewable availability. Particularly blessed regions such as Magallanes and Antofagasta, which present massive wind and solar potentials; make the Chilean coastline, a strategic place to foster the supply of clean, zero-emissions maritime fuels. By working together with the territories and local governments, Chile will support the long-term emissions reduction of the national and international maritime sector.”

“The decarbonization of maritime transport via the early implementation of green corridors is poised to become a leading example in international collaboration, private-public efforts, and long-term vision, which is required to reach our carbon neutrality goals, keeping the 1.5º C degree goal within reach.”

“These initiatives are key to demonstrate the viability development of new productive activities, such as green steel and green copper, to supply the world with clean materials for a sustainable economy in the upcoming decades. By advancing towards a more complex, and greener economy, we aim to create an ecosystem that supports local growth, creating long lasting and sustainable jobs based on a clean global energy system”

Minister of Transport and Telecommunications for Chile, Mr. Juan Carlos Muñoz said

“The international shipping sector contributes around 3% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which will increase if mitigation measures are not taken. This public-private study, in which Chile will have an important participation, will contribute to the generation of guidelines for green maritime corridors, in order to decarbonize the sector. With the above, our country shows its commitment to the use of sustainable maritime transport for global logistics chains and it represents an example for the countries that signed the Clydebank Declaration.”

Minister of Foreign Relations for Chile, Ms. Antonia Urrejola said

"Chile is open to the world, and we believe in the potential we have in various sectors of our economy. New energies are a great opportunity to diversify our exports, always keeping in mind the decarbonization goals that we have established in different international forums and organizations. This project has placed us in a position of international leadership, Chile will continue working together with different actors at the international level with the objective of achieving the goals of decarbonization and ocean conservation. "

Commenting on the announcement UNFCCC High Level Climate Champion for Shipping Ms. Katharine Palmer said

“With the Clydebank Declaration goal of six corridors in operation by the middle of this decade and the time horizons for the necessary investment, this is a crucial year for Shipping Green Corridors. We need multiple corridors underway by the end of this year. Public private collaboration is essential to create the enabling corridor framework necessary to bring these initiatives to scale and as these corridors develop, learning from one another and harmonizing efforts will support zero-emission solutions to be transferred across the global shipping industry. “

Shipping’s roadmap to decarbonization

With 100.000 ships consuming around m300Tons fossil fuel p.a. global shipping accounts for around 3% of global carbon emissions, a share that is likely to increase due to the foreseen growth in global trade in the coming decades.

Achieving the long-term target of decarbonization requires new fuel types and a systemic change within the industry. Shipping is a globally regulated industry, which provides an opportunity to secure broad-based industry adoption of new technology and fuels.

To accelerate the development of viable technologies a coordinated effort within applied research and demonstration is needed across the entire supply chain. Industry leaders play a critical role in ensuring that laboratory research is successfully matured to scalable solutions matching the needs of industry. At the same time, new legislation will be required to enable the transition towards decarbonization.

About the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping is a not-for-profit, independent research- and development center working across the energy- and shipping sectors with industry, academia, and authorities. With Partners, the Center explores viable decarbonization pathways, facilitates the development and implementation of new energy technologies; builds confidence in new concepts and their supply chains; and accelerates the transition by defining and maturing viable strategic pathways to the required systemic change. The Center is placed in Copenhagen but work with partners globally.

The Center was founded in 2020 with a start-up donation of DKK 400m from the A.P. Moller Foundation. Corporate Partners to the Center include: Alfa Laval, American Bureau of Shipping, A.P. Moller - Maersk, bp, Cargill, Haldor Topsoe, MAN Energy Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsui, NORDEN, NYK Line, Seaspan Corporation, Siemens Energy, Stolt Tankers, Sumitomo Corporation, Swire Group, TotalEnergies, DP World, V.Group, and Hapag-Lloyd.