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DECARBONISATION
To meet the decarbonisation challenge, shipping will need to adopt new technologies and fuels — and a fresh mindset. Katarin van Orshaegen at GoodShipping explains how focusing on the bigger picture will enable companies to reduce emissions and move towards a zero-carbon future
TRANSFORMING CARBON INSETTING
Katarin van Orshaegen Commercial Lead, GoodShipping
The challenge to decarbonise shipping is unprecedented, both in breadth and urgency. According to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Fourth Greenhouse Gas Study published in 2020, shipping’s share of global anthropogenic emissions has continued to grow in the past decade, jumping from 2.76% in 2012 to 2.89% in 2018. Emissions are likely to increase further unless action is taken now, a reality that puts the spotlight on our industry. This new pressure on shipowners and charterers has become more tangible than ever. In June, the IMO adopted amendments that will require ships to reduce their emissions through technical and operational measures. The industry is also watching closely as the European Union (EU) is considering its own regulations to disincentivise fossil fuels in shipping. Meeting the growing expectations from legislators and society will require shipping companies to think differently and find impactful solutions that enable them to
C L E A N S H I P P I N G INTERNATIONAL – Autumn 2021
reduce their emissions now, while also laying the groundwork for the supply chains of tomorrow. This is where organisations such as GoodShipping can play a key role.
REDUCING EMISSIONS AT THE SOURCE
The concept of carbon offsetting, which enables organisations to compensate for their emissions by investing in external climate protection projects, is already widely understood and reasonably commonplace. However, it’s clear that reducing shipping’s global carbon footprint will require innovations to happen within the maritime supply chain. Therefore, a more effective approach to tackling organisations’ environmental impact is carbon insetting, which enables them to reduce emissions directly within their own sector. The principle of insetting is put into action by GoodShipping, which offers cargo owners the possibility to transport all or part of their cargo in a carbon-neutral way. Once the cargo owner has decided on the
