Wärtsilä a signatory to Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization initiative

The technology group Wärtsilä is a signatory to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization initiative launched in conjunction with the U.N. General Assembly on 22 September. It will be delivered to world governments ahead of COP26, the U.N’s Climate Change Conference being held this autumn in Glasgow, Scotland. The signatories urge world leaders to align shipping with the Paris Agreement temperature goal, and to fully decarbonize shipping using net-zero energy sources by 2050.

The Call to Action is being made by companies and organisations representing the entire maritime value chain, including shipping, cargo, energy, finance, ports, and infrastructure. They believe that an urgent and equitable decarbonization of the maritime supply chain by 2050 is both possible and necessary, with zero emission shipping becoming the default choice by 2030.

“Wärtsilä is proud to be a signatory to this Call to Action. We have taken a leading position in transitioning the marine sector towards a decarbonised future. This we do through technological development delivering greater efficiencies, through advanced research into potential future carbon-free fuels, and by harnessing our vast experience and depth of know-how to achieve a cleaner and greener future for shipping,” says Roger Holm, President, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal to reduce GHG emissions by at least 50 percent compared to 2008 levels by 2050. While this represents an important first step, Call to Action believes that a clear target needs to be set for the shipping sector to be run entirely on net-zero energy sources by 2050.

In order to achieve this, the signatories believe that by 2030 at least five percent zero emission fuels must be reached in international shipping, with commercially viable zero emission vessels operating along deep-sea trade routes. This will involve having the necessary infrastructure for scalable zero emission fuels and energy sources, including distribution, storage, and bunkering facilities.

Wärtsilä and other private sector companies are leading the way and taking concrete actions to achieve these ambitions. Call to Action feels that decisive government actions and policy frameworks are urgently needed in order to reach the 2030 and 2050 targets.

The Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization has been developed by a multi-stakeholder taskforce convened by the Getting to Zero Coalition – a partnership between the Global Maritime Forum, the World Economic Forum, and Friends of Ocean Action. Wärtsilä joined the “Getting to Zero Coalition” in September, 2019.

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Image caption: Wärtsilä is a signatory to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization initiative launched in conjunction with the U.N. General Assembly on 22 September. © Global Maritime Forum (GMF)

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