At the COP26 Climate Summit which was held in Glasgow in the month of November 2021, the Clydebank Declaration was signed. In it, the signatories agreed to cooperate to support the formation of the Green Shipping Corridor.
Highlights
This declaration was named “Clydebank” in honor of the heritage towns of Clydebank and the River Clyde. The walls of Antonine Wall are located in Clydebank which was registered as a World Heritage Site in the year 2008. The wall was a peat fortress and the Romans built it. In addition, Clydebank is one of the most important shipbuilding centers.
The signatories of the declaration will set up zero-emission routes between two or more routes which will be known as the Green Shipping Corridor. By the year 2025, the goal to establish six such green corridors have been formalised.
As part of the Declaration, more than 200 companies are committed to increasing and commercializing zero-emission fuels and vessels by the year 2030. Buyers such as Amazon, IKEA, Michelin and Patagonia have already announced that they will only buy carbon-free cargo from the year 2040.
The countries Belgium, Australia, Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, Republic of Ireland, France, Japan, Germany, Morocco, Italy, Netherlands, Republic of Marshall Islands, Norway, Spain, USA, Sweden and UK have signed this declaration.
Pledge of the declaration
In the Declaration, each country promised to facilitate the development of partnerships, stakeholders along the value chain, to accelerate decarbonization of the shipping sector and reduce fuel supply to the shipping sector by establishing a green transport corridor. It also looks to identifying and investigating obstacles in the establishment of the Green Corridor. This includes legal frameworks, information exchange, and incentives and to consider including the Green Corridor in the National Action Plan.
Need for the declaration
According to S and P Analytics, world shipping accounts for 2.5-3% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Deep-sea vessels account for 85% of total offshore emissions. Decarbonizing such a ship is very difficult. This is mainly due to energy-dense fuel consumption. In such scenarios, green fuels such as liquid hydrogen, methanol and ammonia are the best alternative solutions.
