Maersk: Carbon neutral vessels must be viable by 2030

Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer at A.P. Møller - Mærsk.

DECEMBER 5, 2018 — The world’s largest containership operator, Maersk, yesterday announced a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050 and said that to achieve this goal, carbon neutral vessels must be commercially viable by 2030, requiring an acceleration in innovations and the adaption of new technology.

“The only possible way to achieve the so-much-needed decarbonisation in our industry is by fully transforming to new carbon neutral fuels and supply chains,” says Søren Toft, Chief Operating Officer at A.P. Møller – Mærsk.

Maersk say it is directing its efforts towards solving problems specific to maritime transportation, which requires different solutions than automotive, rail and aviation.

Given the 20-25-year life time of a vessel, says Maersk, it is now time to join forces and start developing the new type of vessels that will be crossing the seas in 2050.

“The next 5-10 years are going to be crucial. We will invest significant resources for innovation and fleet technology to improve the technical and financial viability of decarbonised solutions. Over the last four years, we have invested around USD 1bn and engaged 50+ engineers each year in developing and deploying energy efficient solutions. Going forward we cannot do this alone” says Toft.

Research & Development is key to take the industry away from today’s fossil based technology and by setting this ambitious target, Maersk hopes to generate a pull towards researchers, technology developers, investors, cargo owners and legislators that will activate strong industry involvement, codevelopment, and sponsorship of sustainable solutions that have yet to be seen in the maritime industry.

In 2019, Maersk says it “plans to initiate open and collaborative dialogue with all possible parties to tackle together one of the most important issues in the world; climate change.”