The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Port of Long Beach, Port of Los Angeles and C40 Cities have begun discussions to establish a green and digital shipping corridor between Singapore and the San Pedro Bay port complex, the various entities confirmed Nov. 7.
The corridor would focus on low- and zero-carbon ship fuels, as well as digital tools to support deployment of low- and zero-carbon ships.
“Decarbonizing the supply chain is the future of our industry, and partnerships like this on the world’s most important trade route are important for fulfilling that ultimate goal,” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said. “We’re excited about developing this initiative in the coming months and what it means for making operations more efficient while advancing the fight against global warming.”
The collaborative effort supports the Green Shipping Challenge launched in November during the World Leaders’ Summit at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference Egypt. Convened by the United States and Norway, the Green Shipping Challenge encourages governments, ports, maritime carriers, cargo owners and others in the shipping value chain to commit to concrete steps at COP27 to galvanize global action to decarbonize the shipping industry.
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime supply chain is essential, and this trans-Pacific partnership will help us build a network of ports and key stakeholders to help decarbonize goods movement throughout the Pacific region,” Port of LA Executive Director Gene Seroka said.
As hub ports, LA, Long Beach and Singapore are vital nodes on the trans-Pacific shipping lanes and key stakeholders in the maritime sector’s green transition. The three ports and C40 Cities said they plan to work closely with other stakeholders in the maritime and energy value chains to accelerate the deployment of low- and zero-carbon emission solutions, identify digital shipping programs and develop green fuel sources for bunkering to support efficient cargo movement.
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the green and digital shipping corridor aims to catalyze investment in green infrastructure, including zero-carbon energy hubs linked to port and shipping demand.
“The trans-Pacific corridor is one of the busiest trade routes in the world,” Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Chief Executive Teo Eng Dih said. “Through this corridor, we hope to support the decarbonization of global supply chains, complementing efforts undertaken by the industry and the International Maritime Organization to drive the decarbonization and digital transition for international shipping.”