Air travel has drawn widespread condemnation due to its carbon footprint. However, the shipping industry accounts for 80% of global trade, and its carbon emissions total about 1 billion tons of CO2 per year— 3% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By comparison, aviation accounts for 2%-3% of global GHG emissions. Shipping has proved hard to decarbonize due to its reliance on carbon-dense bunker fuels such as diesel . Despite the lack of visibility and public pressure, the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations have set a goal of reducing shipping GHG emissions to 50% of the 2008 emission levels by 2050. Similarly, in 2018, Maersk pledged to decarbonize its operations by 2050 and reduce emissions by 60% by 2030.

Use Cases for Hydrogen in Shipping

The shipping industry can be divided into two sectors: short-sea shipping and ocean shipping. Short-sea shipping refers to trade along coastlines or major cities along rivers. Conversely, ocean shipping refers to shipping trade that crosses oceans. Hydrogen delivered through fuel cells is an attractive proposition […]