The shipping industry must take responsibility for its fair share of carbon emissions in order to tackle climate change, according to global transportation conglomerate A.P. Moller – Maersk.

“Raising the ambition for global regulation remains crucial to ensure shipping’s contribution to reach the Paris Agreement’s goal of staying below 2°C temperature rise,” John Kornerup Bang, Chief Advisor on Climate Change at Maersk said.

The maritime industry emitted close to 1,000 million tonnes of CO2 in 2012, representing about 2.2% of global CO2 emissions. Depending on future development, this could rise to 15% by 2050, according to a 2016 study by the Danish Shipowner’s Association (DSA) and UCL Energy Institute.

As highlighted by Bang, the 23rd session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) taking place from 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany, represents another clear-cut opportunity to take negotiations further and raise the bar for the commitment of shipping in 2018 and beyond.

Namely, under the aegis of the main conference, the ‘Ambition 1.5°C: Global Shipping’s Action Plan’ summit took place on November 13.

Based on the projections from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the industry can improve efficiency by up to 75% through operational measures and current technology.

However, to make this happen, a higher level of ambition is needed than the one outlined in the current roadmap for 2017–2023, based on both technical, operational and economic measures – without punishing early movers and with clear incentives to develop new solutions.

“As a company, we are reaching a point where it will be more and more challenging to drive significant reductions on our own. Efficiency measures are drying out and it’s an industry challenge to drive the needed innovation in new propulsion technologies. More than ever, we need global regulation to ensure a level playing field and a transition with the biggest possible environmental impact,” Bang highlighted.

“The hopes and demands of the shipping industry for a strengthened mandate of the IMO were not fulfilled in Paris; Bonn offers us a new opportunity to accelerate what MAN Diesel & Turbo calls the ‘Maritime Energy Transition’, the move to cleaner technology within our industry. Ultimately, uniform environmental standards must be established at international level – a strong IMO as an international regulator is, therefore, essential,” Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Diesel & Turbo said while speaking at the event.

“MAN Diesel & Turbo wants to expand the debate on how to reach COP 21’s targets. We want to engage with all stakeholders – whether the general public, NGOs, shipowners or classification societies – to see what solutions are already in place or required. Consequently, I am heartened by what I have heard today in Bonn where we have made significant progress, and am confident that our efforts here will ultimately bear fruit,” Gunnar Stiesch – Senior Vice President, MAN Diesel & Turbo said.

Stemming from the summit’s proceedings, a briefing document will be delivered to UNFCCC delegates, providing a summary of the main challenges and opportunities offered by the decarbonisation of the shipping industry, the ambitious approaches agreed, and a copy of a draft action.