At the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), the United States and Norway hosted the Green Shipping Challenge, MarineLink reported on its website in an article by Barry Parker, an expert consultant providing a variety of services across the maritime spectrum.
This development resulted in several announcements on maritime decarbonization, Parker writes. One of these involved the Blue Sky Maritime Coalition (BSMC) and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) jointly announcing their plans to establish a corridor for the Gulf of Mexico and the Lower Mississippi River region, the article stated. This initiative involves participation from Houston and New Orleans port authorities and other stakeholder organizations, the article stated.
The article underscores that since the introduction of the concept at COP 26 in October 2021, dozens of initiatives have been announced to define what a 'Green Shipping Corridor' is, resulting in multiple definitions.
The concept can be described as a shipping route that connects two ports, where the port operations have minimal or no carbon emissions, the article reports. The vessels used for transporting non-fossil fuel commodities have alternative fuel sources and are produced with a reduced carbon footprint, the article reports.
According to MarineLink, the Green Shipping Corridor idea is connected to a new idea called "Hydrogen Hubs," which will be financed by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill) passed in 2021. The bill allows for the allocation of $7 billion to create regional clean hydrogen hubs, the article underscored.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to establish up to 10 hubs as part of its H2Hubs program. However, 79 proposals were submitted in response to DOE's initial request for concept papers. Out of those proposals, 33 were selected to proceed with more comprehensive proposals (due in April 2023) for funding.