A.P. Moller - Maersk has committed to carbon neutrality by 2050.

According to the company, carbon-neutral vessels must be commercially viable by 2030 and acceleration in new innovations is required to achieve the goal.

To date, Maersk has already reduced its relative CO2 emissions by 46% compared to 2007, approximately 9% more than the industry average. The shipping line said that efficiency improvements on the current fossil-based technology can only keep shipping emissions at current levels but not significantly reduce or eliminate them.

“The only possible way to achieve the so-much-needed decarbonization in our industry is by fully transforming to new carbon-neutral fuels and supply chains,” said Søren Toft, chief operating officer of A.P. Moller - Maersk.

The container shipping industry presents different problems and therefore calls for different solutions than the automotive, aviation and rail industries. Given the 20-25-year lifetime of a vessel, Maersk called for strong industry involvement and collaboration for the development of a new type of sustainable container vessel.

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

Maersk plans to initiate open and collaborative dialogue with all possible parties in 2019 to tackle climate change, one of the most important issues facing the world.