Report on Climate Commitments by Signatories to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization

The report documents the commitments of 237 maritime ecosystem actors, including ship owners, ports, and financial institutions, to decarbonize shipping by 2050. It identifies 643 specific climate actions across seven key areas, with the highest concentration in GHG emissions transparency and research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects. The findings highlight a private sector push toward zero-emission vessels and fuels, with several signatories already achieving onshore carbon neutrality and others committing to net-zero shipping by 2040 or 2050.

• The Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization has 237 signatories as of November 25, 2021, representing a broad spectrum of the maritime ecosystem, including 65 ship owners and operators.
• Signatories represent a significant portion of global shipping capacity, with ship owners and operators accounting for 52% of global operated capacity (TEU) and 73.5% of global passenger capacity for cruise shipping.
• The signatories are headquartered in 52 nations, 28 of which are members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, representing over 85% of the world's merchant fleet value by beneficial ownership.
• A total of 643 climate actions and commitments were reported across seven categories, with GHG emissions transparency being the most frequent area of action with 153 mentions.
• Regarding onshore decarbonization by 2030, seven signatories have already achieved full carbon neutrality for scope 1 and 2 emissions, and 16 more are committed to reaching this by 2030 or earlier.
• Shipping decarbonization targets vary, with eight signatories committing to the goal by 2040 and 55 committing to decarbonization by 2050.
• Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) is a primary focus, with 107 signatories reporting a total of 136 actions aimed at developing and commercializing zero-emission solutions.
• Signatories are actively investing in zero-emission and zero-emission capable vessels, with 69 reported actions in this area, indicating planning and investment within the current decade.
• There is a reported willingness to use zero-emission fuels in daily operations, with 72 actions identified involving fuels such as green/blue hydrogen, ammonia, batteries, and synthetic or bio-LNG.
• Efforts to establish the necessary infrastructure for zero-emission fuels are underway, with 57 signatories involved in 64 initiatives across 40 different countries covering fuel production and bunkering.
• Cargo owners and shippers are beginning to drive demand through the procurement of zero-emission shipping services, with 37 actions reported in this category.

APA

Søgaard, K., Blaxekjær, L., Krantz, R., Rud, S., Maver, T., Spiegelenberg, F., & Kirketerp-Møller, T. (2021). Report on Climate Commitments by Signatories to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization. World Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Report_on_Climate_Commitments_by_Signatories_to_the_Call_to_Action_for_Shipping_Decarbonization_2021.pdf

Chicago

Søgaard, Kasper, Lau Blaxekjær, Randall Krantz, Sofie Rud, Tina Maver, Femke Spiegelenberg, and Trine Kirketerp-Møller. Report on Climate Commitments by Signatories to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization. World Economic Forum, 2021. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Report_on_Climate_Commitments_by_Signatories_to_the_Call_to_Action_for_Shipping_Decarbonization_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{sgaard2021report, author = {Søgaard, Kasper and Blaxekjær, Lau and Krantz, Randall and Rud, Sofie and Maver, Tina and Spiegelenberg, Femke and Kirketerp-Møller, Trine}, title = {{Report on Climate Commitments by Signatories to the Call to Action for Shipping Decarbonization}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Report_on_Climate_Commitments_by_Signatories_to_the_Call_to_Action_for_Shipping_Decarbonization_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }