Danish Shipping at COP30: The fight for shipping’s green transition is not over

Photo: Kiara Worth

Danish Shipping announced in mid-November that it is taking part in COP30, focusing on strengthening cooperation with climate-ambitious actors in the International Maritime Organization and building communities and alliances with like-minded partners across the world—particularly within the value chain for alternative fuels.

Danish Shipping is participating in the United Nations climate conference in Belém, Brazil, this month, including as host of a side event called “Green transition of shipping: With or without the IMO.”

The green agenda suffered a setback, Danish Shipping stated, when the vote on an ambitious agreement for concrete climate regulation of international shipping in the IMO was recently postponed for a year.

“After last month’s disappointment in London, it is more important than ever that we focus on strengthening communities and alliances with like-minded, climate-ambitious partners from around the world,” said Nina Porst, Danish Shipping’s executive director of climate, environment and security. “This will bolster the work in the IMO over the next year, when we must continue to fight tooth and nail for the best possible agreement. Because it is, of course, through and within the IMO that we must tackle the major challenge posed by the green transition of shipping.”

Shipping accounts for up to 3 percent of global CO2 emissions.

It is therefore essential that the sector also takes responsibility for significantly reducing emissions if the fight for a more sustainable world is to succeed, the company stated.

“We do not need any more lofty agreements and targets,” Porst said. “We need concrete action that makes a difference in the real world. For shipping, this is above all about accelerating investment in and production of green fuels. It is obvious that COP30 should also be used, from a Danish perspective, to strengthen ties with countries such as Brazil—one of the strongest supporters of a global climate agreement for shipping in the IMO—as well as the other Mercosur nations. We need closer cooperation with all those who share our ambition of getting global climate policy back on track.”