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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Oct. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

The Sea Cargo Charter sets a new benchmark for responsible shipping,

transparent climate reporting, and improved decision making in line with United

Nations decarbonization targets.

International non-profit organization, Global Maritime Forum, announced today

that a group of the world's largest energy, agriculture, mining, and commodity

trading companies will for the first time assess and disclose the climate

alignment of their shipping activities.

United Nations agencies estimate the international shipping industry to carry

around 80% of world trade flows and to be responsible for 2-3% of global

greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Large industrial corporations are significant users of international shipping

services. The shipping of crude oil, coal, iron ore, grain and other bulk

commodities used worldwide make up over 80% of global seaborne trade. The Sea

Cargo Charter is a global framework that allows for the integration of climate

considerations into chartering decisions to favor climate-aligned maritime

transport.

The Sea Cargo Charter establishes a common baseline to quantitatively assess

and disclose whether shipping activities are aligned with adopted climate

goals. The Sea Cargo Charter is consistent with the policies and ambitions

adopted by member states of the UN's International Maritime Organization,

including its ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from international

shipping by at least 50% by 2050.

"A standard greenhouse gas emissions reporting process will simplify some of

the complexities often associated with reporting. It will encourage a more

transparent and consistent approach to tracking emissions, which will be a

critical part of making shipping more sustainable," says Jan Dieleman,

President, Cargill Ocean Transportation and Chair of the Sea Cargo Charter

drafting group.

"The shipping industry as a whole needs to adopt a transparent approach,

advocated by the Sea Cargo Charter, in order to fully understand the sector's

overall greenhouse gas footprint and for us to collectively rise to the

challenges faced," says Rasmus Bach Nielsen, Global Head Fuel Decarbonisation,

Trafigura.

"The Sea Cargo Charter is an important step in laying the foundations for a

net-zero emissions shipping industry. Collaboration such as this, from across

the sector, is vital to scale-up customer demand for low- or zero-emissions

shipping. This same spirit of collaboration is also vital in the pursuit of the

technological advances needed to unlock decarbonisation solutions, and in

building industry support for regulation which can create an ambitious but

level-playing field under which to invest. Building on this momentum we would

like the IMO to use its 2023 strategy review to set the trajectory for the

sector to move to net-zero emissions by 2050," says Grahaeme Henderson, Global

Head, Shell Shipping & Maritime.

Founding Signatories of the Sea Cargo Charter include Anglo American, ADM,

Bunge, Cargill Ocean Transportation, COFCO International, Dow, Equinor, Gunvor

Group, Klaveness Combination Carriers, Louis Dreyfus Company, Norden,

Occidental, Shell, Torvald Klaveness, and Trafigura.

"The Sea Cargo Charter enables leaders from diverse industry sectors to use

their influence to drive change and promote shipping's green transition by

choosing maritime transport that is aligned with agreed climate targets over

that which is not," says Johannah Christensen, Managing Director, Head of

Projects & Programmes at international non-profit, Global Maritime Forum.

The development of the Sea Cargo Charter has been led by global shippers –

Anglo American, Cargill Ocean Transportation, Dow, Norden, Total, Trafigura –

and leading industry players – Euronav, Gorrissen Federspiel, Stena Bulk – with

expert support provided by the Global Maritime Forum, Smart Freight Centre,

University College London Energy Institute/UMAS, and Stephenson Harwood.

For further information:

Head of Communications

Torben Vemmelund

tve@globalmaritimeforum.org or

+45-2224-1446.

Source: Global Maritime Forum