At the inaugural International Bulk Shipping Conference, Port of Roenne chief business officer bulk, Maja Felicia Bendtsen and Global Maritime Forum senior programme lead First Movers, Marieke Beckmann discussed the options for Green Corridors for dry bulk shipping bunkering alternative fuels
Ms Bendtsen provided insights into the efforts to transition the Port of Roenne into a green economy, specifically targeting offshore wind installation projects and the adoption of green fuels for shipping.
The driving force behind the transition of the port and the island into a green economy and the focus on being an alternative fuel bunkering hub is stark.
“As an island society is very much based on fishing,” she said, “And that has disappeared. Therefore, we need to re-invent ourselves.”
The port is owned by the local municipality, and it also aspires to facilitate the production of net-zero fuels by 2030.
Ms Bendtsen expressed the port’s ambition to leverage the significant traffic of approximately 60,000 vessels passing by Bornholm each year by offering green bunkering services and additional amenities.
Which led into the discussion on Green Corridors, led by Ms Beckmann, who emphasised the significance of public-private partnerships in establishing green corridors for zero-emissions ships.
The forthcoming report from the Global Maritime Forum, scheduled for release in December 2024, highlights a notable increase in the number of green corridors, growing from 18 green corridors a few years ago to the current count of 45 green corridors.
Ms Beckmann discussed the four existing green corridors, including one in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chile to Japan corridor for copper concentrate, and two corridors supported by the Global Maritime Forum, one spanning South Africa to Europe and the other stretching from Australia to east Asia.
In the discussion, Ms Beckmann highlighted the pivotal role of policies and government support in facilitating the establishment of green corridors and making them commercially viable.
“For this regional support to happen, we need to make sure we are derisking some of this private sector investment,” she said. “We need to help close this cost gap we are currently facing to contribute risk mitigation measures and support in closing the cost gap associated with green corridors.”
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