The Chief Executive Officer of A.P. Moller – Maersk, Søren Skou wants to push the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take more drastic actions regarding the decarbonisation of shipping.
In its latest LinkedIn post, Skou said IMO should ban all fossil fuelled ships by 2035, following the example of the European Commission, which is proposing to end the production of combustion engine cars in 2035.
“The International Maritime Organization should do the same for fossil fuelled ships with ambitious targets and measures to decarbonise shipping,” pointed out Skou.
The leader of the Danish shipping giant noted the shipping sector needs to accelerate efforts to meet global emission reduction targets, adding that a measures combination of a global carbon tax and a deadline date for fossil fuelled vessels would be a clear signal to the shipping ecosystem, including yards and fuel producers.
“A global ‘drop dead date’ would address future newbuilt vessels, complementing the impact on existing ships from the carbon tax,” said Skou and went on to suggest a phase-in ending at US$450 per tonne of fuel, as “this tax would address the price gap between the fossil fuels of today and the carbon neutral fuels of tomorrow.”
As the price gap narrows the IMO’s Energy Efficiency Design Index in its coming phases could be the instrument to make the end date for fossil fuelled ships a global reality, according to Maersk’s boss.
