A study by the Global Maritime Forum (GMF) has identified Spain as a likely front-runner in shipping’s decarbonisation drive through the development of green corridors to other ports in Europe and elsewhere.
The GMF study – Green shipping corridors in and out of Spain: Assessing route-based opportunities – identified the eight most promising green corridors in and out of the country, using metrics including volume of trade, energy demand, dominant trade segments, and policy environment.
The UK, Italy and the US featured as the most promising partner countries, followed by Turkey, Morocco, and China.
Deep sea opportunities included container trades between Barcelona, Valencia, and China, as well as Valencia, Algeciras, and ports on the US east coast.
Short sea possibilities included container trades between Bilbao and Liverpool and Valencia and Turkey; and general cargo traffic between Valencia and Italy.
Two cruise routes were noted: the Mediterranean with Barcelona as home port, and the possible corridor between Atlantic Spain and the UK. The establishment of green corridors will require a range of fundamentals in place. These include a viable fuel pathway, demand from shippers for green shipping, appropriate policy and regulation, and cross-value chain collaboration.
In Spain, the study identified high levels of interest and varying degrees of activity around zero-emission fuels in the country’s ports, as well as favourable conditions for hydrogen-based zero-emission bunkering in various key ports.
There was potential demand for decarbonised freight services from the consumers of shipping services, as well as the presence of strong companies along the shipping value chain. Promising market sectors included container, ro-ro, and cruise business. On the shipper side, routes focusing on food and beverage, car manufacturing, and textiles were noted as having potential, partly because of high-value and balanced trade flows.
Meanwhile, Spain has a strong regulatory framework that provides a sound basis for policy action on zero-emission marine fuels, the report noted.
Project Director at the Global Maritime Forum, Jesse Fahenstock, commented: “Studies like this showcase that the industry is taking concrete steps towards achieving shipping’s full decarbonisation.
While working on this study, we encountered an impressive enthusiasm and deep understanding of the potential of green corridors across Spanish stakeholder groups. This is a rapid advancement from just over a year ago when our previous report, Green Corridors: The Spanish Opportunity, was published.”
Source: Seatrade Maritime News
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