AUSTRALIA has joined 21 other countries in signing the Clydebank Declaration tabled at the United Nations COP26 meeting in Glasgow.

The declaration commits to the establishment of green shipping corridors – zero-emission maritime routes between two or more ports.

“It is our collective aim to support the establishment of at least six green corridors by the middle of this decade, while aiming to scale activity up in the following years, by inter alia supporting the establishment of more routes, longer routes and/or having more ships on the same routes,” the signatories said.

“It is our aspiration to see many more corridors in operation by 2030. We will assess these goals by the middle of this decade, with a view to increasing the number of green corridors.”

Ships on these routes would use fuels which emit no or little carbon dioxide, such as ammonia and methanol.

The signatories plan to facilitate partnerships with ports, operators and others along the value chain, to accelerate the decarbonisation of the shipping sector and its fuel supply through green shipping corridor projects.

This will involve taking actions to address barriers to the formation of green corridors, such as regulatory frameworks, incentives, information sharing or infrastructure.

The partnerships would decarbonise a specific shared maritime route that is within the jurisdiction and control of the signatory.

“For greater clarity, all vessels transiting a green corridor would not be required to be zero emissions or to participate in the partnerships,” the signatories said.

Signatories to the Clydebank Declaration include Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Marshall Islands, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US.