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Posted by Allen Newton
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26 Aug, 2026
THE federal government has released its Maritime Emissions Reduction National Action Plan (MERNAP), setting out a long-term roadmap to reduce emissions across Australia's maritime sector while supporting industry growth, jobs and international competitiveness.
The plan identifies practical actions for government and industry across shipping, ports, energy, domestic commercial vessels, and workforce development, with a focus on accelerating the transition to lower-emissions maritime operations.
According to the federal government, Australia's maritime sector employs almost 29,000 people and contributes $3.8 billion annually to the national economy.
The action plan argues that decarbonisation presents significant opportunities to create new industries and jobs while positioning Australia as a supplier of low and zero-carbon fuels.
Key priorities outlined in the MERNAP include supporting investment in port infrastructure and operations that enable emissions reductions, streamlining regulation for emerging maritime technologies, developing workforce skills, and strengthening collaboration with international partners working on maritime decarbonisation initiatives.
The strategy builds on a range of existing federal government programs and investments, including the $1.1 billion Cleaner Fuels Program, the Green Fuel Bunkering Strategy, the $30 million Australia-Singapore Low-Emissions Technologies Initiative for Maritime and Port Operations, the $55 million Transport Resilience and Capacity Kickstart program, and the $13.8 million Maritime Skills and Training Initiative.
The government also highlighted its $100 million investment in the proposed Clean Energy Precinct at the Port of Newcastle.
The precinct is expected to support the production, storage, distribution and export of clean-energy products such as hydrogen and ammonia, and is forecast to generate around 5800 jobs during construction.
The release of the MERNAP follows an extensive consultation process involving maritime industry stakeholders, energy sector representatives and technical experts.
Infrastructure minister Catherine King said recent global events underscored the importance of building resilience into Australia's maritime supply chains.
"The recent conflict in the Middle East has demonstrated to us how critical it is to build resilience and sustainability within our maritime industry," Ms King said.
"In a nation where our maritime sector is responsible for 99% of our international trade, the MERNAP is a vital piece of our journey toward a sustainable future.
"It also presents an unparalleled opportunity to be a low and zero-carbon energy exporter of choice internationally, while creating new jobs and industry within the sustainable maritime sector locally."
The Maritime Emissions Reduction National Action Plan is available at infrastructure.gov.au/mernap.
