On the occasion of the closing of the One Ocean Summit, a European label was created to promote the decarbonization of maritime transport. CMA-CGM, one of the giants in the sector, is one of them.
Article written by
Published
Reading time : 1 min.
On the occasion of the One Ocean Summit, a European label for the ecological commitment of shipowners, Green Marine Europe, was set up on Friday 11 February. Thus, 22 European shipowners are “labeled or candidates for the label”, according to the Ministry of the Sea, including the four largest European shipowners (representing 55% of global container transport in the world), including the French CMA-CGM. In concrete terms, these shipowners undertake to limit their impact on the ocean and on biodiversity by “decarbonizing maritime transport”.
>> Follow the last day of the One Ocean Summit in our live
“The group’s major objective is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050”explains Claire Martin, responsible for sustainable development at CMA-CGM, the world’s third-largest company. “We are in the process of describing very precisely the entire decarbonization curve that we will follow over the next 28 years.” The shipowner’s containers travel the major trade routes between Asia and Europe, to convey clothing or furniture. CMA-CGM currently has 21 liquefied natural gas vessels out of a fleet of more than 560 vessels.
The particularity of this label, carried by the Surfrider Europe association in association with the Ministry of the Sea and shipowners of France, is that it commits companies to offering environmental performance that goes beyond the current legislative framework and to take progress on the ecological transition. “It allows us to go faster than legislation knowing that on certain topics, such as underwater noise or the convention on the dismantling of ships, there is no legislation”, says Antidia Citores, label manager for Surfrider Europe. A total of eight criteria are defined.
Another innovation: the improvements imposed concern not only the field of CO2 or sulfur dioxide emissions, but also noise, collisions with whales and the end of life of ships, among others. Green Marine Europe requires an audit and then a step-by-step improvement process.