Multinational oil and gas company BP has announced its partnership with the Mærsk McKinney Møller Center to develop a new Zero Carbon Shipping center.
The center – which was formed last year – was established to identify, research and develop zero-carbon solutions for the shipping industry, and help the sector move away from its current dependence on oil.
Under the new strategic partnership, BP is expected to second experts chosen to work on certain aspects of the project. The UK major will also join the Center Advisory Board to oversee strategies for transitioning to a lower-carbon future.
“At BP, we want to play a role in advocating for policies to help decarbonise carbon intensive sectors like shipping,” said William Lin, executive vice president of regions, cities and solutions at BP. “The shipping industry’s transition to net zero is complex and requires technology advancements and policies that will give companies across the value chain the confidence to act.”
“This is a privileged opportunity to collaborate and advocate with key industry players to progress solutions at the pace and scale needed,” he added. “When we work together, we can fast track development, de-risk investments and provide signals to the market that will speed up the decarbonization of the shipping industry.”
Given the industry’s current reliance on carbon-intensive fuel, decarbonising the industry is a significant target that is anticipated to need both alternative fuel sources and regulatory change. The Zero Carbon Shipping Center is not the only initiative currently underway in service of this goal, with other oil major Shell entering a partnership with the Mediterranean Shipping Company earlier this month to help them decarbonise their operations. Under this scheme Shell will help facilitate the transition to liquid natural gas (LNG) – first in its conventional form, and then a bio-synthetic version.
In a statement, the new Center’s CEO Bo Cerup-Simonsen said: “We are extremely proud and delighted to welcome BP to the Center as a strategic partner. We share the same high ambitions and sense of urgency when it comes to creating real climate action and I look very much forward to the collaboration.”
