Introduction to Decarbonization of Maritime Transport

Maritime transport is the most important mode of transport. Ninety per cent of world trade is carried out by sea transportation. Although maritime transport is the cleanest type of transport considering the amount of carbon dioxide released per tonne transported, some measures must be taken to comply with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The International Maritime Organization, which sets the rules for international maritime transport, has conducted many studies to control and reduce emissions from ships. Studies on CO₂ have recently been accelerated, and the IMO Initial Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy was announced in 2018. One of the objectives of this strategy is to reduce CO₂ emissions by 40% in 2030 and 70% in 2050 compared to 2008. The other aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% in 2050 compared to 2008. This strategy, announced by IMO, was the first study in which the maritime sector complied with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. To achieve these goals, IMO has identified short-term, mid-term, and long-term candidate measures in this strategy and left it to the maritime transport stakeholders to use one or more of them on their ships. This book in the series is called “Decarbonization of Maritime Transport” and includes studies on decarbonization in shipping. The book consists of 10 sections apart from this section which is the introduction section. The book chapters are selected from studies on candidate measures announced in the IMO Initial GHG Strategy. The book includes studies on alternative fuels, carbon capture technology, green port studies, energy efficiency applications on ships, and market-based measures.