TORONTO—At the GlobeXChange 2025 conference in Toronto this week, Oceans North brought together industry experts for a collaborative workshop on solutions to decarbonize marine shipping.

Cargo ships carry around 80 percent of global trade, but they are also a large source of pollution, making up almost 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. For countries and companies to meet their net-zero commitments, they must work together on innovative solutions for the marine sector.

“Canada does not always understand itself as a marine economy. We must clearly understand, however, that trade, especially now, is dependent on marine shipping, which will be subject to greenhouse gas regulations being finalized this year at the International Maritime Organization (IMO),” says Amy Nugent, Associate Director of Marine Climate Action at Oceans North.

The workshop began by highlighting solutions that are already hitting the water, such as Veer Voyage’s 100-metre container ship. It will use a combination of wind propulsion and hydrogen power to reduce its emissions to zero. With a letter of intent signed between Veer Group and the UPS to utilize absolute zero-emission shipping on trans-Atlantic voyages, Danielle Southcott, CEO and founder of Veer Voyage, highlighted the potential for these technologies to expand across Canadian waters. “The workshop was a great opportunity to both look at the global context of the energy transition through a shipping lens, and to consider how Canada and Canadians could truly reach zero emissions.”

The discussion continued around the green fuels that are needed to power the transition—and the shipping corridors that will connect producers to consumers. “Early investments in e-fuel production and infrastructure are needed today if shipping is going to meet the decarbonization goals set by the IMO, and green corridors are helping to establish the business case for those investments in optimal regions and on favorable trade routes,” said Andrew Waddell, a Manager on RMI’s Shipping team. He highlighted some successful early examples in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, where the ports are analyzing 3 green corridors—one focusing on cruise ships, one on car carriers, and one on container ships—all with clean methanol. “There are strong demand signals emerging for zero and near-zero emission fuels from buyer’s alliances like ZEMBA, and tools like book-and-claim helping to connect demand to supply and bring these projects to life.” The public sector also has a role to play nationally and internationally to help drive innovation.

Charles Haines, Executive Director, Decarbonization of Air, Rail and Marine, Environmental Policy, Transport Canada, provided an update on negotiations happening at the global level to achieve GHG reductions in international shipping. Haines also described initiatives by the Government of Canada (such as the Green Shipping Corridor program) to support the adoption of clean fuels and technologies.

Reflecting on the workshop panel and table discussions, Oceans North’s Amy Nugent says, “It’s inspiring to hear about all the work that is already happening and see a room full of leaders discussing how to push these gains further.”

A report summarizing the workshop learnings will soon be available; in the meantime, Nugent and Oceans North are working with participants to identify new opportunities for collaboration. “We need to drive down emissions from every sector and to do this we need all sectors and all hands on deck.”

For more information, please contact:

Alex Tesar
Communications Director
Oceans North
[email protected]

–30–

Oceans North is a Canadian charitable organization focused on climate action, ecosystem protection, and marine decarbonization.