U.S. and Fiji working on establishing green shipping corridor

The United States of America, the Republic of Fiji, and the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership have announced the intent to engage in technical cooperation to help facilitate the establishment of a green shipping corridor. 

Together, they intend to undertake a feasibility study to explore the potential of creating a green shipping corridor in the region, which can work to expand access to new fuels and technologies.

Upon its completion, the partners will initiate discussions on the next steps among key stakeholders.

With this announcement, Fiji is also joining the Green Shipping Challenge, an initiative that catalyzes actions from countries and non-state actors to advance the transition to a 1.5-aligned shipping sector.

For its part, the United States is pursuing this technical cooperation under the Green Shipping Corridor Initiation Project, announced under the Green Shipping Challenge at COP27.

“Green shipping corridors are a key means of spurring the early adoption of zero-emission fuels and technologies to help place the shipping sector on a pathway to align with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” according to the officials.

As part of the Green Shipping Challenge, governments around the world are creating green shipping corridors that will help put the shipping sector on a pathway to align with the 1.5-degree goal this decade.

Green shipping corridors are specific maritime routes decarbonised from end to end, including both land-side infrastructure and vessels.

Setting up such routes involves using zero-emission fuel or energy, putting in place refuelling or recharging infrastructure at ports, and deploying zero-emission capable vessels to demonstrate cleaner, more environmentally-friendly shipping on a given route.