Containership giant AP Moller-Maersk and trader Trafigura are among companies that have been linked to a new coalition formed by US climate envoy John Kerry ahead of the COP26 climate conference.
The move came as green groups reacted to an International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) submission, calling for a zero-carbon framework for the industry, by saying the maritime sector needs to do more.
Bloomberg Green reported that Kerry, the top US official on climate change, has signed up a raft of companies to join in the First Movers Pledge, focusing on high polluting industries. The commitments target the aviation, shipping, steel and trucking sectors, as a starting point.
Trafigura has confirmed its participation in the pledge. Maersk did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation of its involvement.
Meanwhile, environmental groups have reactive negatively to Tuesday's announcement by the ICS that it supports pursuing a net-zero carbon goal by 2050 if the International Maritime Organization and member states take urgent action to lay out a framework for that to take place.
Campaigners said the shipping body should support ambitious proposals currently on the table.
Faig Abbasov, the shipping programme director at Transport & Environment, said that it will take more than the proposed $2 per tonne levy on bunker fuel, which is aimed at funding a $5bn research and development fund, to drive technological transition in shipping.
"If the shipping industry is serious about decarbonisation, it should support a carbon price that will generate far more revenue, such as the Europeans are proposing,” he told The Guardian.
On Tuesday, the ICS said that shipping accepts the "vital need to accelerate decarbonisation timelines" but said a net-zero target by 2050 will only be plausible if governments take the necessary action to achieve this.
"The industry has, therefore, taken the unique step of proactively setting out the measures that must be taken by governments to make decarbonisation by 2050 a reality rather than a soundbite," the ICS said.
The ICS added that the IMO’s adoption of a net-zero target will send “the very strong signal” sought by the industry, as well as energy providers, shipbuilders and engine manufacturers, so that investments in green fuels and technology can be accelerated and scaled.
