Four new members are joining Singapore’s Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD), including its first energy major partners, BP and Chevron.
The oil companies join the International Chamber of Shipping and Boston Consulting Group in bringing a combined SGD 25m ($18.4m) in cash and in-kind contributions to the research centre that was set up a year ago.
GCMD was originally formed by BHP, BW, DNV Foundation, Eastern Pacific Shipping, Ocean Network Express and Sembcorp Marine with funding from the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore. It now has 15 members.
Its expansion came as Japan’s K Line announced it is joining a study to establish ship-to-ship-based ammonia bunkering at the Port of Singapore.
The study was set up in March by AP Moller-Maersk, Fleet Management, Keppel Offshore & Marine, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, Sumitomo Corp and ABS.
Mark Ross, president of Chevron Shipping Co, said of joining the GCMD that lowering carbon intensity will require fundamental changes across the entire maritime value chain.
“This is a truly complex task that requires industry-wide collaboration, innovation and well-designed policy,” he said.
BP’s executive vice president for trading & shipping, Carol Howle, added that a net-zero future for shipping demands industry collaboration: “GCMD is bringing to the forefront the conversations that matter most.”
Boston Consulting Asia-Pacific chairman Neeraj Aggarwal said the group is committed to building an ecosystem of collaboration in a journey to advance sustainability. It recently launched its own Climate & Sustainability Hub for Innovation in Asia.
