Maersk’s new emission targets go beyond previous efforts to reduce emissions related to the ocean fleet as they cover all direct and indirect emissions across the entire business. To ensure significant progress on curbing direct emissions already in this decade, near-term targets are set for 2030: a 70% reduction in absolute emissions from fully controlled terminals and a 50% reduction in emissions per transported container in the Maersk Ocean fleet. The absolute emissions reductions are expected to be between 35% and 50% from a 2020 baseline.

The shipping industry is responsible for 3% of the earth’s total CO2 emissions. The main source of carbonisation derives from hydrocarbon-filled fossil fuels which the Maersk transportation use as a primary source of energy. Going forward, the new Maersk ships are therefore designed to sail on alternative green fossils such as e-methanol, as a step to have the first climate neutral ship by the end of 2023. As such, Maersk has ordered a total production of twelve ships that can sail on green e-methanol with a total value of DKK 9 billion. The first eight ships will be delivered by 2024 and the four extra ships in 2025: saving 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 from being released.

This insight is based on the official Maersk press release: A.P. Moller - Maersk accelerates Net Zero emission targets to 2040 and sets milestone 2030 targets | Maersk, and an article in the Danish newspaper Boersen: Mærsk fremrykker klimamål: Her er den store udfordring (borsen.dk) (In Danish).