Sustainable transport
Green Shipping
The transition of maritime transport toward zero greenhouse gas emissions, driven by the IMO's climate strategy and new fuel and technology standards.
Definition
Green shipping denotes the decarbonisation of maritime transport — the shift of vessel design, fuels, and operations toward zero and near-zero greenhouse gas emissions. International shipping accounts for about 3% of global GHG emissions; the International Maritime Organization's revised GHG Strategy targets net-zero from international shipping by or around 2050, implemented through measures such as the GHG fuel-intensity standard and pricing mechanism of the IMO Net-Zero Framework.
References
emissions share and IMO direction
regulatory mechanism
Overview
What it means
Shipping cannot electrify like road transport, so green shipping is primarily a fuel transition — toward scalable zero-emission fuels such as green methanol and ammonia — plus efficiency (slow steaming, wind assistance, hull and engine optimisation) and port-side infrastructure.
The IMO framework sets declining GHG fuel intensity limits with tiered compliance pricing, creating the first global carbon-price-like mechanism for a sector.
How it is used
The term frames IMO negotiations, fleet-investment decisions, green corridor initiatives, and cargo-owner commitments to zero-emission freight.
Why it matters
Shipping moves around 80% of world trade; without green shipping there is no net-zero global economy, and without regulation the transition would not start. **Note:** Confidence Medium: a sector-transition concept without a single codified definition; anchored in IMO instruments.
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