ShipCalculators.com

Published · last updated

Green Shipping Corridors

Green Shipping Corridors are bilateral and multilateral maritime trade routes between specified port pairs (or port-cluster pairs) committed to enabling zero-emission ship operations through coordinated bunkering infrastructure for low-carbon fuels, alignment of vessel deployment by participating shipping lines and supportive policy and regulatory measures by the participating governments. The concept was formalised at the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP 26) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Glasgow in November 2021, where 22 signatory countries adopted the Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors committing to support the establishment of at least six green corridors by mid-decade and to scale them up by 2030. By end-2024, over 60 green shipping corridors had been formally declared involving approximately 35 countries and approximately 90 ports, covering an estimated 12% of global shipping routes by volume. Notable corridors include the Singapore-Rotterdam corridor (containers + ammonia bunkering), the Los Angeles-Shanghai corridor (containers + methanol bunkering), the Pacific Northwest corridor (Vancouver-Seattle-Tacoma to Asia, containers), the Norway-Continental Europe corridor (offshore support + ferries + LNG), the Iron Ore South Australia-Pohang Korea corridor (Capesize bulk carriers + biofuel), and the Hamburg-Singapore corridor (containers + methanol). The corridors are administered through a combination of bilateral memoranda of understanding between participating governments, commercial first-mover agreements between shipping lines and cargo buyers, and multi-stakeholder coordination platforms typically convened by the Global Maritime Forum and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. The corridors are not legally binding regulatory regimes but operate as voluntary partnerships that catalyse the operational, infrastructural and commercial conditions for zero-emission shipping at scale, complementing the regulatory frameworks of MARPOL Annex VI, the IMO Net-Zero Framework, EU ETS Maritime and FuelEU Maritime. ShipCalculators.com hosts the principal computational tools for assessing corridor feasibility and impact: the GFI attained calculator computes the well-to-wake intensity of the corridor’s fuel mix; the GFI compliance calculator projects the IMO Net-Zero Framework cost or credit position for ships on the corridor; the LNG well-to-wake calculator, methane slip CO₂-equivalent calculator and SEEMP combined operational measures calculator support the underlying engineering and operations analysis. A full listing is available in the calculator catalogue.

Contents

Background and history

Pre-2021 context

The concept of a “green shipping corridor” grew out of three parallel developments through 2018 to 2021:

  • The Getting to Zero Coalition (launched September 2019 at the UN Climate Action Summit) brought together over 200 shipping companies, energy majors, infrastructure providers and financial institutions in a commitment to deploy commercially viable zero-emission ships on deep-sea trade routes by 2030. The Coalition’s analytical work identified that trade-route-specific deployment was the practical route to deep-sea decarbonisation, since the bunkering infrastructure for zero-emission fuels (green ammonia, green methanol, hydrogen) is geographically anchored to specific ports.
  • The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group maintained a Green Ports Forum bringing together port-city mayors with climate ambitions; the 2020 forum identified the need for cross-port coordination on bunkering infrastructure and on ship traffic management.
  • The Mission Innovation Zero-Emission Shipping Mission (launched at COP 26 by 14 governments led by the United States and Norway) identified specific trade routes as priority targets for zero-emission ship deployment by 2030.

November 2021: the Clydebank Declaration

The Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors was adopted at COP 26 in Glasgow on 10 November 2021 by 22 founding signatory countries. The Declaration:

  • Commits signatories to “support the establishment of green shipping corridors”, defined as “zero-emission maritime routes between two (or more) ports”.
  • Sets a numerical target of at least 6 corridors by 2025 and “many more by 2030”.
  • Commits signatories to facilitate the policy and infrastructure conditions for zero-emission ship operations on the corridors (without specifying funding or regulatory measures).
  • Establishes the Clydebank Declaration Steering Group to coordinate implementation.

The 22 founding signatories were: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Marshall Islands, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States. Notable absences at launch: China, India, Russia, Brazil, the major Gulf maritime states (UAE, Saudi Arabia).

2022 to 2024 expansion

The signatory base expanded steadily from 22 to approximately 35 countries by end-2024, with subsequent additions including: South Africa, Mexico, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Türkiye, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Iceland, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania.

The number of declared corridors grew rapidly:

  • End-2022: ~10 corridors declared.
  • End-2023: ~30 corridors declared.
  • End-2024: ~60+ corridors declared.

The most significant 2023 to 2024 announcements included the Asia-Europe corridor (multilateral, container shipping, methanol-and-ammonia bunkering at Singapore + Rotterdam + Hamburg + Antwerp), the Iron Ore South Australia-Korea-Japan corridor (BHP-Rio Tinto-Vale led), and the Mediterranean Methanol corridor (Italy + Greece + Spain + France ports for cruise and ferry methanol bunkering).

2024 to 2025: from declaration to operation

The 2024 to 2025 period has shifted the focus from corridor declaration to operational implementation. Significant operational milestones include:

  • August 2024: First commercial ammonia bunkering at the Port of Singapore (Pavilion Energy + Tabangao + Ocean Network Express) for the Singapore-Rotterdam corridor.
  • September 2024: First commercial green methanol bunkering at the Port of Rotterdam (OCI Global) for Maersk container ships on the Asia-Europe corridor.
  • November 2024: First Capesize bulk carrier on the Iron Ore corridor (BHP-chartered vessel) operating on B30 biofuel blend.
  • December 2024: Vancouver-Seattle-Tacoma corridor’s first scheduled zero-emission container service announced by Ocean Network Express + Hapag-Lloyd consortium for 2026 launch.

The 2025 Clydebank Declaration Steering Group annual report (expected November 2025) is anticipated to confirm operational status across the 60+ corridors and to identify the leading corridors that have moved from “declared” to “operational” status.

Governance

Clydebank Declaration Steering Group

The Clydebank Declaration is administered through a Steering Group comprising representatives of the signatory governments. The Steering Group:

  • Meets twice per year (typically aligned with the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee sessions).
  • Coordinates progress reporting across the 60+ declared corridors.
  • Maintains the public registry of green corridors (hosted by the Global Maritime Forum on behalf of the Steering Group).
  • Engages with the IMO and the EU on regulatory alignment.

Corridor-specific governance

Each individual green corridor is governed through a bilateral or multilateral memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the participating governments, supplemented by commercial agreements between participating shipping lines, cargo buyers, port authorities, fuel suppliers and infrastructure providers. The governance varies significantly by corridor:

  • Asia-Europe container corridor: governed by a multi-stakeholder steering committee including Singapore (Maritime and Port Authority), Netherlands (Port of Rotterdam Authority), Germany (Port of Hamburg), Belgium (Port of Antwerp-Bruges), and the Asia-Europe Trade Lane Working Group of the Global Shippers Forum. Chaired by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
  • Iron Ore Capesize corridor: governed by a private commercial steering committee including BHP, Rio Tinto, Vale, the major Korean and Japanese steel mills (POSCO, Nippon Steel, JFE), and the major bulk carrier operators serving the route. Government endorsement from Australia and Korea/Japan but no formal government governance.
  • Pacific Northwest corridor: governed by a public-private partnership between the US Department of Transportation, Transport Canada, the Port of Vancouver, Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, with shipping line participation from ONE, Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk.

Global Maritime Forum coordination

The Global Maritime Forum, also serving as secretariat for the Poseidon Principles and Sea Cargo Charter, provides cross-corridor coordination support, publishes case studies and annual progress reports, and convenes the annual Green Shipping Corridors Summit (since 2022, held in conjunction with the GMF Annual Summit).

Corridor types and case studies

Container corridors

Container corridors are the largest category by trade volume and the most operationally complex due to the schedule-sensitive nature of container line services.

Asia-Europe Multi-Port Container Corridor

  • Participating ports: Singapore, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Antwerp-Bruges (subsequently extended to Le Havre, Felixstowe, Algeciras, Piraeus).
  • Participating lines: Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, Cosco, ONE.
  • Fuel pathway: green methanol (Maersk’s preferred), green ammonia (under development).
  • First operational milestone: September 2024 (first green methanol bunkering at Rotterdam for Maersk Astrid Maersk).
  • 2030 target: 5% of Asia-Europe container traffic on zero-emission fuels.

Los Angeles-Shanghai Container Corridor

  • Participating ports: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Shanghai (Yangshan), Ningbo-Zhoushan.
  • Participating lines: Cosco, Maersk, MSC, ONE.
  • Fuel pathway: green methanol, LNG dual-fuel as transition.
  • 2030 target: 10 zero-emission ships on the route.

Pacific Northwest Container Corridor

  • Participating ports: Vancouver, Seattle, Tacoma, Tokyo, Yokohama, Busan, Shanghai.
  • Participating lines: Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen.
  • Fuel pathway: methanol + ammonia under development.
  • 2030 target: full transition to zero-emission for the Vancouver-Tokyo trade.

Bulk carrier corridors

Iron Ore Capesize Corridor (Pilbara to East Asia)

  • Participating ports: Port Hedland, Dampier, Walcott, Karratha (Western Australia); Pohang, Gwangyang (Korea); Sakai, Kobe (Japan); Caofeidian, Qingdao (China).
  • Participating cargo buyers: BHP, Rio Tinto, Vale, Anglo American, Fortescue Metals.
  • Participating shipowners: Pan Ocean, Eastern Pacific Shipping, NYK Line, Mitsui OSK Lines.
  • Fuel pathway: B30 biofuel transition, green ammonia by 2030.
  • First operational milestone: November 2024 (BHP-chartered vessel on B30).
  • 2030 target: 20% of Pilbara iron ore on zero-emission ships.

Coal Capesize Corridor (Australia / Indonesia to East Asia)

  • Participating ports: Newcastle, Gladstone (Australia); Tanjung Bara (Indonesia); various East Asian discharge ports.
  • Status: In planning, formal MOU expected 2025 to 2026.
  • Note: coal-corridor decarbonisation has additional political complications given the underlying fuel.

Tanker corridors

Crude Oil VLCC Corridor (Middle East to Asia)

  • Participating ports: Ras Tanura (Saudi Arabia), Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Bandar Abbas (Iran), Yanbu; East Asian receiving terminals.
  • Status: Early planning stage; political complications limit Western government participation.
  • Fuel pathway: green ammonia (Saudi Arabia is the world’s largest grey ammonia producer; pivot to green ammonia is a national priority).

Product Tanker Corridor (Singapore to Australia)

  • Participating ports: Singapore, Jurong; Geelong, Sydney, Brisbane.
  • Fuel pathway: green methanol.
  • 2030 target: 5 zero-emission product tankers.

Cruise and ferry corridors

Norway-Continental Europe Corridor

  • Participating ports: Bergen, Stavanger, Oslo (Norway); Kiel, Rostock, Travemünde (Germany); Hirtshals, Copenhagen (Denmark); Stockholm (Sweden).
  • Participating lines: Color Line, DFDS, Stena Line, Tallink-Silja.
  • Fuel pathway: LNG dual-fuel transition (operational), methanol + ammonia by 2030.
  • 2030 target: full ferry fleet on zero-emission fuel.

Mediterranean Methanol Corridor

  • Participating ports: Marseille, Barcelona, Genoa, Civitavecchia, Naples, Athens (Piraeus), Heraklion, Valletta.
  • Participating cruise lines: Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises.
  • Fuel pathway: green methanol bunkering at Marseille and Barcelona.
  • 2030 target: 30% of Mediterranean cruise capacity on methanol.

Offshore and special-purpose corridors

North Sea Offshore Corridor

  • Participating ports: Aberdeen (UK), Esbjerg (Denmark), Stavanger (Norway), Den Helder (Netherlands).
  • Participating operators: BP, Shell, Equinor, TotalEnergies; offshore support vessel operators.
  • Fuel pathway: hybrid battery + LNG.
  • 2030 target: full offshore support vessel fleet on hybrid or zero-emission.

Funding mechanisms

Green Shipping Corridors operate primarily through private commercial commitments rather than government subsidy, with several layers of funding support:

Government funding

  • US Inflation Reduction Act 45V hydrogen production tax credit: up to USD 3/kg of green hydrogen, supports bunker fuel production for Pacific Northwest and Asia-Europe corridors.
  • EU Innovation Fund: large grants (typically EUR 50-200 million) for zero-emission shipping projects on EU corridors.
  • Norwegian Enova grants: support for offshore corridor and Norway-Continental ferry corridors.
  • Singapore Maritime and Port Authority Maritime Cluster Fund: supports bunkering infrastructure for Singapore-anchored corridors.
  • Japan Green Innovation Fund: USD 18 billion fund for green shipping including ammonia bunkering at Tokyo / Yokohama / Kobe.

Private commercial commitments

  • First-mover premium contracts: cargo buyers (Sea Cargo Charter signatories typically) commit to pay a premium for cargo carried on zero-emission ships, providing the operating revenue support.
  • Long-term offtake agreements for green bunker fuels (10 to 20 year terms) that provide the bankability for fuel-production investment.
  • Joint-venture fuel production: shipping lines partnering with energy companies to develop bunker fuel supply (e.g. Maersk + OCI Global on green methanol; ONE + Pavilion Energy on ammonia).

Multilateral development bank funding

  • World Bank International Finance Corporation (IFC): maritime climate fund (USD 750 million committed 2024-2030).
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB): Pacific maritime corridor support.
  • European Investment Bank (EIB): Mediterranean and Asia-Europe corridor support.
InitiativeScopeMechanismTypical participants
Green Shipping CorridorsSpecific port pairsVoluntary MOU + commercial agreementGovernments + ports + lines + cargo buyers + fuel suppliers
Poseidon PrinciplesLender-side disclosureVoluntary annual disclosureShip-finance banks
Sea Cargo CharterCargo-buyer-side disclosureVoluntary annual disclosureCargo buyers / charterers
RightShip GHG RatingPer-vessel screeningCommercial subscription ratingCargo buyers / brokers / terminals
Getting to Zero CoalitionCommercial ZE ship deploymentVoluntary commitmentMaritime industry actors
C40 Green Ports ForumPort-city climate actionVoluntary city forumPort-city mayors
Mission Innovation ZE Shipping MissionR&D coordinationGovernment-funded R&D programmesMission Innovation member governments

The frameworks are designed to be complementary: a green shipping corridor benefits from Poseidon Principles bank financing, Sea Cargo Charter cargo buyers prioritising the route, RightShip-rated vessels deployed on the route, and Getting to Zero Coalition’s commercial deployment commitments.

Critical assessment

Strengths

  • Operational focus: green corridors deliver zero-emission ship operations rather than just disclosure or commitment.
  • Multi-stakeholder coordination: brings together the full value chain (governments + ports + lines + cargo buyers + fuel suppliers + financiers).
  • Scalable model: each corridor demonstrates the operational and commercial viability of zero-emission shipping at scale, providing a template for others.
  • Geographic diversification: 60+ corridors covering all major ocean trade routes prevents concentration of zero-emission infrastructure in a small number of hubs.

Limitations

  • Voluntary: no legally binding compliance mechanism; corridors can fail or stall without consequence.
  • Heterogeneous progress: only ~10-15 of the 60+ corridors are operationally significant; many remain at MOU stage.
  • Limited Chinese / Indian participation: the world’s largest cargo source (China) and a major emerging market (India) have limited corridor participation.
  • Russia exclusion: Russian ports are excluded from all Western-led corridors, limiting global coverage.
  • Scaling challenges: zero-emission fuel supply at the required scale remains constrained; many corridor commitments imply more demand than current supply can meet.

Future direction

The Clydebank Declaration Steering Group’s 2025-2027 work programme covers:

  • Implementation acceleration: from declaration to operation for the 60+ existing corridors.
  • Corridor expansion: target 100+ corridors by end-2027.
  • Standardisation: development of standardised KPIs for corridor monitoring (currently each corridor measures progress differently).
  • Integration with IMO Net-Zero Framework: alignment with the GFI standard from its 2027 entry into force.
  • Engagement with non-signatory states: China, India, Brazil, UAE, Saudi Arabia.

Future outlook

By 2030 the Green Shipping Corridors initiative is expected to:

  • Cover ~25% of global shipping routes by volume (currently ~12%).
  • Have 100+ declared corridors with 30+ at operational status.
  • Include China (likely through specific Beijing-endorsed corridors) and India (specific Mumbai/Chennai corridors).
  • Function as the operational complement to the IMO Net-Zero Framework, with corridors providing the fuel-supply infrastructure that the GFI standard incentivises.

By 2040 the corridors are expected to be the operational backbone for global zero-emission shipping, with most major trade routes having at least one zero-emission corridor option for cargo buyers preferring zero-emission carriage.

See also

References

  1. UN Climate Change Conference. Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors. 10 November 2021.
  2. Clydebank Declaration Steering Group. Annual Progress Reports 2022 to 2024. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cop-26-clydebank-declaration-for-green-shipping-corridors.
  3. Global Maritime Forum. Green Corridors: Annual Case Studies 2022 to 2024.
  4. Getting to Zero Coalition. Annual Reports 2020 to 2024.
  5. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. Green Ports Forum Annual Reports. C40, London, annual editions.
  6. Mission Innovation Zero-Emission Shipping Mission. Annual Implementation Reports. 2022 to 2024.
  7. Maersk. Asia-Europe Methanol Corridor: Implementation Status. A.P. Møller-Mærsk, Copenhagen, 2024.
  8. BHP Billiton. Iron Ore Capesize Corridor: Annual Update. BHP, Melbourne, 2024.
  9. Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Singapore Green Corridors Annual Report. MPA, Singapore, 2024.
  10. Port of Rotterdam Authority. Green Shipping Corridors Implementation Report. Rotterdam, 2024.
  11. Pacific Northwest Green Corridor Steering Committee. 2024 Annual Report. 2024.
  12. World Bank IFC. Maritime Climate Fund: Inception Report. IFC, Washington, 2024.
  13. McKinsey & Company. Green Shipping Corridors: From Declaration to Operation. McKinsey, 2023.
  14. ICCT. Green Shipping Corridors: Mid-Decade Review. International Council on Clean Transportation, Washington, 2024.

Further reading

  • Global Maritime Forum. Annual Summit Reports 2021 to 2024 - Green Corridors Sessions.
  • DNV. Maritime Forecast to 2050. DNV, Oslo, 2025 edition.
  • Lloyd’s Register. Green Shipping Corridors: A Practical Implementation Guide. Lloyd’s Register Marine, London, 2024.