MAJOR ship charterers and operators have published data disclosing the alignment of their shipping activities with industry’s goal to reduce GHG emissions from international shipping by 2050.

According to the Global Maritime Forum, the new data will allow some of the world’s largest energy, agriculture, mining and commodity trading companies to work toward carbon efficiency and reductions.

The companies took action as part of their commitment to the Sea Cargo Charter, which is a global framework for aligning ship chartering activities with society’s broader environmental goals.

According to the Global Maritime Forum, its 33 signatories together represent more than 15% of total bulk cargo transported by sea in 2021.

Jan Dieleman, president of Cargill Ocean Transportation and chair of Sea Cargo Charter Association, said the report holds signatories accountable to their targets and allows the industry to address the impacts of maritime trade on the people and the planet.

“Thanks to unprecedented levels of data sharing, we better understand the climate impacts of our business activities at a much more granular level, and can back up operational and strategic decision-making with real data,”

This year, the Sea Cargo Charter report reveals the alignment scores of 25 charterers and operators including Anglo American, Bunge, Cargill, Maersk Tankers, NYK Bulkship (Atlantic), Shell and Trafigura.

Rasmus Bach Nielsen, global head fuel decarbonization at Trafigura and vice chair of the Sea Cargo Charter Association, said the reporting of climate alignment scores is a significant milestone for the initiative.

“This report represents many months of effort and collaboration between signatories and our business partners,” Mr Rasmus said.

“We are on a journey that will allow us to reduce our climate impact year over year, and this first result is a huge step in the right direction.

“We invite all responsible operators and charterers to join us on this journey.”

The report includes emissions data collected by signatories from ship owners and operators for chartering activities in 2021 and compares it to a decarbonisation trajectory for the same year.

It indicates 12 of 25 reporting signatories are aligned with the International Maritime Organization’s environmental targets.

The report also contains commentary from charterers on key takeaways from their climate assessment and reflections on how the new insight will inform future business activities.