Maersk resigns from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and joins the World Shipping Council (WSC) after differing with the ICS over climate policy.
After a climate change-driven review of its membership, the leading Danish shipping line Maersk announced its withdrawal from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) board of directors due to differences over the climate policy. The decision was announced at an ICS annual general meeting on June 22. ICS is among the world’s leading shipowners’ associations, representing around 80 percent of the world’s merchant tonnage through its members.
Instead, the Danish container giant has decided to put its strength and resources behind the shipping line lobbying group, the World Shipping Council (WSC), which is reportedly pushing a more aggressive emission reduction agenda.
ICS’s position on decarbonization, in which it proposes to maintain carbon regulation at the IMO (International Maritime Organization), and its slow progress in limiting greenhouse gas emissions since the Paris Climate Agreement appears to have caused this move by Maersk and its subsequent change of allegiance.
Earlier this year, Maersk had announced its goal of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions across the business by 2040, a decade ahead of the initial 2050 target.
In a statement shared by Maersk, the company noted: “We review our memberships once a year to ensure that the trade organizations we are members of are lobbying in accordance with the goals of the Paris Agreement and other crucial issues.
Accordingly, we assess whether your approach and efforts reflect our attitudes and values. An outcome of the 2022 process is our decision to support the strengthening of the [World Shipping Council focused on WSO carriers] and dedicate internal resources to it.
“Our decision to withdraw from the ICS Board must also be seen in this context. Multidisciplinary by definition, trade associations are always an expression of compromise between their members. As such, Maersk will not always be 100% aligned with their positions and retains, like any other member, his ability to choose a different path”.
In stark contrast to ICS’s green goals, Maersk is pursuing an ‘ambitious’ climate plan that includes a $450 per tonne bunker tax to close the price gap between VLSFOs (very low sulfur fuels) and conventional fuels. futures, and has also branded a research institute in a bid to help find solutions for decarbonization and mitigate the climate crisis. Although Maersk is not a direct member of ICS, its membership was due to its membership in Danish Shipping.
Furthermore, Maersk’s senior leadership has sat on the ICS board for a decade as of 2012. Incidentally, Maersk’s decision to resign from the ICS board also points to a contentious divergence among shipowners who are under pressure. to tackle climate change and pursue green goals more aggressively.
Meanwhile, Maersk remains a member of Danish Shipping, an ICS member association, as well as BIMCO, Getting to Zero Coalition, WSC, and the AP Maersk-McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, among other initiatives.
Source: Logistics Update Africa
