Mon 7 Mar 2016, 09:34 GMT

Roadmap to a sustainable shipping industry launched


Roadmap is a set of key milestones and priorities which the SSI says must be met in order to create a sustainable shipping industry by 2040.



The Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), a coalition of companies from across the global shipping industry, has today launched its Roadmap, a set of key milestones and priorities which it says "must be met in order to create a sustainable shipping industry by 2040".

Developed in line with SSI's Vision 2040 and Case for Action, the Roadmap is designed to provide a clear overview of the macro environment that a sustainable shipping industry will require by 2040. According to the SSI, the six core areas that the shipping industry must work to implement are:

1. Proactively contributing to the responsible governance of the oceans.

2. Earning the reputation of being a trusted and responsible partner in the communities that shipping interacts with.
v 3. Providing healthy, safe and secure work environments, so that people want to work in shipping, where they can enjoy rewarding careers and achieve their full potential.

4. Instilling real transparency and accountability within the industry to drive performance improvements and enable better, sustainable decision making.

5. Developing financial solutions that reward sustainable performance and enable large scale uptake of innovation, technology, design and operational efficiencies.

6. Changing to a diverse range of energy sources, using resources more efficiently, and responsibly, and dramatically reducing greenhouse gases.

Within each of these areas, the Roadmap highlights what the SSI says are the key defining factors that are central to achieving them. This includes regulation, governance, infrastructure, and emerging energy sources, as well as the critical milestones that chart a path to success by 2040.

In a statement, the SSI said: "The development of the Roadmap embodies the core attributes and values of SSI's membership in working together to evaluate and establish the tangible change that will be needed to create a sustainable industry.

"The Roadmap is designed as a guide for the SSI and its members, and shared freely with the wider shipping industry. It is intended as a practical resource for companies and organisations to understand their present and future challenges, as well as the steps and milestones to shape their own sustainability strategies."

Available online as a 'live' working tool, the SSI says it will be actively engaging with the industry to periodically update the Roadmap based on the progress that is made, and the industry landscape changes and evolves. This will then be fed back into the tool and shared with the market.

Alastair Fischbacher, CEO, The Sustainable Shipping Initiative, remarked: "This is a significant achievement and point of real pride for the SSI and its members."

"Our members have shown considerable commitment, as well as investing their knowledge and expertise to define a Roadmap, which truly encapsulates what needs to be delivered to create a more sustainable industry. There are many challenges ahead, but we have set a clear foundation from which to work from. I look forward to those from within the industry who are passionate about securing its future joining our existing members in working together to deliver against the Roadmap and achieving our Vision of a sustainable shipping industry.

"Delivering the milestones in the Roadmap will take further commitment and desire by our members as well as the rest of the shipping industry. This is a dynamic document that will be updated and developed further with developments, and we hope that the Roadmap will be a unifying and interactive tool that will serve to drive more engagement and debate within the shipping industry. By informing, influencing and encouraging all organisations to actively change and operate in a progressive and more sustainable way the Vision 2040 can be achieved."

A link to the SSI Roadmap has been provided below.

SSI Roadmap to a Sustainable Shipping Industry by 2040


Oriental Aquamarine vessel. HMM deploys Korea's first MR tanker with wing sail technology  

Oriental Aquamarine equipped with wind-assisted propulsion system expected to cut fuel consumption by up to 20%.

BC Ferries vessel render. ABB to supply hybrid-electric propulsion for BC Ferries' four new vessels  

Technology will enable ferries to run on biofuel or renewable diesel with battery storage.

Alternative marine fuels port graphic. LNG-fuelled boxships sustain alternative fuel orderbook share despite market slowdown  

Alternative fuels maintained 38% of gross tonnage orders in 2025, driven by container segment.

Conceptual diagram of the MOL–ITOCHU strategic alliance. MOL and ITOCHU sign MoU for cross-industry environmental attribute certificate partnership  

Japanese shipping and trading firms to promote EACs for reducing Scope 3 emissions in transport.

CPN as China's No. 1 marine biofuel supplier in 2025 graphic. Chimbusco Pan Nation delivers 170,000 tonnes of marine biofuel in China in 2025  

Supplier says volumes quadrupled year on year, with a 6,300-tonne B24 operation completed during the period.

V.Group and Njord logo side by side. V.Group acquires Njord to expand decarbonisation services for shipowners  

Maritime services provider buys Maersk Tankers-founded green technology business to offer integrated fuel-efficiency solutions.

Container vessel manoeuvring in port. Has Zhoushan just become the world's third-largest bunker port?  

With 2025 sales of 8.03m tonnes for the Chinese port, Q4 data for Antwerp-Bruges will decide which location takes third place.

Monjasa Oil & Shipping Trainee (MOST) trainees. Monjasa opens applications for global trainee programme  

Marine fuel supplier seeks candidates for MOST scheme spanning offices from Singapore to New York.

Singapore's first fully electric harbour tug. Singapore's first fully electric tug completes commissioning ahead of April deployment  

PaxOcean and ABB’s 50-tonne bollard-pull vessel represents an early step in harbour craft electrification.

Fuel for thought: Hydrogen report cover. Lloyd's Register report examines hydrogen's potential and challenges for decarbonisation  

Classification society highlights fuel's promise alongside safety, infrastructure, and cost barriers limiting maritime adoption.