Consortium to Decarbonize Corridor Between Canada, Japan, and South Korea

The effort looks to launch a green corridor between Canada, Japan and South Korea for commodity shipments (Vancouver file photo)

PUBLISHED APR 17, 2024 5:29 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

 

As momentum gains for the concept of green corridors, a consortium of carriers, terminals, and ports from North America, Asia, and Europe aims to work together to decarbonize the value chain for commodities between North America and Asia. Initiated in June 2023 with discussions between Canada and Japan at the G7 Transport Ministers Summit, the North Pacific Green Corridor Consortium’s founders represent approximately a quarter of the 100 million tonnes of bulk commodities shipped from Canada’s Prince Rupert and Vancouver ports.

The participants will apply their collective expertise to develop a corridor for the decarbonized transportation of multiple commodities, including agricultural products, metal concentrates, and steelmaking coal. They look to become a catalyst for decarbonization efforts, exploring new markets for low-carbon fuels in North America and Asia, exploring propulsion options, and showcasing how carbon reduction initiatives can strengthen commercial partnerships.

The NPGCC brings together diverse sections of the value chain including bulk commodity producers, railway and intermodal transportation providers, marine vessel owners and operators, port facilities and port authorities, and clean technology providers. Its activities will focus on pathways to optimize energy efficiency with the specific goal of advancing projects and infrastructure required to achieve meaningful emissions reductions in the near term. Consideration will be given to the potential production, storage, and bunkering of lower-carbon fuels and propulsion options for use by NPGCC members and other parties.

The nine founding members are Canadian National Railway Company, Mitsubishi Canada, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NYK Bulk & Projects Carriers, Oldendorff Carriers, Prince Rupert Port Authority, Teck Resources Limited, Trigon Pacific Terminals, and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. The NPGCC highlights that it is open to additional members and partners, in particular end-use customers, to contribute to the development and implementation of the green trade corridor. 

The concept of green corridors to accelerate global decarbonization for the shipping industry was formalized at the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021. At the conference, 22 nations pledged to support the creation of at least half a dozen green corridors by the middle of the decade, with an ambition to scale up and expand the scope of the initiative by 2030. Since then plans have been announced for efforts along shipping key routes to provide the infrastructure and support to drive decarbonization efforts.