The Port of Los Angeles, Port of Shanghai, and C40 Cities will work with leading industry partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the movement of cargo throughout the 2020s including a goal to begin transitioning to zero-carbon fuelled ships by 2030 in a bid to slash emissions from one of the world’s busiest cargo routes.

The two ports and industry partners, including shipping lines, and cargo owners in China and the United States have committed to deliver an implementation plan for the green corridor by the end of 2022 that will provide an outline for how they will continue to decarbonize this key maritime shipping corridor.

Los Angeles and Shanghai have announced a partnership of cities, ports, shipping companies, and a network of cargo owners to create a first-of-its-kind green shipping corridor on one of the world’s busiest container shipping routes. 

Convened by C40 Cities and the ports of Shanghai and Los Angeles, and including key maritime stakeholders, this partnership has agreed to work on an initiative to establish a Green Shipping Corridor to decarbonize goods movement between the largest ports in the United States and China. The partnership intends to work together to achieve these goals by developing a “Green Shipping Corridor Implementation Plan” by the end of the 2022 calendar year that will include deliverables, milestones, and roles for the partnership.

Key decarbonization goals for the Green Shipping Corridor partnership include:

• The phasing in of low, ultra-low, and zero-carbon fuelled ships through the 2020s, with the world’s first zero-carbon trans-Pacific container ships introduced by 2030 by qualified and willing shipping lines.
• The development of best management practices to help reduce emissions and improve efficiency for all ships using this international trade corridor.
• Reducing supply chain emissions from port operations, improving air quality in the ports of Shanghai and Los Angeles and adjacent communities.

The City of Shanghai, the City of Los Angeles, the Port of Shanghai (through the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission), the Port of Los Angeles, and C40 Cities initiated this Green Shipping Corridor partnership. Participating partners include A.P. Moller – Maersk, CMA CGM, Shanghai International Ports Group (SIPG), COSCO Shipping Lines, the Aspen Institute’s Shipping Decarbonisation Initiative, facilitators of Cargo Owners for Zero-Emission Vessels (coZEV), and the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre – Asia.

During his tenure as Chair of C40, Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti launched the C40 Green Ports Forum to decarbonize global supply chains that power our economies, one of his top priorities as Chair. The Port of Los Angeles, under the Mayor’s leadership, has been instrumental in developing the Los Angeles-Shanghai Green Shipping Corridor partnership.

Gene Seroka, Executive Director, Port of Los Angeles says, “International collaboration is essential to decarbonize global supply chains. We look forward to partnering with the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission, the Shanghai International Port Group, leading shipping lines, and major cargo owners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the maritime supply chain. It’s time to get started on this important work.”

Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities says, “Accelerating efforts to decarbonise the shipping sector is urgent if we are to limit global heating to 1.5°C. By convening international coalitions of the willing and creating a scalable and replicable model for other cities to follow, we hope this ground-breaking green shipping corridor initiative will catalyse action on a global scale.”

Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute says, “The Aspen Institute is proud to support this important international collaboration. Through our Shipping Decarbonisation Initiative and in our role as the facilitator of the Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels initiative, we look forward to working with our partners to help enable the deployment of the first vessels powered by zero life-cycle greenhouse gas emission fuels along this critical shipping route and to making this green corridor project a model of success for the rest of the world. It is inspiring that the United States and China have come together in this way to address the climate impact of this crucial global industry.”