Suggested answers
- The 2023 budget established the Green Marine Corridors Program to fund Canadian ports, shippers, ship owners and operators, and other marine stakeholders through ambitious partnerships and projects to decarbonize operating activities and reduce the impacts of marine transportation on surrounding communities and ecosystems.
- The program includes the « Clean Ports » component, which will provide up to $127.2 million to promote the adoption of commercially available clean technologies by ports and terminals and to help ports establish and strengthen incentive programs to attract clean vessels.
- The program also includes the « Clean Ship Demonstration » component, which will provide up to $22.5 million to support Canadian-led projects to study, test and encourage the adoption of zero-emission and near-zero-emission technologies for the most polluting ships operating in Canadian waters.
General information
Reducing emissions from marine transportation is a priority for Canada. Transportation accounts for approximately one-quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions. While marine transportation emissions are low compared to those from road transportation, action must be taken now to ensure this sector contributes to Canada’s 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction targets, as well as the targets set by the International Maritime Organization.
Green shipping corridors are shipping routes between two or more ports that utilize zero-emission fuels and vessel technologies. These corridors are an important tool for reducing marine emissions by facilitating partnerships, focusing efforts on defined routes, and accelerating the testing of new technologies. In June 2023, G7 transport ministers committed to supporting the establishment of at least 14 green shipping corridors involving G7 members by the middle of the decade, an increase over the Clydebank Declaration’s target of six global shipping corridors.
The launch of this program will help fulfill Canada’s commitment under the Clydebank Declaration, signed at COP26 in 2021, when Canada pledged to support the establishment of at least six green shipping corridors globally by the mid-2020s. It also builds on the Canadian Green Shipping Corridors Framework, announced at COP27. The call for proposals for contribution-based funding, starting in 2024–25, under the Clean Ship Demonstration and Clean Ports streams closed on March 11, 2024.
Clean ports
The Clean Ports component will invest in ports with significant maritime activity, particularly those in the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway, as well as ports on the east and west coasts. The program has a funding envelope of $127.2 million. Successful projects must demonstrate the viability and scalability of net-zero emission technologies and/or low-carbon fuels within a green maritime corridor, enable measurable greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030, and engage partners, including fuel suppliers, infrastructure owners, and vessel owners and operators.
Transport Canada received 43 project applications totaling $329 million in funding. In September 2024, 12 eligible projects were approved, committing approximately $135.8 million starting in 2024-2025. Successful applicants were notified on October 25, 2024. The projects were announced in a series of announcements between October 2024 and February 2025. Of the 12 approved projects, three subsequently withdrew from funding.
Demonstration of non-polluting ships component
The « Clean Ship Demonstration » component will target the largest emitters in the Canadian domestic fleet. More specifically, commercial vessels over 150 gross tonnes account for the majority of total emissions from the Canadian domestic fleet.
Transport Canada received 19 applications totaling $19.1 million in funding. In August 2024, four eligible projects were approved, committing approximately $8.9 million starting in 2024-2025. All applicants were notified of the eligibility status of their application. Of the four approved projects, one subsequently withdrew from funding.
source : gouvernement du canada
