After a three-day event aboard Royal Caribbean Group’s Utopia of the Seas, which will soon set sail, the executives agreed on three key suggestions to give momentum to sustainable and scalable decarbonization solutions
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, July 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Driven by a collective goal to advance decarbonization goals for the shipping and cruise industry, more than 70 maritime executives gathered earlier this week for a decarbonization summit hosted by Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) in collaboration with the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.
Conversations at the summit focused on three key areas: technology development, alternative fuel opportunities, and policy and regulation across the entire maritime ecosystem, from technology developers and fuel suppliers to shipbuilders, operators and ports.
“Achieving net zero emissions is not something any one company can do alone – it requires collective problem-solving, creative thinking, and a willingness to have difficult conversations,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. “This week, we have taken steps to catalyze an open dialogue that will foster the thinking necessary to develop an environment in which ‘net zero emissions’ is achievable and sustainable.”
The summit concluded with three key areas of progress to help the sector enter a new era of collaboration to achieve “net zero emissions” over the next 25 years. These areas are
Technology: discussions focused on the creation of an independent network or platform to enable the maritime sector to share important results from pilot programs and trials.
Fuel: participants called for the formation of an independent platform hosted by a third party to aggregate demand for low-carbon fuels by location. The aggregator will provide information that will enable the industry to better prepare for the supply of alternative fuels.
Policies: summit participants agreed that a set of principles outlining the essential policy actions needed to further the sector’s common goal of decarbonization should be developed to keep the International Maritime Organization (IMO) informed of progress.
“The shipping sector is in a crucial phase where the path to a sustainable future is now being charted by concrete projects and actions. The cruise industry needs to address its own needs and opportunities head-on on the road to decarbonization, but it also offers many valuable insights that can be useful to the rest of the shipping sector,” said Bo Cerup-Simonsen, CEO of the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. “With this event, the Royal Caribbean Group is demonstrating exemplary leadership by taking responsibility beyond its own priorities, fostering important in-depth discussions, collaboration, knowledge sharing and action across the ecosystem to further accelerate the transition to a decarbonized shipping sector.”
For more information on the Decarbonization Summit, visit https://www.royalcaribbeangroup.com/decarbonizationsummit
Source: PR NewsWire
