The forthcoming report A Strategy for the Transition to Zero-Emission Shipping, prepared by UMAS for the Getting to Zero Coalition with funding from the Mission Possible Partnership, provides the background to derive the key actors and actions that are needed to enable the sector’s decarbonization. It will be published on 27 October 2021. The action table in this brief builds on this report and the work of the High-Level Climate Champions.

The maritime industry is facing a serious shortage of seafarers in the years to come, with an expected deficit  of almost 90,000 officers by 2026, due to fleet growth, seafarers retiring, and especially due to the need for new skills related to decarbonization technologies, digitalization and automatization.

Robust and proactive healthcare and public health solutions benefit maritime operators and their employees. The pandemic has highlighted deficiencies in seafarer health programs, while also pointing to new technology as an important enabler of better healthcare decision-making to improve human sustainability.

This document is a synthesis from the forthcoming report A Strategy for the Transition to Zero-Emission Shipping, prepared by UMAS for the Getting to Zero Coalition with funding from the Mission Possible Partnership. This synthesis highlights findings pertinent to the transition in landside energy systems needed to deliver zeroemission fuels, and to the actors and actions that are needed to enable the sector’s decarbonization.

Pinak Dandapat, winner of the Future Maritime Leaders essay competition, envisions a digitalisation and decarbonisation of the shipping industry by 2050, along with more skilled, diverse, resilient and content seafarers.

Future Maritime Leaders essay competition winner, Criselle David, predicts that there will be a need for able-skilled seafarer rather than just able-bodied seafarers in the future. To ensure enough seafarers in the future, it is crucial to rebrand the industry now, so that it appeals to the young future generation.

Wellbeing and proper working conditions need to be ensured for the more than 1.6 million seafarers that are operating at sea. Future Maritime Leaders essay competition winner, Stephanie Lolk Larsen, argues that both employers and the international community needs to take responsibility in guaranteeing the safety of seafarers.

When asked about their visions for the maritime sector in 2050 and what concrete actions we need to take within the next five years to make it a reality, the next generation of maritime leaders point towards putting the talent of the future at the center of attention for the maritime industry to achieve ambitions in other areas.

The Covid-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented crew change crisis which has led to hundreds of thousands of seafarers being impacted and, in many instances, left stranded on ships beyond the expiry of their contracts.

Contracts for Difference can incentivise investment in emerging technologies to reduce their costs to the point where they become economically competitive without support.