Abu Dhabi Ports charts net-zero course for shipping industry

Capt Saif Al Mheiri tells global conference of changes needed to cut carbon footprint

Action must be taken to reduce the environmental impact of the shipping sector, a senior figure from Abu Dhabi Ports has said. Getty Images

The shipping industry has an obligation to put sustainable practices at the top of its priority list, a Dubai conference has heard.

Captain Saif Al Mheiri, chief executive of Abu Dhabi Maritime and chief sustainability officer at Abu Dhabi Ports, said companies in the Emirates were taking extensive measures to reduce their carbon footprint.

He was speaking at the first World Maritime Day parallel event held in the UAE, at which global experts and regulators discussed how international shipping can meet net-zero greenhouse gas emission targets by 2050.

“It is our obligation to be sustainable through a number of factors,” Capt Al Mheiri said at the event staged as a follow-up to World Maritime Day, which took place last week.

"To decarbonise, we are starting from our efficiency of operations, from electrification of our operations and equipment, and ships. We can do this by using renewable energies and alternative fuels, as well as ensuring proper waste management and biodiversity conservation.”

Silicon added to the hulls of vessels can prevent the buildup of micro-organisms, while sea walls near ferry stations in Abu Dhabi have been built to encourage more widespread marine life.

A further 48 ‘biohuts’ coated in seashells have been submerged to encourage fish populations to thrive close to ports.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Ports holds the record for the world’s most powerful electric tugboat. In 2024, the average peak pull of 78.2 tonnes set a new benchmark for electric tugboat capability.

A boat is loaded at Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi. Ryan Carter / UAE Presidential Court

Slower speeds and more efficient routes are other areas being explored to help reduce the carbon footprint of shipping operations.

“We have recently deployed low Earth orbiting satellites into our operations to give us more precise measurements of our locations for vessels,” said Capt Al Mheiri.

“It allows us to deploy AI tools for voyage and route optimisation. A mix of AI and nature-based solutions, with everything connected in a very holistic manner, will be the best for the future.”

Shipping accounts for an estimated 3 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, the World Economic Forum reported this year.

In July 2023, the UAE Maritime Decarbonisation Centre was launched to ensure the adoption of sustainable practices, technology and policies in the maritime sector.

Sustainable goals

The goals set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) include a global marine standard for biofuel and a pricing mechanism to discourage the use of unclean fuel.

A legally binding regulatory framework is due to be brought into force by 2027, a move that aims for at least 5 per cent of energy used by the industry to be driven by zero, or near-zero, emission fuel.

In a video speech, opening the two-day conference in Dubai, Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said a global effort was required to protect the oceans, while maintaining shipping routes that are critical for the world economy.

“This year's theme, our ocean, our obligation, our opportunity, invites us to reflect deeply on the role we each play in safeguarding maritime ecosystems, ensuring resilience, maritime economics, and utilise innovations for the sustainable future,” he said.

“It is a theme that resonates strongly with the UAE's own maritime vision. This is an opportunity to unite our efforts towards achieving that balance of economic growth with protecting the oceans, which connect us together and keep them healthy for the next generations.”

Tough targets

An electric tugboat in Copenhagen, Denmark. Getty Images

Targets set by the IMO aim to reduce emissions by at least 20 per cent of 2008 levels by 2030, and at least 70 per cent by 2040.

More than 80 per cent of goods traded are transported by sea, with the industry reliant on fossil fuels.

Greenhouse gases are emitted mainly from burning carbon-intensive bunker fuels, with shipping responsible for about 3 per cent of global CO2 emissions.

Arsenio Dominguez, IMO secretary general, said the sector has made great strides in cutting pollution but more work needs to be done.

“In regards to pollution, we have reduced the oil spills by over 90 per cent in comparison to the 1990s,” he said. “And for nearly 30 years, we have been controlling plastic pollution emanating from ships, but still around 20 per cent of pollution from all the ocean comes from maritime-related industry, either the ship, fishing, or shore infrastructure.

“This is why the IMO also has a plastic strategy to reduce such pollution and in particular focusing on the single use of plastic.”

Mr Dominguez said shipping was responsible for more than 70 per cent of invasive species in the ocean and underwater radiated noise could be cut by 40 per cent if vessels were made more efficient.

Invasive species are spread through shipping channels by two means: ballast water, which transports aquatic organisms around the world; and biofouling, where marine life attaches itself to a ship’s hull, making it less efficient.