Decarbonising the shipping sector could create as many as 4 million jobs across the energy supply chain in the next decade, shipping industry association the Global Maritime Forum says. These would come in the renewable energy, hydrogen and e-fuel production sectors, though would require as much as $4 trillion of extra investment, the new research found. Diesel-powered shipping contributes around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions today, and is considered one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise. Nevertheless, the Global Maritime Forum is pushing for it to reach net zero emissions by around 2050, saying hydrogen-based “e-fuels” – fuels produced with electricity from renewable sources, water and CO2 – are the most promising technology. E-fuels are typically made by manufacturing hydrogen using renewable electricity, then mixing it either with nitrogen to form e-ammonia, or with carbon to form synthetic hydrocarbon fuels – such as e-methanol or e-methane. Green hydrogen is made by separating hydrogen from water using electrolysers powered by renewable energy. “However, operating this transition would require a massive build-out of renewables, and would mean covering a landmass the size of Greece with wind and solar,” the report said. If the Global Maritime Forum’s recommendations materialise, job numbers would peak in the 2030s at between 2.5 million and 4 million when construction would be at its highest, then fall off in the 2040s.
