Major developing economies move on green shipping corridors

A new report from the Getting to Zero Coalition identifies 25 new green shipping corridors – trade routes designed to demonstrate and scale novel zero-emission fuels, vessels, and technologies – launched this last year, expanding the global total to 84 active initiatives.

At a Crossroads: Annual Progress Report on Green Shipping Corridors 2025 reveals that new initiatives have been launched in major developing economies like China, India, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, and Kenya, reflecting the significant economic opportunities that can be seized through the development of zero-emission marine fuels and bunkering capabilities in these regions.

For the first time since the report’s inception in 2022, four corridors have now reached the ‘realisation stage’ where construction and operation begin to take place. However, many corridors remain stalled by a ‘feasibility wall’ created by the cost gap between conventional and zero-emission fuels – a challenge that a global regulatory framework could help overcome.

“We have at least 12 months before the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Net-Zero Framework is adopted,” said Jesse Fahnestock, director of decarbonisation at the Global Maritime Forum. “That time can either be spent waiting, or used to build projects that create strategic economic advantages, generate learnings that can influence the IMO’s reward mechanism, and put participants first in line for future global rewards. Those who act now will be best positioned to benefit when regulation catches up.”