Sustainability at top of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence shipping 2022 government wish list

On January 19, the Chamber of Marine Commerce (CMC) unveiled a 2022 wish list for legislators and policymakers. It calls on them to work in tandem with industry to ensure the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River corridor remains a resilient transportation network for the supply chain at the forefront of marine innovation to meet the ambitious 2050 net-zero carbon emission goals.

The CMC noted the economic and social repercussions that shipping faced because of severe weather events and pandemic-related bottlenecks in other parts of North America last year to underscore how important it is for governments to work alongside industry to invest in smart transportation solutions that boost supply chain resiliency and reduce future climate change impacts.

Its wish list calls primarily for government collaboration in terms of pilotage reform, port and waterway infrastructure, supply chain resiliency, and decarbonization.

CMC members are seeking to partner with the Canadian federal government, as well as with research facilities, to develop waterway transportation in Canada that meets GHG-reduction goals through progressive decarbonization.

A multi-stakeholder initiative is being explored by the sector to establish a Green Shipping Corridor in Canada. It would incorporate the greater use of what is already available and/or could be made further accessible to shipping to further green what is already the most fuel-efficient, carbon-friendly way to move goods and an important part of the solution to address climate change.

For the corridor to be successful, ship owners and port administrators will require outside support and investment to expand the use of transitional fuels, such as LNG and biofuels, as well as develop new propulsion technologies to achieve the GHG-reduction targets of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Image from CMC