The Silk Alliance Green Corridor Cluster Launched in Asia

Fantastic news, a new initiative called The Silk Alliance is a green corridor cluster that has been launched in Asia. As part of the decarbonization efforts between Asian shipping lines and logistics providers joined with Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonization Hub, the first focus is on intra-Asia container trade. Unlike other green corridor initiatives, which are being driven by ports and routes, Lloyd’s is calling “The Silk Alliance” unique in that it will be a regional cluster led by the companies focusing on the decarbonisation of the sector.

Initiated by the Lloyd’s Register Maritime Decarbonization Hub, The Silk Alliance brings together a diverse group of organisations. Shipowners, including MSC Shipmanagement, Pacific International Lines, Wan Hai Lines, X-Press Feeders, and Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp., are deeply committed to this new initiative. Other sectors participating include Keppel Offshore & Marine (shipyard), Singfar International (bunker logistical supplier), Wärtsilä (engine manufacturer), Wilhelmsen Ship Management  (ship manager), and the Asian Development Bank and ING  (financial institutions).  

The Silk Alliance initiative is a great first step to a decarbonised shipping industry. This programme is a first-of-its-kind as it develops various fleet transition strategies for multiple stakeholders. This doesn’t just include huge corporations in the Maritime industry but also with operators in other industries that serve the maritime supply network. 

Charles Haskell, Lloyd’s Register’s Decarbonization Programme Manager had this to say. “The Silk Alliance aims to establish a fleet-specific decarbonisation strategy and green corridor implementation plan that encompasses key links in the maritime supply network which are critical to providing maritime players of all sizes with the resources to transition to carbon neutral fuels and vessels.”

Collaborating to advance the decarbonisation of the maritime industry, The Silk Alliance members are committing to start by sending an aggregated demand signal for other stakeholders such as fuel providers, port operators, and governments to support the Green Corridor Cluster. Stakeholders will work together to develop a strategy towards decarbonisation that can enable the establishment of a highly scalable green corridor cluster.

Goh Chung Hun who is the General Manager, Fleet, at PIL and one of the founding members of the new initiative, said, “We hope that through our participation in The Silk Alliance, we can demonstrate our commitment to decarbonising our fleet, and at the same time working with other stakeholders to establish regional green corridors for feeder shipping utilising low carbon fuel or technology.”

Carl Schou, CEO and President of Wilhelmsen Ship Management, predicted that “The Silk Alliance presents an opportunity for the industry to leapfrog the progress of fuel transition.”

Several other plans for green corridors such as the Australian mining industry joined in the exploration of a corridor to support the ore business to Asia and recently the cruise industry joined with ports in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, and Alaska launching an effort for a green corridor linked to cruise ships that sail to Alaska each summer. The idea is by working together on these routes with industry and government that they can accelerate decarbonisation efforts and provide a model for other regions around the world to meet the goals to lower carbon emissions from the maritime industry.

 

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