France Unveils Plan to Slash Shipping Industry’s Carbon Footprint

France has unveiled a plan aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the maritime sector over the next seven years. Boosted by funding of 300 million euros, the industry is looking towards a greener future with the objective of building a zero emission vessel.

The French secretary of state in charge of maritime affairs, HervéBerville, announced the “France-Mer 2030” plan during a conference in Lille on Tuesday 8 Nov.

France-Mer 2030 will offer a “one-stop shop” for the state to reduce its carbon footprint in the maritime transport sector, primarily in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide.

The plan will also promote innovation with “the zero-emission ship as the horizon”, Berville said.

Support will come in the form of a ten-month consultation period with all the players in the sector and a unit within the Ministry of the Navy.

“A decarbonisation trajectory will have to be defined for each type of fleet,” he said, insisting on the need to quickly remove “technological issues” to decarbonise fishing, commercial and tourism vessels.

With this in mind, the government plans to mobilize “€300 million in public funding by the end of the five-year term” but also to “create a maritime investment fund to increase support through subsidies, equity investments and guarantees”.

This mechanism would go hand in hand with the mobilisation of private funds, Berville said.

The Armateurs de France – a professional body representing 57 companies in the maritime industry – was quick to offer its support to the government initiative.While only 12 percent of the ships used in France are built in the country, compared to 80 percent in 1980, Berville underlined the need to make the future zero-carbon ship “as French as possible”.

France pushes industry giants to lower carbon footprint

Meanwhile, the CEO of CMA CGM RodolpheSaadé for his part announced that the French shipowner would endow the new France-Mer fund with €200 million.