Port of Rotterdam: Campaign for Zero CO2 Shipping

“Switch to Zero” is the name of a campaign that aims to offer companies a concept for sea freight transport using sustainable fuel. The initiative was launched by GoodShipping and the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

The concept relies on so-called “insetting”, where CO2 reduction is achieved not through compensation (“offsetting”, for example, by planting trees) but by using sustainable fuel within the shipping industry itself.

Through insetting, shippers who frequently transport a small number of containers on different ships can acquire a certain amount of CO2 reduction via GoodShipping. According to the company, GoodShipping ensures that a vessel is supplied with sustainable fuel. It does not have to be the same ship on which the containers are transported.

Who is already on board?

GoodShipping and the Port of Rotterdam Authority aim to attract around twenty new sea freight shippers for this service. The first companies to announce their participation are Swinkels Family Brewers and Dille & Kamille. According to them, they will transport (part of) their containers with sustainable fuel in 2023.

Accelerating CO2 reduction

The campaign aims to supply a vessel with sustainable fuel in cooperation with the shippers so that a total of 2,023 tonnes less CO2 will be emitted into the atmosphere in 2023. This corresponds to the amount of CO2 released during the transport of 15,000 TEU containers between Rotterdam and Gothenburg.

“With the goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, the shipping industry is not yet on schedule. Together with partners, we are developing a series of initiatives to make logistics more sustainable,” says Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, adding: “from battery-powered inland shipping to shore power for seagoing vessels, and from bio-kerosene production for aviation to the so-called Green Corridors for shipping.”

Reducing 2,023 tonnes of CO2 through sustainable fuel is just the beginning. The goal is to scale up and continuously decrease CO2 emissions. “The pace of change must be increased,” emphasizes Castelein.

Energy transition significantly accelerated

Dirk Kronemeijer, CEO of GoodShipping, says that in the past two years, there has been an enormous acceleration of the energy transition among shippers. More companies should be given the opportunity to transport their freight sustainably. Kronemeijer explains:

“With the ‘Switch to Zero’ campaign, we make it easy for companies to make their transports more sustainable without complicated adjustments in the supply chain.”

The campaign started on December 5, with Dille & Kamille and Swinkels Family Brewers already registered as participants. Participating companies can choose to reduce 75, 100, or 125 tonnes of CO2. According to them, GoodShipping and the Port Authority are offering a discount per tonne of CO2 reduction to attract companies to this concept.

Shipping has long been excluded from international climate agreements. This form of insetting is intended to accelerate the energy transition in the transport sector. The decision lies not only with the shipping companies but also with the cargo owners.

Fuels from frying fat and waste

GoodShipping, for example, works for DHL, Ikea, BMW, and Beiersdorf. According to the company, the fuel is produced from certified sustainable energy streams, including frying fat and animal fats, which are marked as 100% waste and cannot be reused.

What does that mean?

The biogenic fuels used are not supposed to compete with the food chain, and their production should not affect ecosystems such as rainforests. This is monitored by an independent sustainability council.