DEN HAGUE, Netherlands: March 22, 2019. A.P. Moller – Maersk has joined with members of the Dutch Sustainable Growth coalition (DSGC) to test second-generation biofuel on a Maersk Line Triple E vessel.

Between March and June this year the ship will travel from Rotterdam to Shanghai and back on biofuel blends from used cooking oil supplied by Shell - saving 1.5 million kilos of CO2 and 20,000 kilos of sulphur.

Maersk customers and DSGC members FrieslandCampina, Heineken, Philips, DSM, Shell and Unilever say that cross-industry collaboration is required to develop, test and implement new solutions to decarbonise the ocean shipping industry.

"This pilot testing biofuel on a cross ocean shipping lane marks an important step. However, many more innovations are urgently needed. These can only be successfully developed, tested and implemented in industry collaborations like this," declared DSGC chair Jan Peter Balkenende.

Shipping accounts for 90 percent of transported goods and 3.0 percent of total global CO2 emissions - a figure that will increase to 15 percent by 2050 if left unchecked. The CO2 savings of the Shanghai round trip will equal the annual emissions of over 200 households.

"To reach our net zero CO2 target by 2050, in the next 10 years we need big breakthroughs. Maersk cannot do this alone,” added A.P. Moller - Maersk chief operating officer Søren Toft. “That is why this collaboration with DSGC and its members is such an important step in identifying and bringing low carbon solutions to life. It lays the foundation for how cross-industry partners can work together to take steps towards a more sustainable future. We welcome others to join in our efforts, as this journey is just beginning."