Although the commercial shipping sector accounts for only 3.3 per cent of global carbon emissions, the industry should not be complacent in its effort to be "greener", says to Exim News Service Maritime Institute of Malaysia senior fellow, Mr Nazery Khalid.
"There is growing pressure for the sector to clean up its act amid growing demand for maritime-related services such as shipping, port operations, shipbuilding, ship repairing and a host of other ancillary services," he said.
"As demand for services in the maritime sector grows in line with growing global seaborne trade, offshore oil and gas activities and other economic activities that require ships, ports and other maritime components, emissions from the sector is expected to rise," he admitted.
The shipping industry, which transports about 90 per cent of the world's cargo, is now developing green technologies that support the long-term sustainability of the sector.
The effort to create a more environment-friendly industry is spearheaded by Danish organisation, Green Ship of the Future.
The organisation was founded by four leading Danish maritime companies - Aalborg Industries, A.P. Moller-Maersk, MAN Diesel and Odense Steel Shipyard - to develop strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 per cent, sulphur oxide by 90 per cent, nitrogen oxide by 90 per cent and particulate emissions from ships.
"It is projected that carbon emissions from shipping will grow by a factor of two to three by 2050 from the 2007 levels if no regulatory measures are put in place to lower the emissions."