Photo credit – The Museum of the Future

• The shipping industry will come together with ministers at COP28 for a series of events and the annual Shaping the Future of Shipping
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MOIE) and the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) unveil COP28 plans following high-profile meeting in July to launch the CEM Hubs initiative.
• Summit to be held under the patronage of His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, United Arab Emirates’ Minister for Energy and Infrastructure on 10 December 2023.

7 September 2023, London: The shipping industry will come together at a series of events during the UNFCCC Climate Conference COP28. The major summit – Shaping the Future of Shipping – will be hosted under the patronage of His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Minister for Energy and Infrastructure (MOEI) at the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

The high-profile summit, taking place on 10 December 2023, will follow a Ministerial Roundtable on the 9 December 2023 at COP28 hosted by the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. The Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit will culminate with a gala dinner held in honour of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General, Kitack Lim, prior to his stepping down from the IMO at the end of the year.

The Shaping the Future of Shipping summit, which is being organised by the International Chamber of Shipping and a range of industry bodies, will once again bring together governments and leaders in energy, maritime and all parts of the value chain. The aim of the event is to work on the practical solutions and take forward plans to address climate change, help sustainably transition the industry and prepare the workforce.

This will build on the momentum of the historic agreement made at the IMO during MEPC80 in July 2023. The summit is an opportunity for industry leaders and policymakers to identify the practical actions needed to deliver on the direction set out by governments at the IMO and during the COP negotiations.

The plans for COP28 are being unveiled following discussions with H.E. Hessa al Malek, Advisor to the UAE Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, and Guy Platten, ICS Secretary General, that took place at the IMO in London in July. Key issues in the energy maritime value chain were discussed, as well as plans for COP28.

H.E. Hessa al Malek, Advisor to the UAE Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs, commented:

“The UAE leads numerous global competitiveness indicators in the maritime sector. It ranks 3rd globally in the Bunker Supply Index, 5^th as a key competitive maritime hub and 12^th in the transport lines index. This is a result of the competitive business environment the UAE provides, which attracts major international maritime companies and makes the country’s ports a preferred destination for international shipping lines.”

H.E. Hessa al Malek added:

“We are honored to host COP28 in Dubai and are committed to working alongside our international partners to address the urgent issue of climate change in the maritime industry. This summit marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to shape the future of shipping. We look forward to constructive discussions and tangible solutions that will help us transition towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible maritime sector.”

H.E. Hessa al Malek commented:

“As we prepare to host COP28 and the Shaping the Future of Shipping summit, we acknowledge the vital role of international collaboration in tackling the challenges posed by climate change in the maritime industry. This event will serve as a platform to foster dialogue among governments, industry leaders, and experts, driving practical solutions to reduce emissions and enhance the resilience of our workforce. The UAE is committed to contributing to the global efforts aimed at building a greener and more sustainable maritime sector.”

Guy Platten, ICS Secretary General, said:

“All industries and governments have a responsibility to tackle climate change, but we know that we cannot achieve our goals alone. This is why Shaping the Future of Shipping is such an important event. This summit is an opportunity to bring sectors and governments together in one place to talk about our challenges and most importantly find tangible solutions to achieve our goals.”

“Thank you to His Excellency Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei for his patronage for the summit and thank you to the UAE and Emirates Shipping Association for your continued support and collaboration with ICS. The stunning Museum of the Future in Dubai will provide the ideal venue for our industry to convene, and I would also like to thank the many industry leaders, especially the Emirates Shipping Association, who are helping us in this endeavour.”

“2050 is not that far away so we must keep momentum going for increased collaboration and cooperation. Infrastructure, fuel availability, financing, preparing our workforce to handle low and zero carbon emission fuels are all challenges we need to urgently address.”

In December 2022, ICS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Emirates Shipping Association for collaboration towards the UNFCCC Climate Conference COP28 and beyond. The Shaping the Future of Shipping summit is an outcome of this cooperation and demonstrates the strength of the relationship with the UAE and its shipping industry.

The UAE has played a leading role in the formation of the Clean Energy Marine Hubs (CEM Hubs) initiative that intends to support the establishment of Energy Hubs with access to ports by de-risking the investments needed to produce low- and zero-emission fuels to be transported and used by the maritime sector. The CEM Hubs initiative, which is co-led by five governments and a taskforce of CEOs, aims is to become the high-level platform that can catalyse and support the alignment of effort across the energy-maritime value chain. The initiative is co-ordinated with the support of the ICS and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH), and the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and was formally adopted by the Clean Energy Ministerial with Energy and Transport Ministers this July.

The Shaping the Future of Shipping Summit builds on the previous summits convened by ICS at COP26 in Glasgow, London in June 2022 and Manila in June 2023.

H.E. Hessa al Malek, Advisor to the UAE Minister for Maritime Transport Affairs