Canada launches Green Shipping Corridor Program

Canada’s Minister of Transport, Pablo Rodriguez, has announced the creation of the Green Shipping Corridor Program – an investment of $165.4 million – and launched a call for proposals under the programme.

Canada launches Green Shipping Corridor Program

The aim is to establish green shipping corridors and help decarbonise the marine sector in major shipping areas along the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Canada’s East and West Coasts.

In addition, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada, Jonathan Wilkinson, was at the Port of Vancouver on 1 December to echo the announcement.

The programme will be delivered through the following two streams of funding, both of which will contribute to reducing Canada’s pollution in the marine sector and to the development of green shipping corridors that ensure shipping is clean and reliable:

The Clean Ports stream, which will provide funding to support the adoption of clean technology and infrastructure at ports and terminals; and

The Clean Vessel Demonstration stream, which will provide funding to study, test, and pilot clean fuel propulsion systems for shipping vessels.

Applications for funding under the two streams will be accepted from 1 December through Transport Canada’s website.

This programme will reportedly support the delivery of innovative projects in the marine sector to help keep Canada’s economy growing strong, ensure goods get to Canadians, and keep the air clean.

“With the new Green Shipping Corridor Program, Canada is taking another step towards meeting its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Rodriguez.

​　　Wilkinson further stated: “The Government of Canada is making smart investments to ensure that our critically important supply chains – the economic links that ensure affordable goods and products are delivered to market and to Canadians – are as sustainable and competitive as possible.

“Today’s investment is key to accelerating the uptake of clean technologies, fuels and or energy sources, here in British Columbia and across the country.”

In October 2023, the Silk Alliance, a cross-supply chain industry alliance within Lloyd’s Register (LR) Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, wrote an open letter to express its joint vision for the establishment of a green shipping corridor cluster.

The same month, the City of Rotterdam and the City of Oslo signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to create a green corridor for short sea shipping served by Samskip’s next generation zero-emission SeaShuttle vessels.