Lloyd’s Register [LR] has announced the launching of a dedicated centre of excellence to accelerate the safe, sustainable and cost-effective decarbonisation of world shipping in support of delivering greenhouse gas reduction targets.

The Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, a joint initiative between Lloyd’s Register Group and Foundation, brings together thought leaders and subject matter experts with the skills, knowledge and capability to help the maritime industry design, develop and commercialise the pathways to future fuels required for decarbonisation. A steering group of external stakeholders is in place to ensure the hub focuses on the challenges that matter to industry.

Under the leadership of Charles Haskell, LR’s Decarbonisation Programme Manager, the LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub is open to undertaking and actively seeking partnerships with stakeholders across the industry, focused on creating a more sustainable future for shipping and contributing to society’s global challenge of slowing climate change.

Through collaboration, producing and sharing evidence-based research, the Maritime Decarbonisation Hub will help steer charterers, owners and operators, financiers, ports, yards, fuel suppliers and regulators among others through the technically complex decision-making and robust investment considerations they will encounter during this transition towards industry transformation.

“The LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub will provide key stakeholders in the value chain with guidance at every step of their journey as they reduce the carbon intensity of their operations,” said Mr. Haskell. ”At the same time, it will offer policy makers evidence-based advice on the most efficient means of enabling and supporting this transition.”

“Lloyd’s Register is committed to collaboratively working with all industry stakeholders to decarbonise shipping. For this to happen, zero-carbon vessels must enter the world fleet by 2030, along with the necessary fuels and landside infrastructure to support this. By centralising our expertise with the creation of the LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, we can actively collaborate with players across the industry to achieve these ambitions,” said LR Marine and Offshore Director Nick Brown.