France unveils plan to slash shipping industry's carbon footprint

France has unveiled a plan aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the maritime sector over the next seven years. Boosted by funding of 300 million euros, the industry is looking towards a greener future with the objective of building a zero emission vessel.

France-Mer 2030 will offer a "one-stop shop" for the state to reduce its carbon footprint in the maritime transport sector. AFP - SAMEER AL-DOUMY

The French secretary of state in charge of maritime affairs, Hervé Berville, announced the "France-Mer 2030" plan during a conference in Lille on Tuesday.

France-Mer 2030 will offer a "one-stop shop" for the state to reduce its carbon footprint in the maritime transport sector, primarily in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide.

The plan will also promote innovation with "the zero-emission ship as the horizon", Berville said.

Support will come in the form of a ten-month consultation period with all the players in the sector and a unit within the Ministry of the Navy.

"A decarbonisation trajectory will have to be defined for each type of fleet," he said, insisting on the need to quickly remove "technological issues" to decarbonise fishing, commercial and tourism vessels.

With this in mind, the government plans to mobilize "€300 million in public funding by the end of the five-year term" but also to "create a maritime investment fund to increase support through subsidies, equity investments and guarantees".

This mechanism would go hand in hand with the mobilisation of private funds, Berville said.

The Armateurs de France - a professional body representing 57 companies in the maritime industry - was quick to offer its support to the government initiative.

Cher @HerveBerville, vous pouvez compter sur Armateurs de France pour bâtir ensemble #FranceMer2030 ! 🇫🇷🌊 #AEM2022 pic.twitter.com/qFihAmdLLd

— ARMATEURS DE FRANCE (@ArmateursFR) November 8, 2022

Platform for projects

While only 12 percent of the ships used in France are built in the country, compared to 80 percent in 1980, Berville underlined the need to make the future zero-carbon ship "as French as possible".

To reach the goals laid out in the plan, he also said the number of officers trained in France would double by 2027.

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Meanwhile, the CEO of CMA CGM Rodolphe Saadé for his part announced that the French shipowner would endow the new France-Mer fund with €200 million.

"It's not just freight but everything related to marine affairs in France," he said, adding CMA CGM would launch a platform for projects in January 2023.

Thie CMA CGM contribution is part of the €1.5 billion fund already announced by the shipowner to accelerate the decarbonisation of its activities through the creation of an Energy Fund. 

On the topic of offshore wind power, Berville reaffirmed the objective of 50 parks in 2050 set out by President Emmanuel Macron, explaining that the State was going to launch calls for tenders to generate 2 GW per year, so that capacity of 20 GW would be allocated by 2030.