A group of leading industry players is taking the next step to develop new fuel types and technologies by launching the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. The founding company partners behind this initiative are American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), AP Moller Maersk, Cargill, MAN Energy Solutions, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, NYK Lines and Siemens. The center, which will be based in Copenhagen in Denmark, is made possible by a start-up donation of DKK 400 million by the AP Moller Foundation.
The Center will be a non-profit organisation, set up as a commercial foundation with a charitable purpose. As an independent research center, it will work across the entire shipping sector with industry, academia and authorities. A highly specialised, cross-disciplinary team will collaborate globally to create overviews of decarbonisation pathways, accelerate the development of selected decarbonising fuels and powering technologies, and support the establishment of regulatory, financial and commercial means to enable transformation.
To define the strategic direction of the Center, a Board of Directors is being established. It will also have a management board, which will be headed by Bo Cerup-Simonsen as CEO of the Center. Bo Cerup-Simonsen holds a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark in Mechanical Engineering, Naval Architecture and has a proven track record in leadership of large-scale industry projects, maritime technology, research and innovation.
The founding partner companies bring a common commitment to decarbonising shipping and specialised knowledge and research capabilities. Furthermore, the founding partners will donate expert people resources and/or testing platforms to support the operations. The Center expects to attract several more partner companies in the future.
During the first two to three years the center will recruit around 100 employees to the Copenhagen-based office and collaborate with new partners across the globe. The founding partner companies have committed one-third of the needed staff, the remaining two-thirds will be recruited independently. In addition to leadership and administration, the Center staff will include subject matter experts in energy, fuels and ship technology as well as regulatory affairs, finance and the global energy transition.
