February 20

As greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to rise, the need for every sector to contribute to climate change mitigation becomes even more urgent. Although not directly included in the Paris Agreement, the international shipping sector must contribute in delivering its share and needs to cut down GHG emissions too. With these objectives, CIMAC established a GHG Strategy Group by the end of 2018 to work on the maritime energy transition and related topics.


With the Position Paper “Zero Carbon Energy Sources for Shipping”, the CIMAC Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy Group aims to contribute to the ongoing discussion about reducing the climate impact of the large engine industry and the maritime sector as a whole.
CIMAC regards the deployment of (net) zero or zero carbon fuels as necessary to achieve the needed GHG emission reductions in deep-sea shipping. Besides other technical and operational efficiency measures, sustainable biofuels may contribute in particular for the transitional period to reduce emissions, and electrification and hybridization presumably play a bigger role in short-sea and inland shipping.


The CIMAC Position Paper outlines the need for zero carbon energy sources in shipping, future fuel options and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to create an enabling policy environment. It is based on two White Papers covering the production of hydrogen with a zero carbon footprint and the variety of hydrogen-based fuel options. The White Papers are intended to give a short and easy reading overview of the topic from the perspective of the large engine industry

Download of the documents

Please find the Position Paper and two White Papers here or attached to this release.