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Port cities are emerging as global leaders in the clean energy transition, transforming maritime trade through decarbonisation, innovation, and cross-border collaboration
This is part of the essay series: Sagarmanthan Edit 2025.
A quiet revolution is underway in the maritime sector. Often obscured from popular view, yet championed by emerging innovators and leaders in the ports and shipping world, the global maritime industry is at the heart of a clean energy revolution.
While headlines are dominated by tariff strife and shifting climate politics, global shipping is propelled by a powerful counter-narrative of rapid and far-reaching decarbonisation. Once dismissed as a "hard-to-abate" sector, the maritime industry’s complex and interconnected global network is a perfectly positioned platform for large-scale climate action.
Recent decisions at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have set the global shipping sector on a pathway to net-zero emissions by 2050, with binding interim targets for 2030 and 2040. This top-down policy direction is being reinforced by bottom-up market demand, as cargo owners increasingly commit to decarbonising their supply chains. Amazon has pledged to achieve net-zero carbon by 2040, while IKEA has committed 100 percent zero-emission ocean shipping within the same timeframe/
These combined forces of regulatory ambition and market demand are driving a systemic transformation across the maritime value chain. Meeting this challenge will require coordinated action, innovative solutions, and the collaborative engagement of stakeholders across the global maritime sector.
Once dismissed as a "hard-to-abate" sector, the maritime industry’s complex and interconnected global network is a perfectly positioned platform for large-scale climate action.
For decades, the ports of Shanghai and Los Angeles have worked together despite geopolitical rifts. In 2022, they co-launched the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Shanghai Green Shipping Corridor, one of the world's first initiatives to commit to deploying zero-emission vessels and fuels across the busiest trans-Pacific trade route. By linking cities, ports, carriers, and fuel providers, this shows how a shared climate vision can transcend political boundaries.
Decarbonising maritime transport is not just a shipping story. Cities bear a significant share of the burden. Communities adjacent to ports experience elevated rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases, highlighting the urgent need for action on local air quality. At the same time, port decarbonisation can unlock new opportunities for cities, driving economic development, spurring innovation, and creating high-quality green jobs that position local economies at the forefront of the clean energy transition.
Port cities are increasingly emerging as leaders in climate and clean energy innovation. Barcelona exemplifies this approach: the city government and port authority are aligning port electrification and shore power projects with citywide climate and energy strategies. This integrated approach enables Barcelona to advance its 2030 and 2050 climate targets, while simultaneously reducing pollution and improving health outcomes for residents.
In Durban, South Africa, the city and port authority are jointly pursuing renewable energy deployment and electrified port operations. These upgrades not only align with Durban’s climate commitments but also support the city’s trade capacity under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Yokohama, Japan, offers another illustrative model. The city is partnering with utilities and start-ups to pilot battery tankers that transport electricity from offshore wind farms to residents. This innovative approach directly contributes to Yokohama’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
As trade patterns are reshaped by tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and supply chain disruptions, nations are increasingly pursuing diversified trade strategies while simultaneously vying for position as the future suppliers and exporters of clean fuels. Investments in port and logistics infrastructure are being designed to serve a dual purpose: to expand trade capacity and to capture a share of the evolving global market in green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and other low-carbon fuels.
In Canada, the Port of Montreal’s Contrecœur expansion is strengthening direct trade with Europe and Asia, positioning the port as a hub for India and Indo-Pacific markets, while the Port of Halifax is emerging as a future gateway for Canadian clean energy exports. In Peru, the newly inaugurated Port of Chancay provides a Pacific corridor that shortens shipping times to China, enabling direct exports of minerals and, in time, clean fuels to Asia. Meanwhile, in Mexico, the expansion of the Port of Manzanillo will enable it to handle up to 10 million containers annually by 2030, providing the country with a strategic platform to serve both Asia and Latin America.
Investments in port and logistics infrastructure are being designed to serve a dual purpose: to expand trade capacity and to capture a share of the evolving global market in green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and other low-carbon fuels.
By anchoring their diversification strategies in clean energy, many countries are positioning themselves not just as resilient trading hubs but as emerging powerhouses in the next era of global energy exports.
Cities are natural leaders in this space: they are hard-wired to improve the health and well-being of their residents. That same instinct enables them to collaborate across borders and political divides. By leading from the ground up, cities are transforming a global industry, proving that political differences do not impede collective action in pursuit of a better future for all.
Alisa Kreynes is Director of C40’s Ports and Shipping programme.
Juvarya Veltkamp is Senior Adviser of C40’s Green Ports Forum.
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