Green corridor planned between Busan and US Northwest Seaports

The announcement was made as part of the Green Shipping Challenge at COP27. The Green Shipping Challenge is a new initiative by the US and Norway to highlight global actions and concrete steps being taken to decarbonise the international shipping industry.

As part of this launch, the U.S. State Department invited the NWSA to partner on a feasibility study of a potential green corridor between Seattle-Tacoma and Busan, South Korea. Over the next year, this study will include experts from three US national labs, the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and staff from the two cargo gateways exploring the creation this green corridor, including potential sources of alternative ship fuels, and existing and potential future fuelling infrastructure.

“It was an honour to announce the NWSA’s participation in the Green Shipping Challenge alongside world leaders and U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry,” said NWSA Managing Member Sam Cho. “Ports operate in a global network and partnerships, such as the one between The Northwest Seaport Alliance and the Busan Port Authority, will be critical to driving decarbonisation efforts across the globe.”

The Port of Seattle, Port of Tacoma and the NWSA have made the voluntary commitment to reduce maritime emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner as part of The Northwest Ports Clean Air Strategy. The three ports are actively investing in decarbonisation efforts including adding shore power capability at all international container terminals, operating zero-emission cargo handling equipment, and transitioning the drayage fleet serving our north and south harbors to zero-emission trucks.