UAE partners with DNV for maritime decarbonisation centre

H.E Suhail Al Mazrouei, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO DNV Maritime, representing the Foundation Det Norske Veritas, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the IMO Headquarters in London to establish the UAE Maritime Decarbonization Centre.

The centre is designed to put this collaborative focus at the centre of sustainable decarbonisation and connect with stakeholders in the maritime industries and outside it to drive a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from shipping.

"The establishment of the UAE Maritime Decarbonization Centre reflects our unwavering commitment to addressing climate change and promoting sustainable practices within the maritime industry,” said H.E Suhail Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy.

“By collaborating with DNV, we aim to leverage their expertise and global network to drive innovation and accelerate the adoption of decarbonization technologies. The Centre will play a pivotal role in advancing our national and regional sustainability goals, while contributing to the global efforts in combating climate change."

The centre plans to take a multi-faceted approach collaborating with government, industry, and academic stakeholders, as well as attracting and developing new talent to the industry. 

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“The Foundation Det Norske Veritas is driven by a desire to help society tackle major global transformations,” said Remi Eriksen, President and CEO of the Foundation Det Norske Veritas and DNV.

“The recent IMO decision to greatly strengthen international shipping’s emissions targets will spur the maritime industry to accelerate its transition. At DNV we deeply believe that cross-industry collaboration is vital to realizing this goal and are working to share our deep and broad industry expertise through maritime decarbonization centres in key regions of the world. The founding of the UAE Decarbonization Centre, in cooperation with the Ministry, is another significant milestone for the industry and we look forward to welcoming new partners in the future.”

The UAE centre will join a number of other similar initiatives in different parts of the world. These include the Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation (GCMD) in Singapore in which DNV was a founding partner, and the Maersk-Mc-Kinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, based in Denmark.