Norwegian Minister for Climate and the Environment, Eriksen, stated that the Nordic countries possess a strong green maritime industry, and cooperation in the region holds the promise of establishing zero-emission shipping routes. Since 2020, the Nordic countries, through the Nordic Council of Ministers, have been promoting the development of green shipping routes between ports within the region. In 2021, the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and the Environment launched a plan to explore the application and promotion of sustainable fuels in the shipping industry, with the core objective of making the Nordic region the most sustainable region in the world by 2030.
This plan was successfully completed in 2024, and now the Nordic Council of Ministers has provided an additional two years of funding to continue the project. This time, DNV (Det Norske Veritas) will lead the effort to identify the most feasible green shipping routes in the Nordic region, and select two to three for implementation.
