La Méridionale has unveiled its new model of ferry in Marseille for routes to Corsica and Morocco. With this investment, the company will reduce its carbon footprint by connecting its vessels to shore power and introducing fine particulate filter systems. The overall policy is a world first, and has already been welcomed by local communities and recognised by several international environmental organisations.

In early September, the governor of Tokyo announced plans to build a new district on the site of the infrastructures previously used for the 2020 Olympics. The area will be designed as a ‘laboratory’ for sustainable development, and will include new technologies to ease traffic congestion and increase the production of renewables. The metropolitan government is already working with 55 partners (businesses, universities, associations) to meet its goal and to create an ecosystem of innovation on site.

The Minneapolis City Council unanimously passed the “Ship It Zero” resolution in early september 2022, following Los Angeles and Long Beach. This resolution requests maritime import polluters to the US to commit to making all imports on 100% zero-emission ships by 2030. It calls on companies to adopt emission-reducing technologies and to move products off fossil-fueled ships by the end of the decade. The resolution also asks state and federal legislation to rapidly decarbonize the maritime shipping industry.

The commercial shipping industry poses a big danger to cetaceans. MSC is taking a proactive approach to protect the endangered species by rerouting its vessels to the south, away from a blue whale feeding area in Sri Lanka. This could reduce the strike risks to blue whales by 95%. MSC is advocating for more Traffic Seperation Schemes (TSS) shipping lanes to alter their route to minimize collision risks. The World Shipping Council is also advocating to create a new marine traffic scheme to protect this area.