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Dutch Postcode Lottery Supports Expansion of Shipping Efficiency with €1,000,000 Award

By  Marty Pickett

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and Carbon War Room (CWR) are pleased to announce the selection of our joint project proposal, Operation: LeaderShip, by the Dutch Postcode Lottery (DPL) for a €1,000,000 award. Operation: LeaderShip will further support the shipping industry to realize the considerable emissions and cost savings locked within the sector. The project 
will focus on removing market barriers currently 
obstructing the widespread adoption of energy-efficiency technologies and bringing environmental
 and economic benefits to the citizens of the Netherlands and port regions worldwide.

RMI and CWR’s Operation: LeaderShip proposal to the DPL details the market barriers currently limiting the industry’s ability to reduce emissions, including lack of information on vessel efficiency, split incentives between ship owners and cargo owners, and lack of access to capital funds for ship retrofits. Building on CWR’s historic success in shipping efficiency, Operation: LeaderShip will focus on three objectives:

  • Driving investment in fuel-saving technologies by increasing the confidence of ship owners and financiers in the reliability and economics of energy-efficiency retrofits
  • Building demand for fuel-efficient ships worldwide by engaging with charterers, shippers, and ports around the world
  • Reducing emissions within major ports through analysis of port energy use

“We are delighted that the DPL has recognized this as a clear demonstration of realizing scalable impact through the alliance of RMI and CWR. As well as being able to extend the work that lead to success in unlocking information and finance barriers in the shipping industry, we’re also excited to work with the Port of Rotterdam and others around the world to identify best practices, explore potential improvements for the port, and see how those might 
scale to other ports worldwide,” says CWR Director of Global Projects Jeff Erikson.

Although the global maritime industry is the most carbon-efficient method of transporting goods, the industry currently emits more CO2 than Germany and four times as much as the Netherlands. Maintaining business-as-usual maritime operations will result in a 250 percent growth in fuel use, generating 1 percent of global carbon emissions that will disproportionately affect air quality 
in port cities like Rotterdam by 2050. Economically viable technologies and operational measures exist today to effectively 
avoid these negative consequences while saving the shipping industry €53 billion per year and reducing emissions by as much as 30 percent.

“RMI and CWR 
are united by a commitment 
to a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future,” says RMI and CWR CEO Jules Kortenhorst. “Operation: LeaderShip builds on our highly successful Shipping Efficiency operation and brings us closer to that vision by knocking down market barriers, making vital information available to key decision makers and driving demand for efficient ships.”

About the Dutch Postcode Lottery

Since 1989, the Dutch Postcode Lottery has been raising funds to support organizations working for a fairer, greener world. Fifty percent of its income goes to charity. The lottery has grown to become the Netherlands’ biggest charity lottery and supports 90 nongovernmental organizations. Since its founding, the lottery has dispensed over 4 billion euros to its beneficiaries.

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