The International Maritime Organization (IMO) set stricter targets for shipping’s GHG emissions reaching net-zero by or close to 2050, committed to ensuring the uptake of zero-carbon fuels by 2030, and signalled its support for a just and equitable transition as part of the IMO’s Revised GHG strategy.

This report presents a routes-based action plan methodology that is designed to kickstart the uptake of clean maritime fuels, and supports the inclusion of developing countries, Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The starting point to develop the routes-based action plan is the First Mover Framework (FMF) methodology, created by the LR Maritime Decarbonisation Hub, which presents an approach for first movers to deploy clean fuels in specific locations e.g. along a route/s or in a cluster. The First Mover Framework has already been deployed for a first mover initiative in the Asia Pacific region – The Silk Alliance.

The methodology was developed following a workshop facilitated by the Lloyd's Register Maritime Decarbonisation Hub and organised by the IMO, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Norway in October 2023 with stakeholders across Asia, to raise awareness on actions to reduce GHG emissions from ships and foster cooperation along shipping routes to aggregate demand and support energy transition.