Shipping lenders face carbon cutting shortfalls despite Poseidon Principles

(Reuters, London, 16 December 2020) Many of the world’s biggest lenders to shipping companies fell short of carbon-cutting targets last year in the first analysis of CO2 goals for the sector. Global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions and the industry is under pressure to reduce those emissions and other pollution. About 90% of world trade is transported by sea. Last year, a group of leading banks signed up to environmental commitments known as the Poseidon Principles, whereby financiers take account of efforts to cut CO2 emissions when providing loans to shipping companies. In the first climate assessment report issued by the signatories, which includes emissions data collected from borrowers, just 3 of 15 financiers – Bpifrance Assurance Export, Export Credit Norway and ING – were aligned with IMO decarbonisation targets in 2019. Twenty banks jointly representing approximately USD 150 billion in shipping finance, have come together to commit to the Poseidon Principles, some of them ECAs.