Overview
This week, the 2026 Shanghai Pudong International Shipping Week and the North Bund International Shipping Forum are taking place concurrently. More than 90 outcomes were unveiled during the forum's first two days, the highest number in its history.
CARBON COMPLIANCE · 01
Green Fuels: Certification, Trading and Contracts Come Together
On certification, the 2026 edition of the Global Sustainable Transport Certification (GSTC) system was released, marking China's first certification for green marine fuels.
On trading, the Shanghai International Shipping Green Fuel Trading Platform, developed by the Shanghai Shipping Exchange, went live on October 21. It links certification, registration and trading systems, supporting traceability and verification throughout the green fuel supply chain. On contracts, the Shanghai Arbitration Commission released three model agreements: the Marine Green Fuel Bunkering Contract, the Marine Green Fuel Sales Contract, and the International Ship Management Contract. These address a gap in contracts for green fuel bunkering.
Supporting capabilities are advancing in parallel. Green methanol bunkering now covers the main operational waters of Shanghai Port, connecting local production, storage and bunkering across the supply chain. Shanghai Port also ranks among the world's leading ports by LNG bunkering volume.
Green fuels are moving beyond simply being available for use to becoming certifiable, tradable and verifiable. For shipowners, a fuel's green credentials will be accompanied by a complete documentary trail. This will directly affect compliance submissions and carbon intensity calculations under FuelEU Maritime and the EU ETS: fuel documentation is no longer just a purchasing invoice.
CARBON COMPLIANCE · 02
Two More Steps Forward for Green Shipping Corridors
The development objectives and roadmap for the Shanghai Port–Hamburg Port green shipping corridor have been set out. Participants will progressively increase their capacity to deploy dual-fuel container vessels and reduce emissions from 2028 to 2035, while accelerating the development of a diversified, stable low-carbon fuel supply. The aim is to establish the corridor as a model for green shipping cooperation between China and Europe.
The implementation outline for the Shanghai Port–Melbourne Port green shipping corridor seeks to deploy low-carbon-fuelled container vessels on the corridor before 2035, while continuing to improve low-carbon fuel production, storage, transport and bunkering capabilities. Both documents follow the Ministry of Transport's Initiative for Cooperation on International Green Shipping Corridors, released in October last year. This September, the International Green Shipping Corridors Alliance was formally established, with 45 companies and institutions from 12 countries as founding members. Other outcomes presented at the same time included a white paper on onboard carbon capture systems (OCCS) and the world's largest methanol dual-fuel container vessel, Dong Fang Zhi Hui.
CARBON COMPLIANCE · 03
Regulation and Standards: Several Firsts
The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration introduced pioneering measures in five areas: safety, efficiency, industry, green development and standards. Two address previously unmet needs: China's first research and development centre for managing new types of ship-generated pollutants, connecting the reception, transfer and treatment of new pollutants from LNG dual-fuel vessels; and China's first PCTC inspection guide, addressing gaps in the safe maritime transport of new-energy vehicles. The administration has also deployed a network of meteorological stations under the “Mazu” initiative, enabling vessel-specific controls in severe weather.
On standards and intelligent technologies, the China Classification Society's innovation centre for international ship and offshore technical standards and its international shipping technology exchange and cooperation centre have begun operations. The Ministry of Transport released Guidelines on Artificial Intelligence Application Scenarios in Waterborne Transport, identifying 22 urgently needed applications, including safety risk monitoring and early warning for hazardous cargo storage tanks at ports. The Action Plan for Promoting New-Energy Vessels on Inland Waterways (2026–2030) was issued at the same time, focusing on battery-powered, methanol-powered and other new-energy inland vessels.
CARBON COMPLIANCE · 04
Talent and Collaboration: Shanghai–Hong Kong Cooperation and a Talent Programme
Pudong New Area's Implementation Plan for Promoting the Development of Shipping Services Talent has been formally released. Pudong is working with international organisations including the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the Transported Asset Protection Association Asia Pacific (TAPA APAC), and the Royal Aeronautical Society to build an international talent development framework.
On collaboration, the Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission and the Transport and Logistics Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government signed a memorandum on strategic shipping cooperation. It covers five areas: smart port development, green shipping energy applications, collaboration on high-end shipping services, joint training of professional talent, and industry technology exchange and sharing. The Pudong Initiative for Co-building a Global Shipping Ecosystem of Trust and Sustainable Development by 2030 was also released, promoting trust in shipping data, mutual recognition of standards, AI-enabled development, green finance innovation and joint international talent training.
Shipping Week continues until October 24. The certification, trading and contract rules introduced in quick succession this week are turning green fuels from a policy direction into concrete compliance requirements. For shipowners, future reporting seasons may require not only emissions data, but fuel documentation as well.
References
01 · Shanghai Securities News, “More Than 90 Outcomes Unveiled as Shanghai's International Shipping Centre Advances”, October 21, 2026.
02 · Securities Times, “More Than 90 Outcomes Announced: The 2026 North Bund International Shipping Forum Explores Resilient Shipping Development”, October 21, 2026.
03 · Securities Times, “Shipping Decarbonisation Enters a Critical Phase: Unified Rules and Coordinated Action Become a Shared Priority”, October 22, 2026.
04 · Pudong Release, “Shanghai Pudong International Shipping Week Unveiled with a Renewed Programme”, October 21, 2026.
Disclaimer
This article is compiled from publicly available information for discussion and reference only. It does not constitute legal, financial, investment or trading advice.
About Tecway Maritime
Established in 2016, Tecway Maritime Technology Limited is the Tecway Group's specialist team for green shipping and maritime consultancy. The Group's parent company, Tecway International Limited, was founded in 1993 and has served the global maritime industry for more than three decades.
Tecway Maritime focuses on shipping companies' low-carbon transition needs. Its services include UK ETS (UKA), EU ETS (EUA) and FuelEU compliance consultancy, support for green hydrogen projects in shipping, marine FGSS technical services, supply and technical support for the Cylinder Liner Diameter Measurement (CLDM) system, and export solutions for Chinese-made marine equipment. Drawing on its global network across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Tecway Maritime is committed to delivering reliable, high-quality and sustainable solutions that help shipping companies respond to regulatory changes and capture new opportunities in green shipping.
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