Trident Alliance on Track for launch

Trident Alliance, the shipping industry initiative for enforcement of maritime sulphur regulations, is on track for launch after its exploratory meeting in Copenhagen last week.

At a full-day meeting on May 28, hosted by Maersk Maritime Technology and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) in Copenhagen, representatives from a dozen shipping companies, including some of the world’s largest, negotiated the basis for the new Trident Alliance.

At the meeting, the companies agreed that the Trident Alliance will be a coalition of shipping owners and operators who share a common interest in robust enforcement of maritime sulphur regulation and are willing to collaborate to help bring it about. The Alliance will partner with other groups who share its interest in robust enforcement, collaborating on initiatives that support this objective.

The company representatives agreed to the Trident Alliance Principles and Terms of Reference and to work towards the vision of a shipping industry with effective enforcement of sulphur regulations to ensure their intended effect is reached and eliminate the risk of distortion to the competitive landscape.

The representatives will now present this basis to their respective companies and within a couple of weeks ensure the necessary anchoring and executive commitment. With that, the Trident Alliance will be formally established and the list of founding members will be announced.

In advance of the meeting, the initiative received encouragement and support from the EU's Commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, along with the Danish Minister for the Environment, Kirsten Brosbøl.

"The meeting in Copenhagen was highly constructive and we all agree that the Trident Alliance is the right way to handle this challenge” said Roger Strevens, VP Environment of WWL. “The public support and attention we received really added urgency and focused the discussion. None of us want to see this evolve into a coffee club; this is an initiative that will get the work done.”