The Port of Melbourne has revealed it has joined forces with the world’s largest container port in a bid to establish a Green Shipping Corridor between the two locations.
The agreement between the Port of Melbourne and the Port of Shanghai was formalised at the 2025 North Bund Forum in Shanghai on October 19.
The joint initiative is supported by the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and brings the two ports together in response to the Clydebank Declaration and the broader decarbonisation of the maritime supply chain.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the parties will collaborate with industry partners to reduce the environment impact of shipping, focus on environmentally sustainable practices like adopting cleaner technologies, using renewable energy sources and implementing best practices, and working with shipping lines to promote the adoption of clean fuels between the two destinations.
The pair will also explore opportunities with energy suppliers to accelerate breakthroughs in production technology, improve efficiency and cost control and establish an integrated supply chain solution that covers production, transport and storage that boosts low carbon fuel supply capacity.
“This MoU is a significant development in our work towards decarbonising the supply chain. Given Australia’s position as an island-nation that heavily relies on sea freight, we have a key role in global efforts to decarbonise shipping,” Port of Melbourne CEO Saul Cannon says.
“As Australia’s largest container port working together with the world’s largest container port, we are well-placed to lead by example towards a greener future for our industry. We look forward to working with our industry partners to progress this initiative.”
Accounting for 50 per cent of total container imports and 20 per cent of container exports, China is the port’s largest trading partner, with the high volume of trade between the two locations providing a chance to offer material environmental benefits.
This milestone is a culmination of a nearly two-decade-long partnership between Port of Melbourne and Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission (SMTC) which commenced in 2006.