Six of the world’s leading marine insurers launch an initiative to provide transparency on carbon emissions and support the shipping industry’s green transition. The Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance are a framework to quantitatively assess and disclose the climate alignment of marine insurers’ underwriting portfolios.
This pioneering initiative makes marine insurance the first line of business to establish a sector-specific methodology to support the ambition of the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA), where members commit to transitioning their underwriting portfolios to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, consistent with a maximum temperature rise of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, in order to contribute to the implementation of the COP21 Paris Agreement.
Signatories to the Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance commit to assessing and disclosing the climate alignment of their hull and machinery portfolios, and to benchmarking them against two trajectories: one linked to a 50% reduction of annual CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2008 – in line with the IMO’s Initial GHG Strategy; and one linked to a 100% reduction of emissions by 2050.
Furthermore, a third trajectory will be introduced to align the full decarbonization trajectory with zero-lifecycle GHG emissions in order to meet the ambition of net-zero commitments such as the NZIA, and to support a zero-emissions future for shipping.
Brokers, clubs, and other key stakeholders in marine insurance commit to supporting the Principles as affiliate members and align with the goal of decarbonizing international shipping by 2050.
Founding Signatories include Swiss Re, Gard, Hellenic Hull Management, SCOR, Victor International, and Norwegian Hull Club. Additional marine insurers are expected to join in the near future. Affiliate members supporting the Principles are Willis Towers Watson, Cefor, and EF Marine.
The Poseidon Principles for Marine Insurance are founded on the methodology used in the Poseidon Principles for Financial Institutions and were developed in an effort spearheaded by leading marine insurers and industry stakeholders with expert support provided by the Global Maritime Forum, Swiss Re Institute, and UMAS. The International Union of Marine Insurers (IUMI) is a supporting partner.
