Manila: The Philippines will co-host a regional conference to accelerate maritime decarbonization in Southeast Asia, as Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries work to meet international emissions standards while keeping their shipping sectors competitive. The Department of Transportation (DOTr), in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat and Australia's Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I), will hold the virtual conference ASEAN Future of Maritime Conference 2026 on Sept. 16, according to a news release.

According to Philippines News Agency, the conference, with the theme 'Navigating Our Future Together: Advancing Maritime Decarbonisation through Investment, Innovation and Skills,' will bring together government officials, maritime industry representatives, international partners, and experts from ASEAN and Australia to discuss the investments, technologies, policies, and skills needed to reduce emissions from the maritime sector.

The Philippines, through the DOTr and in cooperation with the Philippine Ports Authority, Maritime Industry Authority, and Philippine Coast Guard, is already working on its own long-term maritime decarbonization trajectory while developing a greenhouse gas emissions baseline for the country's maritime sector.

The initiative comes amid renewed global attention to energy security and the need to cut emissions from shipping, particularly in ASEAN, which hosts some of the world's major shipping routes and is increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The shift to lower-emission maritime operations could also help ASEAN countries comply with International Maritime Organization regulations while improving competitiveness through emerging low-emissions technologies.

The online conference will feature scene-setting presentations, two moderated panel discussions, and opportunities for participant engagement, with attendance limited to invited participants.

The event is organized as a platform for ASEAN and its partners to discuss practical ways to support a safer, more resilient, and lower-emissions maritime sector across the region.