Hong Kong (CNN Business) The world's biggest shipping company wants to slash its carbon emissions to zero by developing a new kind of container ship to ply the oceans.

Maersk ( AMKBY ), which is based in Denmark, said it's aiming to become carbon neutral by 2050 and is urging other shipping companies to do the same and help it develop the technology for a new generation of vessels.

"This is a call for action," Maersk Chief Operating Officer Soren Toft told CNN's Richard Quest on Tuesday, describing climate change as "one of the most significant issues facing the planet."

The shipping industry "will need to find new technologies, new innovative ways of basically providing the future efficient ships," Toft said. "These ships are not available today, and that's why we are reaching out."

The shipping industry burns huge quantities of heavy fuel oil and is estimated to account for roughly 2% to 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

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