Calls for a transparent, harmonized global method for reducing emissions
The Global Shippers’ Forum has taken special notice of proposals from the European Commission to establish a system to reduce carbon emissions (CO2) from the maritime sector.The European Commission will legislate for a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system for large ships (over 5,000 gross tons) from 2018 that use EU ports, irrespective of where the ships are registered.
Ship owners will be required to monitor and report the verified amount of CO2 annually emitted by their large ships on voyages to, from and between EU ports. The proposal offers flexibility for ship owners to record and report emissions by focusing on fuel consumption through methods such as using bunker fuel delivery notes or bunker fuel tank monitoring.
International maritime emissions make up an estimated 2.7 per cent of global greenhouse gas (ghg) emissions but left unchecked could increase by 150 to 200 per cent between 2007 and 2050.*
Chris Welsh, Secretary General, Global Shippers’ Forum said:
“Achieving global agreement on precisely how to tackle climate change within the maritime sector has been slow paced and fraught with difficulty. There are many competing views; however, shippers are looking for a substantive breakthrough. Shippers are increasingly demanding verifiable greenhouse gas data from ocean carriers so that they in turn can accurately benchmark the carbon footprint of their supply chains. We hope the Commission’s initiative will push the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to promptly accomplish what it set out to achieve – a global agreement on reducing ghg emissions in the global maritime industry.”
The IMO, which is responsible for maritime emissions, has made progress in adopting energy efficiency standards for ships but there is a virtual deadlock in finding a suitable market-based measure (MBM) for the sector which is workable for both ship owners and shippers.
Although it is still essentially a regional scheme, the Commission’s approach will provide much needed testing and time for the IMO to reach agreement on global measures to reduce ghg emissions, and perhaps evidence of a scheme that works.
Welsh added:
“The global shipping industry needs a predictable and uniform set of global regulations to reduce ghg emissions. It is vital that any eventual MBM will succeed in making the emission reductions required and not simply add additional cost to ship owners and ultimately shippers. The IMO needs to make urgent progress in achieving a global solution to the maritime emissions problem. The MRV, although European based, could provide some much needed direction by providing a workable framework.”
The proposals echo the GSF’s principles for the shipping industry to reduce GHG emissions, in particular the need for measurement and recording of fuel usage as the essential first step in reducing emissions.
The MRV proposal is now being examined by the European Parliament and Council, whose approval is needed for it to become law.
Additional Information
- Monitoring, reporting and verification of CO2 emissions from maritime transport
- New EU-wide system for the monitoring, reporting and verification of shipping emissions
- Maritime transport: first step to reduce emissions
- European Commision’s proposal on the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport and amending regulation (EU) No 525/2013
- For more information read European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the the Council on the monitoring, reporting and verification of carbon dioxide emissions from maritime transport and amending regulation (EU) No 525/2013
About the Global Shippers Forum
The Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF) was formally incorporated and registered as a non-governmental organisation in the United Kingdom in June 2011. It’s the world’s leading trade association for shippers engaged in international trade moving goods by all modes of transport.
