It would be simpler to manage and more transparent
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), meeting in Hamburg last week, has decided that if market based measures to reduce CO2 emissions are developed by governments then the international industry has a definite preference for a mechanism that is levy/compensation fund-based rather than an emissions trading scheme.
The meeting agreed that a levy-based system is the one that most shipping companies can live with in order to ensure a level playing field and the avoidance of serious market distortion. ICS has concluded that a levy-based system will be simpler to manage and more transparent.
ICS Chairman, Spyros Polemis, said: The shipping industry has an instinctive dislike of unnecessary complication which will be the result of a system based on emissions trading.
He added: Governments are looking for leadership from the shipping industry about the market based measures we prefer to help reduce CO2, and to raise money for any environmental compensation fund that might be developed by governments. The meeting of our member national associations agreed on an MBM which is levy-based. Such a system should be developed by IMO.
An ICS statement emphasised the importance of ensuring that IMOs package of technical and operational measures to reduce CO2 emissions is adopted by the “crucial” meeting of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee in July, as amendments to MARPOL Annex VI.
ICS said: ” Most importantly this includes the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI). Agreement at IMO will be vital to maintain the principle of global rules for a global industry, which cannot be guaranteed if detailed emission reduction measures are left to the high level climate change talks at UNFCCC, or the European Commission, which will be the likely result if agreement is not reached by governments at IMO this July.
ICS national associations will be lobbying their governments hard to ensure that they support the adoption of IMO technical and operational measures, which ICS believes will deliver more than a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020, per tonne-km of trade carried by sea.”
Source: World Bunkering
