The progress made in starting to shape a draft comprehensive IMO strategy on reduction of GHG emissions from ships has been reported to the COP 23 climate change conference, meeting in Bonn, Germany (6-15 November) by IMO’s Stefan Micallef.
COP23 aims to unite the shipping industry in order to create an Action Plan for the decarbonisation of the shipping industry. During the COP 23 climate change conference, Mr. Micallef highlighted that more than 2,600 ocean-going ships have now been certified to the mandatory energy efficiency design requirements, which have been in force since 2013.
“The significant global reduction in the sulphur content of the fuel oil used by ships from 1 January 2020 is expected to contribute further to the reduction of GHG emissions from ships, through the anticipated resulting uptake of alternative fuels,” IMO said.
IMO’s capacity-building and technical cooperation work was also highlighted, including the UNDP-GEF-IMO global energy efficiency project (GloMEEP). GloMEEP will focus in particular on building capacity to implement technical and operational measures in developing countries, where shipping is increasingly concentrated. The aim is to promote a low-carbon maritime sector, in order to minimize the adverse impacts of shipping emissions on climate change, ocean acidification and local air quality.
Furthemore, another project that was emphasized was the European-Union funded maritime technology cooperation centres network (GMN) project. This project’s goal is to establish a global network of five MTCCs in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and the Pacific. The aim is to help beneficiary countries limit and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their shipping sectors. The project will encourage the uptake of energy efficiency technologies through the dissemination of technical information and know-how.
Lastly, Mr. Micallef was reporting on IMO’s work to the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technical Advice (SBSTA 47).
