BIMCO, IPTA and World Shipping Council (WSC) have jointly submitted a proposal to IMO suggesting issues for consideration at the forthcoming MEPC in developing the greenhouse gas strategy. The document proposes programmes and obligations designed to improve the near-term and long-term efficiency of international shipping in furtherance of the IMO GHG strategy.
As an effective strategy must be clear in what it seeks to achieve, the co-sponsors invite the Committee to consider the following objectives:
- the overarching objective of IMO’s GHG strategy should be to facilitate emission reductions in the maritime sector, moving towards a decarbonized future while maintaining transport services that support sustainable economic development across the world;
- discover and develop for commercial application the most carbon- and costefficient technologies for marine transportation;
- pursue substantive and continuous reductions in CO2 emissions consistent with the introduction of new technologies and fuels; and
- while the primary objective of the IMO GHG strategy is to pursue significant reductions in fleet GHG emissions, efforts are expected to produce parallel reductions of SOX, NOX, and PM.
The co-sponsors also cite three specific mechanisms, that should be considered as part of IMO’s GHG strategy, as for the IMO to help achieve the stated objectives:
- Establish an International Maritime Research Board with a mandate to direct and fund research and development of new and improved marine propulsion systems, electric generation plants, fuels, and ship design;
- Periodically review and modify EEDI standards to promote the introduction of increasingly carbon-efficient tonnage in the maritime fleet; and
- Reduce air emissions from the existing fleet through investments in efficiency-enhancing technology.
In addition, the International Maritime Research Board (IMRB) would define and oversee a research and development effort to significantly reduce CO2 emissions over time. The co-sponsors propose that the R&D programme should focus on three pillars of research: marine propulsion and power generation systems; fuels; and ship design.
Explore more by reading the official proposal submitted by BIMCO, IPTA and WSC herebelow:
