Future Fuels and Technology Project aims to provide an assessment of the state of availability and readiness of low- and zero-carbon ship technology and marine fuels, in order to help inform Member States as they work towards the revision of the IMO GHG Strategy.
To remind, the key commitment of the Initial Strategy, adopted in 2018, is to phase out GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible. Embracing technological innovation along with the transition to low- and zero-carbon fuels and/or alternative energy sources will be required to achieve this ambition. Such changes also require consideration of issues such as safety and regulation, pricing and infrastructure availability, lifecycle emissions, supply chain constraints and the existence of any barriers to adoption. With this in mind, IMO’s Marine Environment Division has launched this new project with the aim to provide technical analysis related to the feasibility of pathways to shipping decarbonization.
The Future Fuels and Technology for Low- and Zero-Carbon Shipping Project (FFT Project) is a partnership project being implemented by IMO with funding from the Republic of Korea. Expected to run until 2025, it consists of three main phases
- A study of current and projected global uptake and dissemination of low- and zero-carbon marine technology and fuels.
- Identification of and support for incentives and regulatory mechanisms, including safety and training issues, to promote the uptake of alternative fuels and technology including mid- and long-term reduction measures.
- Promotion of technological cooperation – for example, through pilot projects – and organization of outreach activities to reinforce mutual understanding and cooperation between developed and developing countries and the global shipping industry.
Readiness and availability of alternative energy options
In June 2022, MEPC 78 noted the need for more information to support the revision process of the Initial GHG Strategy. To that end, the first phase of the FFT Project includes an assessment of the state of readiness and availability of low- and zero-carbon ship technology and marine fuels. IMO’s progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions was also discussed at MEPC 79 in December 2022
The study will evaluate demand as well as capacity developments related to low- and zero-carbon technologies, whilst also assessing their commercial and technological preparedness. The latter will be analysed using three scenarios of possible ways to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050:
- IMO’s Initial Strategy Scenario (IMO)
- Net Zero Emission Scenario (NZE)
Furthermore, IMO announced that a comprehensive website is being developed, which is intended to act as a dedicated online hub for IMO members to find and share information and data on the uptake of alternative fuels and new technology as part of the decarbonization of shipping in the mid and long term.
READ MORE ABOUT IMO’S WORK ON CUTTING GHG EMISSIONS HERE
