IMO Should Address GHG Shipping Emissions at MEPC 69, Says SSI

Alastair Fischbacher, CEO of the SSI, says the upcoming MEPC 69 on April 18 is a critical point for the IMO to demonstrate its commitment to emissions reductions.

Alastair Fischbacher, CEO of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), has renewed his urge for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to take steps to reduce global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from shipping, pointing to the upcoming 69th Session of the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC 69) on April 18 as a critical point for the IMO to demonstrate its commitment to emissions reductions, Green4Sea reports.

MEPC 69 is said to be set to host a debate on a number of issues related to GHG emissions, such as the creation of a global data collection scheme and a target for global shipping emissions reduction, as well as market-based initiatives that could assist in reaching that target.

The SSI asserts that, at the very least, MEPC 69 must reach a formal agreement on significant and early emissions reductions for shipping, as well as an accompanying expedited work plan, capable as functioning as the basis for which shipping can contribute to the less than 2-degree warming target set at COP 21 in Paris.

"It is critical that the IMO now drives this this forward. Right now the opportunity for change is in the industry's hands, and inaction will increase calls for regulatory and legislative influence from outside shipping. And crucially, any further delays will only increase the scale of the GHG challenge that the industry faces," said Fischbacher

As Ship & Bunker reported last month, the SSI has launched a set of key milestones and priorities which must be met in order to create a sustainable shipping industry by 2040, which it calls the SSI Roadmap.

"Our Roadmap clearly shows that numerous and significant steps are required to reduce GHG emissions from shipping and that effective regulation is a key element of achieving this," said Fischbacher.

"It is vital that at MEPC 69 the IMO takes the actions called for to ensure that this industry is recognised as taking responsibility for the reduction of its local and global emissions."

In March, alongside calls for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to set emission reduction targets, the SSI, on behalf of its members, which include Maersk Line and Cargill, Inc. (Cargill), said that the global fleet should be improving fuel efficiency at a faster rate, working for a 20 percent reduction in bunker consumption within a decade.