Shanghai, Trinidad and Tobago to Host Regional Centres Under IMO Maritime Efficiency Project

The GMN project is intended to support climate change mitigation efforts by reducing GHG from shipping.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has announced that China's Shanghai Maritime University (SMU) and the University of Trinidad and Tobago are the first two institutes selected to host regional Maritime Technology Cooperation Centres (MTCCs) under the Global MTTC Network (GMN) project.

The project, which is funded by the EU and implemented by IMO, is intended to support climate change mitigation efforts by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping.

While three further MTCCs are still to be established in other target regions, including Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific, SMU will host MTCC-Asia and the University of Trinidad and Tobago will host MTCC-Caribbean.

"The five regional MTCCs will deliver mutually-agreed project milestones over a three-year period, making a significant contribution to IMO's continuing, widespread efforts to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of the global energy-efficiency regulations for international shipping," explains IMO.

The centres will work to improve capability in their region, promote the uptake of low-carbon technologies and operations in the maritime sector through pilot projects, raise awareness about policies, strategies and measures for the reduction of GHG and other emissions from the maritime transport sector.

The centres will also demonstrate a pilot-scale system for collecting data and reporting on ships' fuel consumption to improve shipowners' and maritime administrations' related understanding, as well as develop and implement strategies to sustain the impact of MTCC results and activities beyond the project timeline.

"This project, formally entitled 'Capacity Building for Climate Change Mitigation in the Maritime Shipping Industry' will enable developing countries, especially Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States, in the target regions to effectively implement energy-efficiency measures through technical assistance, capacity building and promoting technical cooperation," said IMO.

Last year, IMO announced that the GMN project received €10 million ($10.83 million) in funding support from the European Commission (EC).