Americas News
US Says IMO Needs to Move Faster on Alt Fuel Regs
A US IMO delegate has called for accelerated work to develop global regulations for alternative marine fuels.
The US IMO delegation is confident that the UN body will set a net-zero carbon deadline of 2050 for the shipping industry, maritime news provider TradeWinds reported earlier this month, citing comments from Jeffrey Lantz, director of commercial regulations and standards at the US Coast Guard.
Lantz was speaking at the SHIPPINGInsight event in Stamford earlier this month.
But the IMO needs to go further in setting safety standards for the new fuels, Lantz argued.
"When it comes to the fuels, you also need to have the safety regulations in place so that an owner or a builder can build a ship, sell it and have confidence that that ship will trade worldwide and will be accepted in every port in the world," TradeWinds cited Lantz as saying.
LNG is the dominant bunker fuel for now, with supply available at several major hubs and smaller ports and a history going back decades of ships using it. Methanol is also growing rapidly as an alternative fuel option, particularly since AP Moller-Maersk's decision to use it for its first carbon-neutral ships, and the Stena Germanica has been running on methanol for 10 years.
Ammonia is the fuel where most research and development work around safe handling is still needed. Ammonia is expected to take the stage as an alternative fuel towards the end of the 2020s, but widespread concerns have been raised about how to design ships and train crews to handle its toxicity and avoid spills.
