EMEA News
Maersk Calls for IMO Bunker Carbon Pricing Agreement by 2025
Shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk has called for International Maritime Organization member states to agree a deal on global carbon pricing for the shipping industry's emissions by 2025, and suggested efforts at the European level could spur global progress on the issue.
Simon Bergulf, director of regulatory affairs at Maersk, made the call in a LinkedIn post this week. Maersk is the world's largest consumer of bunker fuel.
"The IMO should aim to deliver the frameworks for a market-based measure by 2025," Bergulf said.
"The EU can and should support this work far more actively than what it has done so far.
"It needs to secure its spot at the table and can do so by ensuring that the EU ETS starts with an intra-EU scope from 2023 to 2025 and then moves to full MRV scope, should the IMO not have delivered.
"This would show leadership and not alienate IMO Member States."
Little progress on market-based measures is expected from the IMO at this year's meeting of its marine environment protection committee next month, with a Marshall Islands proposal on the topic seen as unlikely to garner sufficient support.
The European Commission is set to announce its proposal for how to bring the shipping industry into its emissions trading system in July. The IMO has traditionally objected to regional measures like this as undermining its efforts at the global level, but more regional schemes are likely to emerge if insufficient progress is seen from the UN body.
The UK, China and US are reported to be considering their own emissions trading systems for shipping on the back of the EU's, if the European approach proves successful.
