ICS Welcomes IMO Decision to Develop CO2 Reduction Road Map for Shipping

MEPC 70 agreed to develop the Road Map for addressing CO2 emissions from shipping.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has welcomed a decision by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at the 70th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 70) to develop a Road Map for addressing CO2 emissions from international shipping, with initial CO2 reduction commitments to be agreed to by 2018.

"The adoption of the Road Map is a significant decision by IMO Member States that will give further impetus to the substantial CO2 reductions that are already being delivered by technical and operational measures, and the binding global CO2 reduction regulations for shipping adopted by IMO in 2011, four years before the Paris Agreement," said Peter Hinchliffe, ICS Secretary General.

"The final stage of the Road Map to be enacted by 2023 should establish a global mechanism for ensuring that these IMO CO2 reduction commitments will actually be delivered."

ICS says that such a plan will go "much further" than the Paris Agreement, but stresses that the mandatory global CO2 data collection system for shipping, which was also agreed to last week at MEPC 70), will enable initial CO2 commitments agreed in 2018 to be further refined through the use of the latest ship emission data.

"Most importantly," said IMO, "the IMO data system will inform the development of a mechanism by IMO for ensuring that the CO2 reduction commitments are met."

The IMO Road Map is noted to have to support of developing nations that are concerned about the possible impacts that may be felt on their maritime trade resulting from measures for CO2 reduction agreed to under the Road Map.

ICS says it is disappointed that a number of environmental groups have already voiced criticism against the Road Map.

"Unfounded criticism of the consensus that governments have achieved, in very difficult political circumstances, serves to polarise the IMO debate, making the support of developing nations for additional global measures even more complicated to achieve," said Hinchliffe.

As Ship & Bunker also reported today, Germany's Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Bernhard Schulte) says efforts to reduce CO2 will be key for the adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkers.