Ship Speed Limits: Not the Answer or IMO's Silver Bullet?

IMO mulls limiting ship speed. Image Credit: Ship & Bunker

Industry stakeholders Monday renewed opposing positions on capping ship speeds ahead of IMO's latest meeting to consider measures to reduce vessel GHG emissions.

Earlier this year the idea was heavily pushed at MEPC 74 by a broad support base including politicians, youth climate activists, and ship owners, but the meeting ended without IMO moving forward with any of the proposals.

The UK Chamber of Shipping today stated in continues to believe that "slow shipping is not the answer to cutting emissions" and in fact any "one-size-fits-all approach" will not work.

"Ships are at the heart of international trade and if they are forced to slow down, we may need more vessels to transport the goods we need. This would increase carbon emissions which we all want to avoid," it said in a press release today.

Since MEPC 74 an alternative proposal to limit ship power, rather than speed, has gained support.

BIMCO and the Union of Greek Shipowners (UGS) have submitted proposals highlighting that many factors impact ship speed that are unrelated to the resulting emissions, and in fact limiting speed could actually favour inefficient tonnage. 

Maersk are among those backing the idea, who are opposed to capping speeds.

But a report released by green groups Seas at Risk and Transport & Environment today says there is more to ship speed limits than reducing CO2 emissions.

The report finds that not only would emissions of black carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen oxides be reduced, a 20% reduction in ship speed would reduce underwater noise pollution by 66%, and the chance of a fatal collision between a ship and a whale by 78%.

"Speed reduction is the closest thing to a silver bullet the IMO will ever see" said John Maggs from Seas at Risk.

The 6th Session of IMO' Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions (ISWG-GHG 6) takes place from November 11 to 15.