Shipowner Groups Urge Compromise Over GHG Reduction Goals

ECSA President Panos Laskaridis says his associsation strongly supports and advocates an insightful compromise approach. Image Credit: ECSA

Shipowner groups toady have taken the opportunity to reiterate their position ahead of next week's 72nd meeting of IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC72), with "compromise" emerging as a common theme.

Among those releasing a statement on the matter today were the European Community Shipowners' Associations (ECSA) who reiterated its commitment to the development of "an ambitious and realistic IMO strategy" on reducing CO2 and other GHG emissions from shipping, while also noting that negotiations have reached "a very sensitive and political stage."

"It is in this context that ECSA strongly supports and advocates an insightful compromise approach by Member States and the European Institutions in order to reach an agreement, which is the objective for the benefit of the industry and the environment," said ECSA’s President Panos Laskaridis.

Also today, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said without compromise governments risk having no IMO CO2 strategy at all.

“Governments on all sides of the debate are going to need to show far more willingness to compromise on their current positions or put at risk an agreement on a meaningful strategy.  This would greatly undermine the authority of IMO and the future sustainability of the shipping industry” said ICS Chairman, Esben Poulsson.

ICS also took the opportunity to reiterate that the development of zero CO2 bunker fuels - something not envisaged until the second half of the century - was the only way a 100% total cut in emissions could happen, and as such the push by some Member States to achieve this by 2050 was unrealistic.