IMO – the International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. At the IMO-Singapore Future-Ready Shipping 2015 conference, the Global Maritime Energy Efficiency Partnerships Project (GloMEEP) was launched on Monday 28 September in Singapore to support increased uptake and implement energy-efficiency measures for shipping.
The conference has gathered some 200 delegates to discuss ways forward in encouraging the uptake of energy-efficient ship technologies. This Global Environment Facility (GEF)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/IMO project, will focus on capacity building to address maritime energy efficiency, creating global, regional and national partnerships, implement technical and operational measures in developing countries, where shipping is increasingly concentrated. It would also enable countries to mainstream energy efficiency issue within their own development policies, programmes and dialogues.
Argentina, China, Georgia, India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, Philippines and South Africa, the pilot countries, attended the GloMEEP launch. These countries will be supported in taking a fast-track approach to pursue relevant legal, policy and institutional reforms to support the effective implementation of IMO’s energy efficiency requirements at all levels.
Mandatory technical and operational energy-efficiency measures were adopted by Parties to Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) in July 2011 and entered into force on 1 January 2013. These regulations made mandatory the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for certain types of new ships and the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) for all ships. The scope of application of the EEDI has extended to include several additional ship types, to further develop guidelines to support uniform implementation, and to promote technology transfer. IMO’s third study on greenhouse gas emissions from ships (2014) reports that CO2 emission has come down from 885 million tonnes in 2007 to 796 million tonnes in 2012.
The Global emissions of CO2 in 2012 came down to 2.2% in 2012 from 2.8% in 2007. However, the study forecasts a growth of between 50% to 250% in the period to 2050 in CO2 emissions for international maritime transport.
Source: IMO
