IMO 2020 Alternative Fuels Symposium – What’s To Expect?

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According to a recently released IMO circular, the International Maritime Organization is hosting a Symposium on IMO 2020 and Alternative Fuels on Thursday, 17 October and Friday, 18 October 2019 in the Main Hall at IMO Headquarters,

Awareness & Preparation for 2020

The Circular letter No.3998 dated on 9th July, 2019 highlights the key area of discussion in this one and half-day symposium which aims to raise awareness and to take stock of the preparations for the IMO 2020 rule and to discuss the role of alternative fuels in the decarbonization of international shipping.

Live Streamed To Public

The Symposium will be live-streamed and remote participation is open to Member Governments, IGOs, NGOs and the general public.

Open To Non-IMO Delegates

Member Governments, IGOs, NGOs can register delegates to attend the symposium. The symposium is also open to delegates who wish to attend the symposium but who are not affiliated with an IMO delegation.

Full Discourser in The Circular

  1. The Secretary-General has the honour to invite participation at a Symposium on
    IMO 2020 and Alternative Fuels to be held on Thursday, 17 October and Friday, 18 October 2019 in the Main Hall at IMO Headquarters.
  2. MEPC 70 in October 2016 agreed that from 1 January 2020 the sulphur content of
    fuel oil used by ships operating outside designated emission control areas shall not
    exceed 0.50% by mass. Reducing emissions of sulphur oxides will bring significant global
    benefits for human health and the environment.
  3. The Organization has been working diligently and determinably for the past three
    years to prepare the sector for this momentous change. This significant collective effort has led to the development of a comprehensive package of amendments to MARPOL Annex VI (Regulations for the prevention of air pollution from ships) and instruments to support consistent implementation from 1 January 2020.
  4. Furthermore, in April 2018, IMO adopted an Initial Strategy on reduction of GHG
    emissions from ships. This decision sets out a vision which confirms IMO’s commitment to further reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and to phasing them out as soon as possible in this century.
  5. The Initial Strategy identifies levels of ambition for the international shipping sector that GHG emissions should peak and decline as soon as possible and to
    reduce the total annual GHG emissions by at least 50% by 2050 compared to 2008, but noting that technological innovation and the global introduction of alternative fuels and/or energy sources for international shipping will be integral to achieve the overall ambition.
  6. This one and half day symposium aims to raise awareness and to take stock of the
    preparations for the new IMO 2020 rule, and to discuss the role of alternative fuels in the decarbonization of international shipping. The provisional symposium agenda is set out in the annex. A more detailed agenda will be issued in due course.
  7.  Member States are invited to disseminate the invitation to interested parties and
    stakeholders and to encourage their representatives to participate.
  8. International organizations are also encouraged to disseminate the invitation among
    their associates and other interested parties.
  9.  The symposium will be conducted in English without interpretation.
  10.  Should any delegation wish to sponsor the tea & coffee breaks, or an evening
    reception on day 1, then they are kindly requested to contact the Secretariat for further
    information.

Details of Registration Process

Participants’ registration

To ensure appropriate logistical arrangements are in place for the meeting, the
Secretary-General would appreciate being notified, in advance (if possible by Thursday, 10
October 2019), of the names of representatives, delegates and observers, as appropriate,
intending to participate in the symposium.

Registration for the symposium will be available via either the:

  1. Online Meeting Registration System (OMRS) for delegates registering
    through their national OMRS Delegation Coordinator;
  2. Non-OMRS registered delegates.

Online Meeting Registration System (OMRS)

Member States, IGOs and NGOs wishing to attend should provide, prior to the event
date, the names of their participants, via the Online Meeting Registration System (OMRS) as advised in Circular Letter No.3463 of 14 July 2014, in order to facilitate their entry into the building.

Once they have completed the registration procedure, participants will be issued at
IMO with an electronic access card to pass through the security barrier in the IMO building.
Issue of the access card will require photographic proof of identity, e.g. passport, identity card or driving licence.

Attendees may also be required to show proof of identity at any time while
they are in the Headquarters building, if requested to do so by IMO Security.

In view of the significant costs incurred in producing access cards, attendees who have previously been issued with one are kindly requested to bring it with them for reactivation.

Any matters relating to the use of the OMRS should be communicated to:
Registration Unit
Meeting Services and Interpretation Section
Email: onlineregistration@imo.org

Participants whose names appear in the OMRS will be issued with the
above-mentioned access card. Participants whose names are not on the OMRS list will be
requested to contact their OMRS Delegation Coordinator in order to process their authorization to attend the event.

Non-OMRS registered delegates

Delegates wishing to attend the symposium but who are not affiliated with an IMO
delegation are requested to register via med@imo.org. Delegates registering this way need to provide the following information:

  • Full name
  • Address
  • Job title (if applicable)
  • Organization (if applicable)
  • Type of organization (if applicable)
  • Country
  • Appropriate ID corresponding to the details provided will need to be shown on arrival prior to the issuance of a visitor’s pass.

Attendees are advised that the Registration Desk will be open for registration
from 8:00 a.m. on 17 October 2019 and 18 October 2019, when early arrival would be of
assistance.

Remote participation in the Symposium on IMO 2020 and alternative fuels is open to
Member Governments, IGOs, NGOs and the general public. Registration and log-in
procedures for remote participation are set out in the annex.

Agenda and Programme Schedule

Day 1 IMO 2020

 (Thursday, 17 October 2019, one day session)

  • 9:30 Introduction and opening remarks by the Secretary-General
  • 9:45 Member State perspective of IMO 2020 implementation and enforcement
  • 10:30 The view of wider society followed by Q & A
  • 11:00 Break
  • 11:30 Availability and quality of compliant fuel oil
  • 12:30 Panel discussion
  • 13:00 Lunch
  • 14:30 Shipping industry preparation and guidance
  • 15:30 Panel discussion
  • 16:00 Break
  • 16:30 Use of scrubbers and LNG to comply with the 0.50% requirement followed by Q & A
  • 17:15 Summary
  • 17:30 Close

Day 2 Role of alternative fuels in decarbonization of the shipping industry

(Friday, 18 October 2019, half-day session)

  • 9:30 Introduction by the Secretariat
  • 10:00 Options and drivers for alternative fuels to decarbonize the shipping industry
  • 11:00 Break
  • 11:30 Stakeholder perspectives on alternative fuels and decarbonization of the shipping
    industry
  • 12:45 Summary
  • 13:00 Close

Process of Remote Participation

Remote participation in the seminar is open to Member Governments, IGOs, NGOs and the
general public.

Participants are welcome to watch a live meeting video and may leave interactive comments during the event.

PC, Mac and mobile devices including Android and iOS are supported. Please use any
preferred browser and input: http://streaming.imo.org

Remote participants are not required to register via OMRS but will be prompted online via the streaming website to fill in the following information:

  • Full name
  • Job title (if applicable)
  • Organization (if applicable)
  • Type of organization (if applicable)
  • Country

Please note that early registration is not necessary. The streaming website will cache the
above and reuse this profile for playing the video or rejoining the streaming sessions.
Please follow IMO’s social media sites for last-minute updates on the exact time when the
the event will start.

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Source: IMO