IMO Approves MARPOL Amendments To Reduce Vessel Emissions

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  • The IMO approved draft amendments to MARPOL on short-term measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from commercial shipping.
  • The drafted amendments to the MARPOL convention would require ships to combine a technical and an operational approach to reduce their carbon intensity.
  • It builds upon current mandatory energy efficiency requirements to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
  • The draft amendments will now be put forward for formal adoption at MEPC 76 session, to be held during 2021.

The IMO, in a press briefing on Wednesday (18 November), said the draft for new mandatory regulations to cut the carbon intensity of existing ships have been approved.

The additional regulations were approved at IMO’s 75th session of Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 75), underway virtually this week.

Energy efficiency regulations

The new measures add to already agreed energy efficiency regulations for new vessels and aim to reduce the carbon intensity of international shipping by 40% by 2030 compared with 2008 levels.

Starting the session on Monday, IMO announced they would discuss draft proposed amendments to MARPOL on short-term measures to reduce the carbon intensity of shipping, aiming to add further energy efficiency requirements which would also apply to existing ships, by bringing in two measures:

  • a new Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index (EEXI) for all ships; and
  • an annual operational carbon intensity indicator (CII) and its rating, which would apply to ships of 5,000 gross tonnage and above.

IMO GHG strategy

Environmental groups opposed the approval, saying it would allow the shipping sector’s share of emissions to keep rising over the next decade, in oppose to Paris Agreement which requires GHG emissions to be halved by 2030, Reuters reported.

The IMO GHG strategy, approved in 2018, seeks to reduce overall GHG emissions from ships by 50% from 2008 levels by 2050, but is under pressure to speed up action.

The next session (MEPC 76), due for June 2021, is expected to formally adopt the new measures.

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Source: IMO