The World Shipping Council (WSC) on behalf of its member companies and other industry partners has filed a proposal for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to consider as the IMO develops a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Strategy for maritime shipping.
The proposal takes a three-pronged approach to:
- Include a set of ambitious objectives in the IMO’s GHG Strategy;
- Establish a maritime research and development program to develop new technologies to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the sector (both in the long term and in the near term); and
- Establish a program designed to stimulate investment in energy efficiency improvements across the existing fleet.
“Shipping companies understand and support the need to reduce their carbon footprint. However, shipping operations today are overwhelmingly dependent on the use of fossil fuels,” explained WSC President & CEO John Butler. “To reduce carbon emissions for the long haul, new technologies will have to be developed, and the IMO can be a global leader in that effort by including an ambitious research and development program as a central part of its Comprehensive GHG Strategy.”
The IMO agreed to develop a comprehensive GHG strategy at its meeting in October 2016 (MEPC 70), and will consider the WSC proposal along with a number of other proposals and recommendations at it its next meeting in early July 2017 (MEPC 71). The World Shipping Council looks forward to working with the industry and member states as the IMO seeks agreement on an initial GHG Strategy in 2018.
The World Shipping Council is an association of liner shipping companies, with offices in Brussels and Washington, D.C. Its members transport over 90 percent of containerized international trade. The WSC’s goal is to provide a coordinated voice for the liner shipping industry in its work with policymakers and other industry groups interested in international transportation issues.
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Source: AJOT
