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IMO adopts revised GHG reduction strategy for international shipping

IMO adopts revised GHG reduction strategy for international shipping
Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) have adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, with enhanced targets to tackle harmful emissions (photo courtesy IMO).

Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meeting at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) in London, UK July 3-7, 2023, have adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, with enhanced targets to tackle harmful emissions.

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The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from international shipping close to 2050, a commitment to ensure uptake of alternative zero and near-zero GHG fuels by 2030, as well as indicative check-points for 2030 and 2040.

The adoption of the 2023 IMO Greenhouse Gas Strategy is a monumental development for IMO and opens a new chapter toward maritime decarbonization. At the same time, it is not the end goal, it is in many ways a starting point for the work that needs to intensify even more over the years and decades ahead of us. However, with the Revised Strategy that you have now agreed on, we have a clear direction, a common vision, and ambitious targets to guide us to deliver what the world expects from us, said Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of IMO.

MPEC addresses international shipping’s environmental issues

IMO is the United Nations (UN) specialized agency with responsibility for developing global standards for shipping and supporting countries to implement those rules. The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) addresses environmental issues under IMO’s remit.

This includes the control and prevention of ship-source pollution covered by the MARPOL treaty, including oil, chemicals carried in bulk, sewage, garbage, and emissions from ships, including air pollutants and GHG emissions.

Around 1 800 delegates participated in the IMO MEPC 80 meeting on July 3-7, 2023, at the IMO headquarters in London, UK (photo courtesy IMO).

Other matters covered include ballast water management, anti-fouling systems, ship recycling, pollution preparedness and response, and identification of special areas and particularly sensitive sea areas.

Attended by some 1 800 delegates (in person and remotely), MEPC 80 also adopted Guidelines on the life cycle GHG intensity of marine fuels (LCA guidelines) for consideration and adoption.

The LCA guidelines allow for a Well-to-Wake calculation, including Well-to-Tank and Tank-to-Wake emission factors, of total GHG emissions related to the production and use of marine fuels.

The MEPC approved an MEPC circular on Interim guidance on the use of biofuels under regulations 26, 27, and 28 of MARPOL Annex VI (DCS and CII).

Elements of the  2023 IMO Strategy

The 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy) represents the continuation of work by IMO as the appropriate international body to address GHG emissions from international shipping.

IMO says that it remains committed to reducing GHG emissions from international shipping and, as a matter of urgency, aims to phase them out as soon as possible, while promoting, in the context of this Strategy, a just and equitable transition.

Levels of ambition directing the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy are as follows:

  • to reduce the carbon intensity of ships with the aim of strengthening the energy efficiency design requirements;
  • to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per transport work, as an average across international shipping, by at least 40 percent by 2030, compared to 2008;
  • the uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission technologies, fuels, and/or energy sources to represent at least 5 percent, striving for 10 percent, of the energy used by international shipping by 2030; and
  • to peak GHG emissions from international shipping as soon as possible and to reach net-zero GHG emissions by or around, i.e. close to 2050, taking into account different national circumstances, whilst pursuing efforts towards phasing them out as called for in the IMO Vision consistent with the long-term temperature goal set out in Article 2 of the Paris Agreement.

Indicative checkpoints to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping:

  • to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20 percent, striving for 30 percent, by 2030, compared to 2008; and
  • to reduce the total annual GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 70 percent, striving for 80 percent, by 2040, compared to 2008.

The 2023 GHG Strategy also states that a basket of candidate measure(s), delivering on the reduction targets, should be developed and finalized comprised of both:

  • a technical element, namely a goal-based marine fuel standard regulating the phased reduction of the marine fuel’s GHG intensity; and
  • an economic element, on the basis of a maritime GHG emissions pricing mechanism. The candidate economic elements will be assessed observing specific criteria to be considered in the comprehensive impact assessment, with a view to facilitating the finalization of the basket of measures.

Particular attention to the needs of SIDS and LDCs

Kitack Lim, Secretary-General of IMO (photo courtesy IMO).

The mid-term GHG reduction measures should effectively promote the energy transition of shipping and provide the world fleet a needed incentive while contributing to a level playing field and a just and equitable transition.

The strategy says that the impacts on States of a measure/combination of measures should be assessed and taken into account as appropriate before the adoption of the measure in accordance with the Revised procedure for assessing impacts on States of candidate measures.

Particular attention should be paid to the needs of developing countries, especially small-island developing states (SIDS) and least-developed countries (LDCs).

In the Strategy, the Committee recognizes that developing countries, in particular LDCs and SIDS, have special needs with regard to capacity-building and technical cooperation. An appendix provides an overview of relevant IMO initiatives supporting the reduction of GHG emissions from ships.

Above all, it is particularly meaningful, to have unanimous support from all Member States. In this regard, I believe that we have to pay more attention to supporting developing countries, in particular, SIDS and LDCs so that no one is left behind, Kitack Lim said.

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