Work now underway on climate strategy for shipping

Danish Maritime Authority Director General Andreas Nordseth: The road is still long, but it is an important step forward that the framework for a strategy is now in place."

JULY 10, 2017 — The Danish Maritime Authority reports that a working group established by the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) has begun work on the final climate strategy for shipping that IMO plans to adapt in 2023.

At last week’s MEPC session in London, agreement was reached on a number of main elements of the strategy and negotiations on specific measures to reduce emissions from the shipping industry have begun.

“I am pleased that the IMO has shown its capacity to act and is now engaged in the work developing a climate strategy for the shipping industry,” said Danish Maritime Authority Director General Andreas Nordseth. “We have been striving for progress and final outputs for a long time. But, it is of the utmost importance that we get global solutions and that requires broad debate and negotiations and it takes time. Therefore, we are very pleased about this first specific step. The road is still long, but it is an important step forward that the framework for a strategy is now in place.”

The IMO has, among other things, made a rough list of specific measures that may form the basis of future work, and that includes a strengthening of existing requirements for ships’ energy efficiency as well as further research on the use of alternative fuels.

Recognizing the comprehensive load of work that remains to be done, IMO will hold an extraordinary meeting in October 2017 about the initial strategy. One of the main elements to be decided at this meetin the level of ambition for the initial strategy.

Mr. Nordseth says: “We, on the Danish side, will take an active part in future work, and we consider it of the utmost importance that regulations on shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions are global and flag neutral and, not least, that it is possible to implement and enforce them effectively.”